Drive won't engage, Fluid everywhere!

[elmwood]

OK, I launched and went out for a minute then came back to the dock to pick everyone up. Went to put it in reverse as I came up to the dock and the throttle felt funny then I realized I had no reverse. I tried forward and had no forward either. I also noticed that the clunk I feel when going into gear was not there. At the beginning of the season I had noticed the throttle felt a little stiff. I thought I just needed new cables. I would just replace them at the end of the season. I opened the engine hatch and "transmission fluid" was everywhere in the bottom. I call it that because it was red. Yes some sort of hydraulic fluid. The throttle was extremely easy now to operate. The engine will throttle up and down but the prop is not turning. My first thought is a seal broke on some sort of hydraulic but I don?t know what it would be with the fluid on the engine side but I?m not a marine mechanic but always willing to get dirty. That doesn?t scare me away. Just point me in some sort of direction. I looked around and could not find anything wet but the engine had been running a little while and was ?warm?. I brought the boat home and need to get it fixed. I typically keep it at the lake area because to much trouble to take it back and forth.

This is a VP 5.8 FSi and a VP SX Cobra, 1996 Four Winns 258 Vista

 

[Don S]

Re: Drive won't engage, Fluid everywhere!

This is going to be a tough one. Reason being, the gear lube 75W90 not transmission fluid, and not red, it's not inside the boat either, not even a reservoir.
you obviously have two problems at the same time. Inside the boat you have power steering and trim/tilt that is red transmission fluid. But neither has anything to do with shifting.
You need to do some looking at the back of the engine and start looking for broken things. Also pull the outdrive and see whats there.

 

[elmwood]

Re: Drive won't engage, Fluid everywhere!

I already came to this conclusion. I looked the site over before posting but after I posted it gave me some links to other posts. I've since thought that the power trim is leaking somewhere and maybe a cable is broke. I've down loaded the manuals that you Don S have loaded and linked to. Thank you for that. I went looking for repair manuals but they seem to be out of print.

Ok I've never taken the outdrive off before, I usually take it somewhere to have it serviced other than replacing the fluid. I don't like paying the high prices of the work and have decided to take on more of that. When I get it off what might I be looking for? I know I need to look at the splines to make sure they aren't shot but what next. I do plan on reading these manuals cover to cover to get a feel for what I'm going to be doing but give me a direction if you can. I've read since first posting about the Cobra drives but have concluded that the biggest problems were in models way before mine. Could this be just a cable problem? I had thought about that and had a friend move the throttle while I was holding on to the cable housings as far back to the drive as I could and it felt as if the cables were moving inside. If these cables operate the throttle and the drive system (forward and reverse) how do they separate or is it one cable for throttle and one for drive? There were two cables.

Well first things first. Need to make an outdrive stand when I get home tomorrow. No problem there. I think I can handle that one. I'm a cabinet maker. Look out I might do one with raised panels out of oak or something else.

 

[elmwood]

Re: Drive won't engage, Fluid everywhere!

OK. Don't bite my head off but follow me on this. I took the linkage cover off the outdrive and disconnected the shift cable. I moved the shifter and the cable didn't move either way. Now should it move? If it doesn't move is that an indication that the cable broke? I know you told me I needed to take the drive off but I just thought of this and wanted to try it first.

Trim resivor is out of fluid so I need to fill it and see where the leak is at. It's getting dark now so I'll have to wait till tomorrow. I don't mind working with a trouble light but we have a cold front that moved in and the cold is "heck" on my hands. I only have half feeling in them as it is.

 

[Don S]

Re: Drive won't engage, Fluid everywhere!

I moved the shifter and the cable didn't move either way. Now should it move? If it doesn't move is that an indication that the cable broke?

Yeah, it should move. Could be either the cable or the control itself not working. Remove the control and see if the shifter arm is moving.

 

[elmwood]

Re: Drive won't engage, Fluid everywhere!

Yesterday I thought of this when it was still on the water and had a buddy move the throtle while I was holding onto the cable housings. I felt cable moving in each of them. Also the throtle works. "The engine goes vrooom vrooom when I push the do-hicky." I'll still pull the shifter since it will have to come off one way or another. One thing I lucked out on is that Four Winns has a past model parts catalog on their web site and my year and model is there. The two cables, throtle and shifter, are 15' and 16'. I just don't know which is which. The catalog doesn't say. What do you think of just replacing both. I looked at the teleflex web site and I see they have "new and improved" cables.

 

[elmwood]

Re: Drive won't engage, Fluid everywhere!

OK, Really?!? It's not the cable or the throttle controler. It's a bushing that goes around a part of the cable housing where it is held in place at the controller. It broke. It's part of the cable when purchased and it's plastic. Does anyone have any idea of what can be done? I'm running all sorts of ideas through my head but I don't have access to a machine shop to make something. This is a Teleflex CCX214xx cable. It fits a OMC style controller. I guess I have to just suck it up and replace the whole thing just because of a bushing. Everybody at one time now pull out your violins for me. At least I have a whole big enough to drive a semi through at the controller end to work with but now need to see about the other end. Still working on that trim pump. Bought a gallon of fluid just incase. By the amount of fluid in my engine well it's empty and I figure I'm going to go through a fair amount finding the leak. Only thing is I can't get to the filler hole with a funnel. I remember seeing a hand squeeze bulb pump with small diameter hoses on either end. Need to go find where I saw those at and get one. I live in a very small town only place it could have been I saw it was one of two automotive stores or Wally World. That's it in this place.

 

[muc]

Re: Drive won't engage, Fluid everywhere!

Might want to replace the cable --- the bushing can break because the the cable is so hard to move.
Turkey baster can work good for transferring fluid.

 

[elmwood]

Re: Drive won't engage, Fluid everywhere!

Well finally got to work on the trim. I filled it and have been recycling the drive about 15 times and keep checking it. I cleaned all the fluid off. I am getting a small seeping by a screw on the starboard side as looking at it below the reservoir directly behind the two motor wires. Nothing squirting anywhere so I?m going to let it set some and look at it again. Let me bounce this off someone. I?m assuming there is a gasket between the reservoir and the motor pump. Could it be that that gasket has just given up? I don?t know if it is common that that gasket go bad. Can?t imagine there any pressure on that gasket, just a thought.