1987 omc cobra 5.0 slipping out of gear

[prindog1234]

I have a omc cobra 5.O it shifts fine into to forward and reverse and it will go about 10 to 15 mph in forward and then when i go to get on it with a load in the boat it cuts out into neutral it wont even get close to plane before it cuts right out. and i have to push on the top cable on the motor to get it to go back in gear. Can anyone help me?? Very Confused

 

[bruceb58]

Re: 1987 omc cobra 5.0 slipping out of gear

You can start with replacing the lower shift cable. Hopefully, your dog clutch hasn't failed too from the bad cable.

 

[jerryjerry05]

Re: 1987 omc cobra 5.0 slipping out of gear

When you pull the drive there is a lever there called the bellcrank.It gets gummed up and will not allow the shifter to work right.The cable can only move so far and it will push itself out of gear.#21/42.While your working check the cable too.
Remember when you disasemble this it will have to go back in the same spot.Undo any screws remember the turns.
AND GREASE,GREASE,GREASE.J

 

[bruceb58]

Re: 1987 omc cobra 5.0 slipping out of gear

jerry,

You need to post a smaller picture. That one is way too big.

 

[prindog1234]

Re: 1987 omc cobra 5.0 slipping out of gear

What happens if the dog clutch is bad?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: 1987 omc cobra 5.0 slipping out of gear

Will pop out of gear under load...just like yours is doing.

What makes it go bad is the lower shift cable fails or goes out of adjustment. The dog gear doesn't fully engage and the tips get worn off which then causes the dog gears to not be able to hold a load. You may get lucky and are at the beginning of the stage where its just out of adjustment. Look under the drive on the starboard side with the drive tilted up. Look at the cable housing where it enters the drive. That is where the cable housings often fail.

What jerry describes can also happen. Especially in saltwater, the area where the bellcrank sits is a cavity where water can enter and leave salt deposits. If you are in fresh water its less of an issue. The deposits in there exacerbates the problem of the failing shift housing because it cause more force to be required to shift hence more stress on the cable.

 

[prindog1234]

Re: 1987 omc cobra 5.0 slipping out of gear

ok well I took it out on the water today to see if i could do some adjusting on the cable noo luck still pops out of gear while trying to plain I took the top cable off where the washer and cotter pin is and manually shifted it and it goes into gear. I held down the shift plate while my friend gave it gas and i had it held down and it still popped out of gear and basically shot my hand back pretty hard..Im getting confused it kinda seems like the cable but when i use my hand to try to hold it back and it still comes out of gear it makes me think it isent the cable HUH getting irritated ha

 

[bruceb58]

Re: 1987 omc cobra 5.0 slipping out of gear

If the cable is bad, you won't be able to hold it in gear anyway. Does sound like a shift dog which is caused by a bad cable typically.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: 1987 omc cobra 5.0 slipping out of gear

I held down the shift plate while my friend gave it gas and i had it held down and it still popped out of gear and basically shot my hand back pretty hard..

Sort of a chicken/egg thing......

If it was a bad cable(only) , it probably wouldn't push back so hard. Clutch dogs are slightly undercut so they'll basically hold themselves together when fully shifted into gear.

If the undercut no longer holds them together they could be "rounded" off so badly that the undercut area is worn/broken away.

The drive "lower" will probably have to be disassembled and the clutch dogs replaced.


Sorry about that