1980 35 hp shift rod adjustment

[oldslowandugly]

I have been searching the many topics related to "jumping out of gear" and I find that either the gear/clutch dog may be worn or the shifter can be out of adjustment. I had to remove the lower unit for another problem and now mine jumps out every now and then at WOT. One poster mentioned that the screwed together shift rods need to be at a certain spec without mentioning what that spec was. I don't have an 80' manual but I have an 88' manual and it says to screw the lower rod down until it bottoms, then make the adjustment at the shift handle. Is that correct for an 80' or should it be at a specific height? I screwed the lower rod down all the way, then screwed the upper rod to it while holding it with a wrench so it didn't move. Then I adjusted the cable so it lined up with the shift handle in neutral and now I get the jumping out of gear. Per the topics I will now adjust the shift lever by loosening it and verifying that it is in neutral and the shifter lock is indexed to the shifter handle. The boat is in the water and it's raining hard so I thought I would ask about the shift rod before I went any further.

 

[oldslowandugly]

Re: 1980 35 hp shift rod adjustment

I went ahead and adjusted the shifter handle on the side of the motor. It was hard to break the handle loose from the shifter arm I guess it's been 30 years since it's been loosened and moved. I positioned the arm so it's favoring the forward gear position and the shifter lock arm is now holding it that way when in forward. I also tightened up on the shifter cable so it favors forward. I still get neutral and reverse but have to go slightly into reverse to get neutral to click into position, but that's a small price to pay if it keeps it from popping out of forward. I haven't had it up to WOT yet as it was rough seas today, but at 4000 rpm it didn't jump.