omc 3.0 shift problems

[starcar331]

i am having problems getting my stern drive in and out of gear i was told the shifter shaft may be out of adjustment anyone know what the height adjustment is? would appriciate any help!

 

[DukesFin]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

They (and "they" are the professionals who KNOW), will tell you to post more info on the year, make, and model of your boat/power/I/O...<br /><br />That will help them figure out exactly how to help you!<br /><br />Good luck!

 

[KaGee]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

What year Ron?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

Ron,<br /><br />If this is the same problem with the 87 Cobra you had back in December, did you check your ESA or get a new one?<br /><br />They upgraded the ESA at one time. Did you ever change it out?<br /><br />Do you use your boat is saltwater? If you do, the pocket where the bellcrank sits at the drive can fill with salt deposits. <br /><br />Other problem could be a binding cables. You can disconnect your cables at the engine to isolate it between the front and drive cable.<br /><br />How old is your drive cable?

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

The newer drive cable is red. If you have a black one, change it because it is known to bind.<br /><br />If it's a cobra this will help:<br /><br /> http://www.hastings.org/~stuart/cobra/

 

[bruceb58]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

Not all of the new cables are red. Aftermarket cables may also not be red.

 

[starcar331]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

it has a brand new esa module + everything from a new electronic ign. module to cap, wires ect. all is new as far as running i solved the cutting out problem it runs great now the only thing left is going in and out of gear

 

[starcar331]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

i did also have a new shift cable put on it!

 

[Don S]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

Does this mean you are NOT going to let us in on what year it is ????????????

 

[starcar331]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

sorry, the year is 1987

 

[starcar331]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

to give a littl more detail: 1987 reagle, sebring 19ft.<br />3.0L omc GM with cobra omc stern drive as far as the shift cable it is red! i had it put on at a local repair shop and they supplied the cable he showed it to me before he put it on

 

[JustMrWill]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

When you say "shift shaft" are you referring to part number 47 in link below?<br /><br /> http://www.dougrussell.com/partscat...6,347,348,349,352,353,354,355,356,362,358,359 <br /><br />When I had my shift rod at the wrong height...the sympton I had was not "hard shifting"...it was shifting at the wrong spot (ie nuetral at 1/4 throttle...reverse a neutral).<br /><br />-JMW

 

[lakelivin]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

Originally posted by Ron C:<br /> ...<br />3.0L omc GM with cobra omc stern drive as far as the shift cable it is red! i had it put on at a local repair shop and they supplied the cable he showed it to me before he put it on

New transom shift cable, not a new remote shift cable, right? If a shop put in a new transom shift cable for you, they had to pull the drive; it seems like they should have checked the shift rod height (if it's the part JMW pointed out above) as part of the shift adjustment process when they reinstalled everything. (am I right about that pros?) <br /><br />Just out of curiosity, who is telling you the shift rod height might be off? The same shop who installed the transom shift cable for you, or someone else?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

Unless someone messed with it, the shiftrod height shouldn't change...and like the previous poster said, would not increase the effort of the shift.<br /><br />Ron...you say you had a new shift cable put in...when was this done?<br /><br />When was the last time you had the drive off? Used in saltwater? The pocket in the drive where the bellcrank is can get full of deposits if you boat in saltwater.<br /><br />I had a remote shifter of less than stellar quality. It sure seemed like it shifted smooth enough when I disconnected the linkage at the motor but when everything was hooked up, between the slop and the friction in the shifter made shifting tough. I corrected a lot of my shifting problems by putting in a new shifter. Also, make sure your cable is supported and tied down along its length on the way back to the engine. That helps remove some of the slop. If you look at that cable housing as you shift, it can move a fairly large amount. This translates to slop at the shifter or lost motion. The amount of this lost motion reduces the throw that you have down at the drive.

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

You can adjust the shift cable using the hastings reference I gave the link to. Or have it done by the mechanic that installed the cable for you, but supply him the following two pages:<br /><br /> http://www.hastings.org/~stuart/cobra/kwshift1.jpg <br /><br /> http://www.hastings.org/~stuart/cobra/kwshift2.jpg

 

[starcar331]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

the person that told me about the height was on another forum as far as the cable being installed the guy did remove the drive unit from my boat i don't trust to many people working on my car,truck or boat but i trust this person 100% to do a good job on my boat the work was done about 6 months ago and yes i do run it in salt water i havn't done much work with the stern drives other than changing the oil or doing some engine work i just had to replace the damper pully about 2 months ago do you have a diagram showing the bellcrank area to check for salt deposits? as i explained before not done much on the stern drive, so it would be greatly apriciated

 

[starcar331]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

by the way, thanks for all the help and links!

 

[bruceb58]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

I think it's time you pull the drive and start breaking up this problem into parts. <br /><br />Once you get the drive off, you can test the shift effort of the shift rod. I believe it should be 17 lbs in both directions(you should check this number).<br /><br />You can then disconnect the shift cables at the engine and see if the rear cable moves freely. If it doesn't, it is either the cable or the bellcrank.<br /><br />If all of that is ok, test the remote control and its cable.<br /><br />You can either buy a manual and do some of these steps or take it in to someone who knows what he is doing. If the unit was shifting properly after the man who you trust 100% worked on it, take it back to him. If it wasn't working the way you want it, you need to find someone who knows how to work on OMC Cobras.<br /><br />Go to the hastings website listed above. You might learn something on there.

 

[starcar331]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

i can tell you one thing, when i have it running flushing it out it goes into gear real easy when i have it in the water is when it's herd to shift. let me ask you this: would the electronic shift coils in the drive unit or the 2 small switches on the shift bracket bolted on the engine cause this problem?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: omc 3.0 shift problems

There are no electronic shift coils in the drive. <br /><br />Those switches are for the ESA. I guess you haven't checked that yet! That was asked previously.