mesajeeper
Seaman
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2010
- Messages
- 66
The details on the boat - 1988 5.7L Mercuiser with Alpha 1 outdrive. My brother and I just purchased the boat two weeks ago. Our first day on the lake was a blast and everything went well until it was time to load the boat on the trailer after 8+ hours on the lake. We had two problems:
1. The boat would not shift into Forward. It would shift into neutral and reverse just fine but not into forward.
2. The trim adjustment on the throttle handle would only work intermittently.
We took the boat to a friend of a friend who "knows" boats. He diagnosed the following:
1. Outdrive looked good inside. He adjusted the shift cables.
2. Trim motor is overheating and needs replaced.
As I was planning a day at the lake Saturday with my wife and three kids, we decided to go out for a quick test Friday after work. The trim hardly worked at all now and the shifting issue also got worse. So, that night being a shade tree mechanic myself I decided to figure this out on my own.
1. I attempted to adjust the shift cables. They worked perfectly in the driveway on rabbit ears!
2. I determined that the trim issue was all in the switch. I added an on-off-on toggle switch to my dash and wire it up to get me by until I can find a replacement switch for the throttle handle.
So Saturday went as follows:
1. Shifting adjustments did not work. I brought tools along and tried to make adjustments on the lake. Please note I did not even look at a repair manual or anything I just tried to wing it. It appeared to me that I simply needed more adjustment than the rear cable would allow. I finally disconnected the rear cable and shifted the boat manually. Most of the time it would shift fairly easily ( my 11 year old would shift it into forward and reverse at my command) but occasionally we would depress the cable all they way in and it would not shift. We found that if we pull the cable shifting it into reverse and then shifted again into forward it would usually shift. Sometimes we would have to make several attempts before it would finally go in.
2. The trim switch worked perfectly. I just need to find were to buy a replacement switch so that i can have the trim adjustment on the handle again.
Finally the questions:
1. After reading iboats forums for two days, it sounds to me like the rear shift cable needs to be replaced. However, the friend of a friend who knows boats (but didnt actually fix anything) says it is not the cable rather a part in the outdrive that the cable connects to that is probably worn out and he can replace it for us for a fee.
Basis questions:
1. My outdrive says "Alpha 1" on it so I know that much. But apparently there are various Alpha 1 drives. How can i determine which one i have?
2. I asked a boat shop if the diy'er (me) can replace the rear shift cable and he said probably if it has been replaced before. If not, their shop could do it for $350 labor. Apparently if it has not been replaced before it will involve taping a new hole somewere. Is the a way to tell if i will need to do this or not?
Thanks in advance for your help. I am not usually this long winded I just wanted to give you all the facts.
1. The boat would not shift into Forward. It would shift into neutral and reverse just fine but not into forward.
2. The trim adjustment on the throttle handle would only work intermittently.
We took the boat to a friend of a friend who "knows" boats. He diagnosed the following:
1. Outdrive looked good inside. He adjusted the shift cables.
2. Trim motor is overheating and needs replaced.
As I was planning a day at the lake Saturday with my wife and three kids, we decided to go out for a quick test Friday after work. The trim hardly worked at all now and the shifting issue also got worse. So, that night being a shade tree mechanic myself I decided to figure this out on my own.
1. I attempted to adjust the shift cables. They worked perfectly in the driveway on rabbit ears!
2. I determined that the trim issue was all in the switch. I added an on-off-on toggle switch to my dash and wire it up to get me by until I can find a replacement switch for the throttle handle.
So Saturday went as follows:
1. Shifting adjustments did not work. I brought tools along and tried to make adjustments on the lake. Please note I did not even look at a repair manual or anything I just tried to wing it. It appeared to me that I simply needed more adjustment than the rear cable would allow. I finally disconnected the rear cable and shifted the boat manually. Most of the time it would shift fairly easily ( my 11 year old would shift it into forward and reverse at my command) but occasionally we would depress the cable all they way in and it would not shift. We found that if we pull the cable shifting it into reverse and then shifted again into forward it would usually shift. Sometimes we would have to make several attempts before it would finally go in.
2. The trim switch worked perfectly. I just need to find were to buy a replacement switch so that i can have the trim adjustment on the handle again.
Finally the questions:
1. After reading iboats forums for two days, it sounds to me like the rear shift cable needs to be replaced. However, the friend of a friend who knows boats (but didnt actually fix anything) says it is not the cable rather a part in the outdrive that the cable connects to that is probably worn out and he can replace it for us for a fee.
Basis questions:
1. My outdrive says "Alpha 1" on it so I know that much. But apparently there are various Alpha 1 drives. How can i determine which one i have?
2. I asked a boat shop if the diy'er (me) can replace the rear shift cable and he said probably if it has been replaced before. If not, their shop could do it for $350 labor. Apparently if it has not been replaced before it will involve taping a new hole somewere. Is the a way to tell if i will need to do this or not?
Thanks in advance for your help. I am not usually this long winded I just wanted to give you all the facts.
I always forget about that site. Gonna have to set it as a favorite. 
