Lower shift cable OK at 6 1/4 inches instead of 6"?

[gbrits]

Hi
I have a 2003 Maxum 1900SR with Mercruiser 5.0L Alpha engine. Recently my engine has been cutting out when shifting from forward to neutral and sometimes from reverse to neutral. Reading all the forums, it sounded like I needed to adjust my lower shift cable. I took both cables off, pushed the lower shift cable to engage the forward gear and measured between the ends and it measured 6 1/4 inches. Every video I saw said it should be 6 inches exactly, so I adjusted it to 6 inches, then adjusted the cable above it (sorry, don't know what it's called) to fit perfectly plus 4 turns of the plastic barrel, put everything back and tried it again. With the new adjustment, it would go into forward, but I could hear the gear was not fully engaged. You could hear a clanking noise as the rotor spun. So I took it apart again, adjusted back to 6 1/4 inches and forward engaged easily with no clanking noise from the rotor.

My question is, is a 6 1/4 inches measurement on the lower shift cable when pushed all the way forward OK, or should it be 6 inches and I also have to do some other adjustment so that I don't get that clanking noise when the rotor is spinning?

BTW, with the 6 inch and the 6 1/4 adjustment, the engine still cuts out when shifting from forward to neutral, so I'm sure I have to check the shift interrupter switch as well to see why it seems to stay open for too long. But first need to sort out the 6 1/4 vs 6 inch question.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Nope. If you can't get it adjusted in range you need to replace it.

 

[achris]

6"... No plus or minus.... If it's not working at that, something else is wrong and your 6-1/4 is just covering it up. (Watched my video?)

Chris...

 

[gbrits]

Thanks Rick & Chris

Chris, yes I watched your video. That's how I found this forum. Great video by the way. Here's what I did since, as a new boat owner, most of what I learn is through trial and error.

I wanted to go back and try it one more time, so removed the remote control cable and lower shift cable again. Measured the distance between the barrel on the lower shift cable and the middle of the opening at the end and it was 6 1/4 inches (like I set it earlier). Readjusted the barrel so that the middle was exactly 6" from the middle of the opening at the end (as per Chris' video). Readjusted the barrel on the remote control cable to fit onto the bracket exactly while the throttle was in forward, and then did the 4 turns away from the end. Put everything back together, ready to test.

First I put the throttle in forward, checked the prop by hand and it did not lock in gear. I could hear ratcheting while turning the prop so I knew it was close to being in gear, but not close enough. Went back to the cables and I realized that the nut circled in green on the attached picture controls the depth of that threaded rod in the metal sleeve it screws into. I loosened that nut and turned the threaded rod all the way into the metal sleeve. Coincidentally, it went in a 1/4"... Checked the lower shift cable measurement and it was still 6". Put it back together again, put the throttle in forward, turned the prop by hand and it locked in gear!

So my thinking is that the 1/4" that the threaded rod was screwed out, also pulled the cable inside it out by 1/4", which is why the 6" spacing didn't lock the prop in gear, but the 6 1/4" did.

With the threaded rod screwed all the way in, 6" spacing on the lower shift cable and the remote control cable adjusted accordingly, my boat is shifting in and out of gear without any problems now. Also, I found that the reason the engine was cutting out when shifting from forward to neutral was because that interrupt switch was getting stuck, so a liberal amount of WD-40 fixed that problem and it hasn't stalled in about 20 attempts since I did it yesterday.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the above and if that was the cause all along or if I'm still just covering up one problem with another potentially.