Off-throttle idle shifter problem - Alpha One

[FlatBlack]

All,

I have a 1986 Sunbird with a 140 I/O and a Alpha One outdrive. The lower cable was seized on the boat when I bought it, and we have replaced it. The boat goes into forward and reverse gears fine, but coming off throttle into the 'idle' position [on either side of the 'neutral' position], the boat is still in gear. It is necessary to play with the control to get it into Neutral again to get the outdrive fully disengaged. Occasionally it takes moving the lever all the way to "reverse idle" to get it in neutral.

We have adjusted the cables as much as possible, without making any gains on this problem. Currently we believe the shifter control lever is to blame, and has slop in the groove. Is this something that can go bad, and is it repairable without replacing the lever unit?

Thanks.

 

[ktbarrentine]

Re: Off-throttle idle shifter problem - Alpha One

All,

but coming off throttle into the 'idle' position [on either side of the 'neutral' position], the boat is still in gear. .

Not fully understanding the symptoms.... When you come off throttle to "idle" and are not yet in neutral, yes, it will still be in gear.
If you are coming off throttle into neutral (from either fwd or rev), and it is not coming out of gear, this sounds like a shift interupt switch issue (does this happen in the water, on muffs, or either?).

 

[FlatBlack]

Re: Off-throttle idle shifter problem - Alpha One

I made this thread while distracted, I apologize. The boat is still moving [in gear] in the water when the shift lever is in the 'neutral' position, so we'd have to play with the shifter to get it to actually go into neutral.

 

[Trumpetrhapsody]

Re: Off-throttle idle shifter problem - Alpha One

Co-Owner here, let me clarify:

The boat idles fine in neutral, shifts great into forward and reverse idle. BUT when you are throttled up and come back to idle, it's like there is play in the control box arm and will leave the throttle butterfly linkage open about 1/8", until you shift to neutral and they close all the way back to the idle stop screw.

The shift-interrupter seems to be working fine, I just think the high-idle is making us coast faster than usual. We haven't necessarily confirmed that we actual get stuck in gear when trying to go to neutral. The throttle cable "slack" is the issue here. I'd replace the throttle cable, but I feel like the slack is in the control box not the cable.