newcdnboater
Seaman Apprentice
- Joined
- May 14, 2008
- Messages
- 40
Hi, I know there have been many posts on this issue and I've read them all before removing my Alpha one to change the cable. Unit is a 1987 Alpha one coupled to a 3.0l Merc of the same year. I was having trouble shifting which kept getting worse over time. Reverse was worse than forward, so I assumed the cable needed replacing. Well, I pulled the drive off this week-end and found the cable was ecrusted in salt (and whatever else it might have been) right from the bell housing to the end of the cable where the plastice shift lever attatchment was. So, I cleaned it all out and also noticed the vertical shaft which turns to engage the gear was also almost completely seized. So, I got it moving freely as well. Now, the shifter moves very freely and the unit shifts into forward and reverse no problem. But, here is the problem, the shift cutout switch no longer engages in either fwd of rev. I was careful to mark the barrel nut location on both the remote cable and the lower cable. I just seems that now that the cable is moving so freely, there is not enough tension to swing the cutout switch in either direction when using the throttle arm. If I disconnect the remote cable and shift by moving the arm by hand, the cutout switch does work properly. Oh, and by the way, I was very careful to replace the end tube and set screws on the lower shift cable in the exact same place as b4. Should there be a certain amount of resistance in the shift cable in order to move the cutout switch or is there a way to lower the required tension to move the cutout switch plate? I've been through the manual many times and can't find anything to help. Usually, experience is more valuable than the printed word. Any advice?
