Cobra hard to shift

[jarrod1995]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

Question one: Yes

#2 I have both sides colors matching with the gold stripes pointed to ground.

#3 No not yet, didnt even think to try that, but I have a new fish to fry with the exhaust stuff right now, but i will put it on the check list. Do you know if I have the diodes the right way, the picture nor radio shack knew which was the right way.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

You have a picture of it?
The diodes don't connect to ground.
The diode look something like this with a band on one end?

 

[jarrod1995]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

I meant the other ones, the 4.7 ohm resistors. I have the gold stripes pointing to the ground point.

 

[Tommywalton]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

Hey guys. I just left the thread hanging. I did the diode thing and it works fine. HOWEVER i will say the linkage and getting it all adjusted right is a beotch! Mine still isnt doing its thing just right. Most of the time it just dies going into reverse. So i idled it up to 1k and now its just unmageable around the ramps and docks. Sux. Call pertronix and talk to the guy out there. I have a diagram in my email he sent me which is easier to understand. I will post it.

 

[DBreskin]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

FYI, ESA = Electronic Shift Assist.
The ESA is only meant to help shifting out of gear; it is not meant to help shifting into gear. If you're having trouble shifting into gear it is unlikely to be related to the ESA.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

I meant the other ones, the 4.7 ohm resistors. I have the gold stripes pointing to the ground point.

resistors don't care

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

FYI, ESA = Electronic Shift Assist.
The ESA is only meant to help shifting out of gear; it is not meant to help shifting into gear. If you're having trouble shifting into gear it is unlikely to be related to the ESA.

^^^^^^^+1

If the ESA is activating going into gear, you likely have a bad lower shift cable.

 

[Tommywalton]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

Well i don't know about the lower shift cable but i will tell you the bell crank which touches the micro switch which activates the ESA moves going into and out of gear. I do know that much. Now i will admit the linkage set up had at least 3 ways to adjust the crazy thing and ive tweaked with it a lot. For my understanding, from those of you that obviously know what an esa stands for and when it is activated, could you please explain to me how it works mechanically. How the bell crank/micro switch setup works, and how the esa can differentiate from a linear motion push pull set up. I would love for you guys in the know to school me on this so i can get my d*** boat to operate properly!

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

You likely have too much friction occuring in your lower shift cable.

The ESA's purpose in life is to stumble the engine when shifting out of gear. When your boat is in the water there is going to be load on the prop from the water force against it. When you shift you are pulling the clutch dogs away from eachother. Because they are meshed and the teeth of the cluth have a slight diaganol cut to them, they want to try to stay engaged. When you try to shift out of gear, the extra force on the shift cable will cause the mechanism on top of your engine to activate the shift switch. This should only occur when shifting out of gear. If the switch is activating at other times, its because of friction in your lower shift cable that shouldn't be there.

When you are on muffs, the ESA should never activate going into or out of gear. You need to be in the water for it to activate.

 

[Tommywalton]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

Ok bruce this makes sense. Could i test this theory by unhooking the linkage up top by the solenoids, the linkage that shifts the drive, then while running it should not move that lever that trips the micro switch? Correct? This should verify a sticky, worn lower shift cable, correct? Btw my ESA does activate on the muffs.:/ im sure your correct but i would like to test it before i buy stuff. Thanks

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

Sure you could do that. It shouldn't trip that switch at all with the lower shift cable disconnected.

You have a factory service manual...not Clymer or Seloc? You really need one before you change the lower shift cable.

 

[Tommywalton]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

No, seloc and its not good. Its lacking. I will search ebay for one i guess. Is it a pain to replace? Will i need to remove/or set lash on any gears?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

Its a pain the first time you do it. Best to have the tool that sets the bellcrank at the drive but you can do without it.

Check this out:
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=532964

 

[DBreskin]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

No, seloc and its not good. Its lacking. I will search ebay for one i guess. Is it a pain to replace? Will i need to remove/or set lash on any gears?

You do not have to worry about gear lash when replacing the cable.

 

[Tommywalton]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

Bruce everytime we correspond i spend money! Geez. I need to change it im sure. Its an original 1988. I found the cable with gasket and orings to put back with the drive. I just had it off 2 weeks ago when i lined up the new old motor. Can you link me up with a thread that can help? In your honest opinion would you do this without the tools? I saw three tools total and the first 2, a plate and something to hold the cable end are on ebay for 100 bucks. Is this a good price? Also the third tool is an "L" shaped deal to set something. How important is that to have?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

http://www.marinepartshouse.com/omc....html?osCsid=ccb2656bbcd27571826c5e74150c115a
item 90520. You can try to do without. I used to rent the tool that holds the bellcrank for $5 from my local OMC dealer when I used to do it.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OMC-JOHNSON..._Accessories_Gear&vxp=mtr&hash=item519ecb3f46


Also, do yourself a big favor and read this site:
http://www.hastings.org/~stuart/cobra/

 

[Tommywalton]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

I appreciate that bruce. This is exactly whats going on with my drive im sure. Shift with a finger! Ha mine takes gorilla strength at times. I hope i havent damaged my gearset. This boat is in great shape with VERY low hours. Its still an 88 with all the original cables im sure. I plan to keep this boat a while and use it weekly. I will buy the tools, manuals, cable and other needed parts to get it set up right. I will post some pics Of what ive done to get it going again. This is good bruce thanks again. I can hardly wait for it to shift with 1 finger

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

I will probably having you change your console shifter next.

 

[Tommywalton]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

As long as it has an "8 ball" on a long chrome handle im game! Seriously though i just read all that stuff and am almost overwhelmed. I consider my skills above average as related to mechanics and repair, but all that just rang my bell. Im sure its easier than it reads and once i get my hands on it, it will come together.

Im worried about a few things:
I saw some guy on a thread on here talking about splitting the case on 86-90 models. I didnt read that anywhere in stuarts site. Whats up with that?
Mine is an 88 model. Im not sure which cable to buy or if sierra is a good place to get it

Tell me this procedure is eAsier in the real world than stuarts site describes

 

[skidooseadoo83]

Re: Cobra hard to shift

Ill start with my disclaimer... im not a "marine" mechanic... where can I find an OMC description of the ESA shift logic... I have seen a couple threads with people saying two completely different things and now im starting to wonder... ESA activates when shifting in and out of gear, and on this thread, only out of gear. To be honest, it makes perfectly good mechanical sense that with a dog clutch set up it would activate both ways. I have an 89 capri, 2.3l cobra i/o, updated lower cable, shifts with ease, all my cable dimensions and shift measurements are within spec, no problems at all... and my ESA activates going in and out of gear. It was actually out of adjustment hard shifting when i bought it, clunked really bad going into gear, stiff shifter, no ESA stumble going into gear. After adjusting everything to spec, shifts like a dream. I know i have read literature related to the ESA stating the new 5 deg gear set was less inclined to disengage (not written by OMC, actually by Suart) and they came up with an updated ESA that reduced RPM further to facilitate “make disengagement easier”... but no mention of this is made by OMC in any bulletin or manual I have read, they simply state "hard shifting,"... any thoughts? If it really isnt suppose to activate when shifting into gear i need to find whats wrong.