Lower Shift Cable Question - Alpha 1 Gen 2

[fixitforfree]

Removed outdrive to replace the lower shift cable. Had no issue unhooking cable assembly from up at engine and pulled the cable out of the cable sheath from the back of the boat. The next step, unscrewing the threaded cable from the housing at the outdrive is where I have an issue. I used a six point socket and had no issue loosening the threaded portion. It was fairly tight but came undone without any problem. It turned about a couple of turns without any problem, all felt normal, but I only see about half the threads. I still have half the threads still to remove from the housing but the cable sheath binds from that point on so I can't get the rest of the threads out of the housing so I can pull the cable sheath out. To be clear, when I turn the socket the entire cable sheath turns just as expected as far as I can reach with my little finger from the outdrive side of the boat.. But it appears to be binding somewhere in the transom because from the inside of the boat, even though the entire cable turns outside the boat, none of the cable turns inside the boat. What could it be binding on? I even had my daughter attempting to loosen the cable sheath from the outside while I used vice grips on the other end of the cable inside the boat to help and we simply couldn't get it to break loose to unthread it the entire way. I've watched several videos and understand how to do this job but every video I watch this cable sheath simply unscrews all the way without any issues then they simply pull it out. Why in the heck will mine only unthread about half the threads on that nut?

 

[dubs283]

alpha cables come from the factory with a chafe guard that is a white spiraled piece of plastic that can bind in the plastic bushing at the gimbal housing, check to make sure the chafe guard is removed

oem cable kits come with a new chafe guard however it is not necessary to install it on the new outer cable

fwiw i find it easier to pull the old cable through the gimbal housing prior to removing it from the bell housing. also, running a fish wire attached to the old cable prior to removal makes installing the new one much easier

 

[Bt Doctur]

unless you have the cable in a fairly straight line you wont turn it .BUT BEFORE YOU REMOVE THE CASING obtain a SS solid core from a control cable and use it as a guide

 

[jonny rotten]

I have a gen one but I cut the cable a few inches back from the end then unscrewed it. My concern was stripping the threads in the outdrive. I didn't want anything binding it up. Made no difference with using the old cable as a guide