1985 OMC prop wont engage

[ls169hugger]

Thank you for all the helpful information so far on this site. I have a 1985 Bayliner bowrider 23' with a 5.0gm motor and OMC stern drive however im not able to exactly pinpoint the model but i know its not a cobra. I posted a picture below,

The main problem im having is i can not get the prop to spin. The engine will rev fine in neutral, then when i go to engage first or reverse the engine stumbles and eventually dies. The prop does not even try to spin. From what i can gather online it seems the shift cable is the likely culprit but im not exactly sure on how to test to see if it is. The intermediate cable seems to flex rather aggressively when trying to engage forward or reverse, im not sure if that is normal, or if the cable is jammed causing this. It also seems strange how little drag is on the prop if i spin it by hand, im not sure if that is normal either,

Any help would be great to get me pointed in the right direction and would be greatly appreciated.

 

[southkogs]

Welcome aboard: Your photos aren't showing up for me (the forum is having trouble with photos right now). In an '85 you should have a full mechanical shift Stringer outdrive.

I don't know the shift mechanism on this drive, but have you had the boat running before? Or is this a problem that has been going on since you've had the boat?

 

[breakingbass]

hi, i am new to this forum, and i am experiencing the same problem. i bought my first boat this past spring, it has been well taken care of, and i have been keeping up with all of the regular maintenance. i check the fluids, flush the motor and wash the entire boat after every trip, and all of that good stuff. i even bought the service manual and have been trying to learn as much as i can about taking care of my boat and properly maintaining it. my boat has been running like a top, and i saw no signs of any problems before i lost drive to my prop last weekend, just a few miles from the boat launch.

my motor runs like a champ, i just dont get any drive to my prop when i get on the throttle. putting it in reverse will kill the motor, and putting the throttle forward will rev the motor high before it dies. i am guessing the most likely culprit is either some sort of shift cable problem, or a broken shaft somewhere in the outdrive, im guessing the prop shaft, or intermediate shaft.

any guidance on this problem would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

 

[ls169hugger]

Thank for the replies. Its is a new problem that occurred i believe after it sat stored outside for about 3 years. We are the original owners. I always had a problem with the trim not raising and lowering and still do, however the prop not spinning is a new one. I had the outdrive rebuilt about a year before she went into some hibernation. It is still the original black shifter cables however.

The part i question also is that if the cable was stuck why can i move the shifter all the way forward and reverse? It feels as though it would be engaging however the prop stays dead still and the engine just stumbles and dies.

Thanks again for the help! I just want to fix this thing before I lose another season!

 

[southkogs]

... i am guessing the most likely culprit is either some sort of shift cable problem, or a broken shaft somewhere in the outdrive, im guessing the prop shaft, or intermediate shaft.

Welcome aboard breakingbass: In the future it's a good idea to start your own thread. You'll get better and more specific answers and not throw the original poster's questions off track.

That said, if your engine will idle with your stern drive on, then your intermediate is in decent shape (may need maintenance, but it's working). I'm thinking you may have lower unit trouble on yours. Start a new thread and when you do, make sure you tell us the year of your boat. Stringers had different shift systems over about 10 years.

 

[southkogs]

The part i question also is that if the cable was stuck why can i move the shifter all the way forward and reverse? It feels as though it would be engaging however the prop stays dead still and the engine just stumbles and dies.

I'm probably a little outta' my league for ya' hugger. I don't know the mechanical shift well enough (never had one) to tell ya' which way to go. I guess my first step would be to look through the manual and make sure the cable was in right - no tellin' what settled, shifted or otherwise snafued while she sat.

 

[vinnie1234]

It sounds to me that you have a problem with the spark interruptor. At the point when shifting is to occur, there is a switch that momentarily cuts the ignition to enable shifting. This is intended more for shifting out of gear, but it happens on both in and out shifts.
You have a full mechanical shift. If you can move the cable with the engine off, shift it into gear (engine off) and then check to see that the prop wont move. That will tell you if the actual shifter is working. If so, then your only problem is the spark switch.
If the gear is not actually engaging, then there is no way for the outdrive to slow and stop the motor.
With respect to the shift mechanism and cable itself: There are two cables involved in shifting. The first which goes from the helm control to the shift housing on top of the intermediate housing (this is a single push-pull cable) and a secont cable which actually has two cables inside. If you remove the cover on the shift housing you will be able to see the two ends wrapped into the shift pulley. When shifting into forward, one of these cables pulls on a pulley in the lower gearcase, which moves the shift rod and engages the clutch into forward. When you shift into reverse, the second (longer cable) pulls on a different pulley in the lower gearcase, which moves the same shift rod in the opposite direction. If you remove the ends of the cable from the shift pulley at the intermediate housing, they should move fairly easily by just pulling them with your hand. You can engage the forward/reverse gears in this way to help you troubleshoot.

So, I think the reason why you are stalling is the spark interrupt, but you may also have a shift problem on top of that. Good luck!

 

[ls169hugger]

ok great i will remove the cables when i get home as long as it is not pouring and check it out. If the spark interrupter was not working properly as the engine is sputtering out to die it would not even attempt to spin the prop a little bit? Would you be in gear when the motor dies or would you still be in neutral if the spark interrupter was malfunctioning?

 

[vinnie1234]

Not sure, i think it depends on cable adjustment, but that doesn't matter. Your main complaint is that your engine stalls when you shift. The actual shifting of gears is mechanical and totally unrelated to the engine, except for the spark interruptor. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and suggest that your engine won't re-start until you shift back into neutral? You can confirm you have no spark when in gear by grounding an ignition wire and turning the engine over. If you have a neutral safety switch, then you will have to short the starter solenoid to turn it over, which might be easier if you don't have an extra set of hands.

 

[vinnie1234]

From what you are telling me, if I was there, the first thing I would do is answer the question about shifting. I would go straight to the helm, move it into gear and then try and move the prop. If I didn't work in forward, then I would try it in reverse. Regardless of whether it shifts or not, the next thing I would do is grab my remote start switch (if you don't have one they are priceless) hook up one lead to the battery positive and the other to the starter solenoid positive. Pull the lead off of the ignition coil and turn it over. Spark? If so, then I am wrong about your problem. If no spark, then go back to the helm, shift into neutral and repeat the spark test. Spark? If so, then you have confirmed that there is no spark when in gear, and that is why your engine stalls.
Disconnect the spark arrestor and try this test again to confirm that this is the problem.

Once you have that sorted, you can move on to the actual mechanical shifting, if that isn't working either. I really hope that helps you out!

 

[ls169hugger]

Thanks a lot I appreciate it. When i get home thats exactly what i will try. I just figured the boat was dying because when i tried to shift it was binding and somehow casing the boat to stumble and die. I will repost the findings!

 

[ls169hugger]

So today i went home and disconnected the spark interrupt. The boat did not die, actually it started to rev like it was in neutral as i depressed the shifter into gear but the prop didnt spin. After further review i realized that the boat stumbled while reconnected but held out from dying on most tries but never went into gear. From the helm i shifted into gear to check the prop and i could spin it freely in all gears. From there i opened up the control to access and look at the pulleys and found that the lines were seized coming out of the rubber. The pullies were moving however the cables were not. I disconnected them and tried to move them by hand but could not. would the next step be to remove the outdrive? Is this a cable problem or could something else be stuck? Thanks again for the help!