1990 Alpha One Shifting Issues - Won't Come Out of Drive F/R

[jwoodall912]

1990 Alpha One - New out drive and shift cable

Had the new out drive and shift cable installed by a shop. It shifted fine for the first 30-or-so hours then started having issues. The drive will shift into reverse and forward just fine. Both forward and reverse will not come out of gear and go back into neutral. The shift cut-out switch starts moving in either direction when coming back in to neutral. I took zip ties and eliminated the cut-out switch by locking it into place so that it will not move. To get the drive in neutral, I have to put pressure on the shifter in either direction and force it back into neutral (by pushing it from forward into reverse and by pushing it from reverse into forward. I went through and re adjusted everything according to the books and other online forums. Any ideas?

 

[Rick Stephens]

An Alpha drive won't shift into neutral unless the interrupt momentarily kills the ignition and unloads the gear dogs. The teeth on the gears, dogs, are beveled to hold in gear. Because in gear the prop always puts the gear train under load, the motor has to stumble to unload the gear dogs for them to drop into neutral. Wiring the interrupt guarantees your boat can't go into neutral unless you kill the motor or stress the hell out of the shift cable by forcing it past neutral.

 

[achris]

.... I took zip ties and eliminated the cut-out switch by locking it into place so that it will not move. ...

That's what's causing the problem... The cut-out switch MUST be allowed to move, so it can allow the drive to come out of gear. If it has failed, or is out of adjustment, then you'd have to move the control lever past neutral to get out of gear, and it will feel very stiff.

Chris...