Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

[mrsmith35sg]

When i first took off my lower unit my shift shaft could only turn about a quarter turn to the left. And it looked like

Now when Ive put it back together, the shift shaft seems to only be able to do the same in the opposite direction, as in from center to about a quarter turn right...is something wrong, and what can i do to correct if it is. Thanks!

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

the shaft must point straight in fwd gear with the prop locked. Any chance you had the shaft out to replace the seal???????

 

[mrsmith35sg]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

the shaft must point straight in fwd gear with the prop locked. Any chance you had the shaft out to replace the seal???????

Yeah the shaft was taken out after this picture to add the new bushing assembly... the prob is off ?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

http://mercstuff.com/ficheg.htm
That shaft goes into #40 that moves #41 for shifting. Here`s a inside look .

First ,with the drive tilted so it`s resting on the the bullet section(opposite the prop shaft) turn the shaft fully clockwise while turning the prop shaft counterclockwise untill it locks. this is fwd and the shift shaft must be straight. If not where is it???
VERY CAREFULLY AND I DO MEAN CAREFULLY remove it GENTLY and rotate it straight then reinstall it CAREFULLY untill seated.
straight =fwd, turned fully counterclockwise = rev, halfway in between = N
failure to be VERY CAREFULL will possably dis-lodge the selector and require dis-assembly of the lower unit .

 

[mrsmith35sg]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

So the shift shaft should be locked in the forward position when its installed correctly? The shift shaft will almost go dead center but its just a tad off to the right, and moves freely about a quarter turn as it is now.

When I do as you suggested the shift shaft will only turn as far right as it would freely. But now it seems to be able to be able to go dead center.

Also my i have a LH rotation, does that change anything?

 

[mrsmith35sg]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

Currently Like this...

To

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

the shaft will be straight when in fwd.the prop will not turn counterclockwise .It sounds funny cause the prop spins clockwise to push foward.The gear dogs are locked in place . If you were to turn the driveshaft clockwise the prop would rotate clockwise,normal operation.
But to set the spline for lower unit installation you must turn the drive shaft a tiny bit .With the prop locked going counter ,you can turn the shaft backwards to line it up. This is another reason to lubricate the impeller with something(soapy dishwashing liquid, K-Y, regular AF,etc. )to keep the vanes from reversing

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

Item 46 in the first parts link. the slider moved when you removed the shaft. PM ing my cell

 

[mrsmith35sg]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

Considering you're suppose to shift the boat in reverse to take off the lower unit on a counter rotating drive, shouldnt the shift shaft be facing the water pump then if that is reverse?'

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

Now you mention that.
looking at your pics, reverse will be straight lined up with the front stud, foward will be lined up with the shift shaft housing mounting bolt on the right not the left

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

 

[mrsmith35sg]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

So should the driveshaft be hard to turn?

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

just a bit because your turning the impeller also

 

[mrsmith35sg]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

Well I thought I had this problem corrected. And then thought I found out I had a seized motor. But after some trial and error....

Could this be a reason my motor will not turn with the sterndrive on? But will with it off?

 

[mrsmith35sg]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

bump

 

[mrsmith35sg]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

last try before a new thread!

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

Not good to start a new thread and lose the previous info.
If the motor turns and runs without the drive but binds up when you install the drive it means the drive is locking up.

 

[mrsmith35sg]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

Thats what I had figured, but I'm trying to determine if its the issue I had with the shift shaft and prop as mentioned earlier, and if thats the reason the drive is locking up.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

http://mercstuff.com/fiche.htm, this will show the breakdown
loosen/remove the water pump housing .At this point you should be able to turn the shaft with almost no resistance. If not, what was in the oil when you drained it?
Was the unit run with low/no oil in the drive? .Siezed bearings?.
Does the prop shaft turn easily in neutral?

 

[mrsmith35sg]

Re: Alpha 1 Shift shaft direction

Well I haven't taken the stern drive back apart yet, (I had had it apart to replace the impeller and shift shaft assembly bushing, and put it back on the boat, until the motor wouldn't turn over). However, the whole reason my father put it in storage was that it was leaking oil, and the one or two times he had it out that year, he just added more. So although I cant definitively say it was run in low oil, I'd definitely say there was a chance.

When I drained it originally I cant say I saw too much after six years. There was some metal shavings/flakes but very little to make me suspect anything, or so I was told.