Lower shift cable or ???

[khe]

1997 Sea Ray 240 Sundancer, 1225 hours. 5.7 EFI Alpha 1 gen 2 drive.

The engine will randomly stall when shifting. Sometimes two weeks or more between stallings. Today, it stalled while shifting and the shifter lever didn't feel right. I watched the shift cables at the shift plate and when I put it in Neutral, it was still in gear, then the cable popped and it was in Neutral.

The idle was fluctuating when this happened - I was initially thinking it was a sticky/dirty idle air control but when I felt the shifter acting funny, I thought "lower shift cable".

When I got home, I verified the lower shift cable adjustment and it was right on 6". I manually shifted it and could not get it to act up. I started it on hose muffs and shifted it at least 30 times and it would not act up like it did when we were on the lake.

Does this sound like the symptoms of a lower shift cable that is worn out?

 

[achris]

Without being able to move the shift cable myself, it's difficult to tell. But the fact that you can shift on the muffs without the interrupt being tripped is a good sign. The interrupt system need load on the propeller to activate, or a stiff lower shift cable.

Have you read the stickie on exactly how that system works? Once you understand it, it becomes easy to troubleshoot. It's HERE.

Chris..........

 

[khe]

Thanks for the post, Chris. I read the link and since I am having no issues while on the muffs, it would appear the shift cable is not causing the interrupter to trigger.

When I had it in the water yesterday and was experiencing the engine dying, the shifter lever felt stiff when close to the Neutral position and would go into Neutral but the boat was still in gear. Watching the shift cable, I could then see it move to the neutral position and the boat would be out of gear.

With the lower shift cable disconnected, I could move the cable and there wasn't any binding that I could feel.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Sounds to me like the interrupter doesn't work at all. The dogs are hanging until the cable tension is able to pull them out of gear. To test that, with the engine running on muff, just push the interrupt to the side, it should instantly kill the engine.

 

[khe]

Rick,

Thank you for the suggestion! I'll try that tonight. If the engine dies when I activate the interrupter switch, then I'd think it would be an adjustment of the interrupter system, correct? If the engine does not die, then It would be the switch itself, correct?

Before this problem happened, I could tell the interrupter was working as the tack would drop 200 RPM or so when the shifter was moved to Neutral.

 

[Rick Stephens]

If it doesn't kill the engine to push the interrupt, then it can be bad wiring or faulty connection, or a bad bad switch. If it does kill the engine, then just check the adjustments to make sure it meets spec. The manual is very specific.

 

[khe]

I started the engine on the hose muffs. Depressed the plunger switch, engine died. Restarted and tried the other direction and it died. The switch appears good.

I then checked the lash on the lower shift cable and it was 15/32 to 1/2" which is within the 9/16" spec. Since the cable met the spec, I don't think it is worn/stretched. I did notice the hole in the end of the lower shift cable that goes over the pin was not parallel to the pin so I adjusted the end so that it did not have to be rotated in order to slip over the pin. I then verified the 6" adjustment from the brass barrel to the hole in the shift end and it was right at 6"

I then took it to the launch ramp and ran it - it shifted perfectly. I shifted numerous times in either direction - no problems t all.

The switch plunger was 1/32 away from the V-bracket which met the spec in the manual.

The only thing I can think of is the switch is very intermittent, unplugging and plugging in the switch cleaned the harness contacts (although they did not appear corroded) or the alignment of the cable end radially improved the cable operation.