87 sea ray with 3.0 mercruiser dies in gear

[rob85546]

WHen the boat is in neutral it runs fine, shift into gear It dies..... unhooked the safety switch on motor and then it dont die?? any ideas???? and price to fix.???? thanks

 

[fishrdan]

Re: 87 sea ray with 3.0 mercruiser dies in gear

unhooked the safety switch on motor and then it dont die??

Shift interrupt switch?

Sounds like a bad lower shift cable, $75-100 for the kit. Use the genuine Mercruiser (Quicksilver) cable, it's worth the extra cost.

 

[rob85546]

Re: 87 sea ray with 3.0 mercruiser dies in gear

So its shot, versus needing adjustment?? Why does it work with the switch disconnected?? If the cable is shot I think it would just be shot and not work at all??

thanks

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

Re: 87 sea ray with 3.0 mercruiser dies in gear

Read this previous post from a similar problem:

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=410149

If you do the replace the shift cable, look at the shift shaft bushing/seal in the bellhousing while you are there. They have been redesigned better and are not that difficult to replace. When I did my cable the shift shaft seal inside the bushing was dry rotted and can allow water into areas that should not have it.

 

[Don S]

Re: 87 sea ray with 3.0 mercruiser dies in gear

The shift interrupt switch IS working, that is why it dies. Either the shift cable is bad, or the shift shaft in the bellhousing is binding, or you have a drive problem.
The shift cable is the most common problem. And YES, you replace it, it's binding, and they don't just get out of adjustment. They wear out.

Do a search of this forum for "Shift Cable" and you will see what I mean.

 

[rob85546]

Re: 87 sea ray with 3.0 mercruiser dies in gear

Pulled the drive, a friend who has worked on boats for years checked it out and said it was bad......

also had water in the bellows..... so we are changing that.

The shift interrupt switch IS working, that is why it dies. Either the shift cable is bad, or the shift shaft in the bellhousing is binding, or you have a drive problem.
The shift cable is the most common problem. And YES, you replace it, it's binding, and they don't just get out of adjustment. They wear out.

Do a search of this forum for "Shift Cable" and you will see what I mean.