Mercontrol Cable Travel

[Jaynen]

I got a 1974 merc 500 50hp with mercontrols. Got forward nuetral and reverse working on the shift shaft and I hooked up the cables and can't get the shifting positions to work. If I am in the netral detent on the control box and the shift shaft and switch to forward, I gotta go slightly past on the box to get the shift shaft to forward. That's fine but the problem is that if I go to reverse I think the shift shaft should shift before I get to the reverse detent on the box, but its after! No matter how I adjust the cable I will either have nuetral and forward with no reverse cuz I can't get there, or nuetral and reverse with.crappy forward with not much trottle. Is this a cable travel problem. There's nothing that I can see to adjust the travel. What's sucks even more, same situation for the throttle cable! Anyone have any idea?

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Mercontrol Cable Travel

Well I kind of got lost interpreting your description but the one thing I would ask is, are you sure you have the right cables connected to their respective linkages. Could be you have the shift cable connected to the throttle linkage and the throttle cable connected to the shift linkage.

Disconnect both cables at the engine. With the aid of a helper, using the controller, shift from neutral to forward. Watch the disconnected cables and see which one moves first. That would be the shift cable. As you move the throttle lever more, the shift cable will stop moving and the throttle cable will begin to move. Same goes for neutral to reverse.

 

[Jaynen]

Re: Mercontrol Cable Travel

Yup that's how it is, cables are all connected properly. Sorry for the confusing description. To get to forward I have to move the control past the forward detent on the box, so in the area where it start to open the carbs. And for reverse, same thing, past the detent on the box, so it goes to rev up before getting to reverse, and I don't wanna go into reverse in high rpms.

 

[Crazyman1225]

Re: Mercontrol Cable Travel

Just a quick question for you. Do you have the shift rod on the lower unit set at the right height? There are specific measurements for the shift rod setting in order for it to work correctly. The rod has to be in the neutral position when measured. Then there should also be adjustments on the end of your cables where they hook up to the linkage on the motor. I am not sure of the measurement for your set up, check your manual or ask on the site or ask a repair shop to look it up for you. Hope this helps you fix your problem.

 

[Jaynen]

Re: Mercontrol Cable Travel

By adjustments on the end of the cables do you mean the brass barrels? The brass barrels don't make a differance. The height of the shift shaft I don't think can be set. When I rebuilt the lower unit there was a clip on the shift shaft but there was a grove cut out in the shaft where it was supposed to snap in. I can't see the height of the shift shaft changing anything.

 

[ajgraz]

Re: Mercontrol Cable Travel

By adjustments on the end of the cables do you mean the brass barrels? The brass barrels don't make a differance.

Do you mean, "nothing changes no matter how I set the brass barrels"?
Or, "I can't get it right no matter how I adjust the brass barrels"?

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Mercontrol Cable Travel

Yup that's how it is, cables are all connected properly. Sorry for the confusing description. To get to forward I have to move the control past the forward detent on the box, so in the area where it start to open the carbs. And for reverse, same thing, past the detent on the box, so it goes to rev up before getting to reverse, and I don't wanna go into reverse in high rpms.

If you are getting shift cable movement AFTER the throttle cable starts to move then something is wrong in the control. Doesn't matter what adjustments you make to the cable lengths. The shift cable moves first and then the throttle cable.

 

[Jaynen]

Re: Mercontrol Cable Travel

Exactly I can adjust the cables all I want but that doesn't fix anything, after the forward detent on the box the shift cable will still move for another say 5 - 10 degrees on the box and then stop and switch to the trottle cable for the rest of the movement. And same with reverse.

 

[Jaynen]

Re: Mercontrol Cable Travel

Okay so got another control unit and swapped the parts. All the parts looked the some but when I tried it the travel was different. I was able to get forward and reverse to shift before any reving and everything works now! Thanks for all the quick and helpful replies.