shift cable adj., 1 drive

[ziggy]

hello....... i'm just wondering?

i replaced my shift cable on my 165 L6 last fall thru this spring. just got my shift cable hooked back up to the shift plate inside the boat..... seems fine. got f, n, r on dry land.
i didn't have shift issues prior to replacment
i've not adj. the remote contol cable
my shift cable stud sits at the bottom of the shift lever slot.
in f, n, and r. the cut out switch sits in the vally of the cut out switch acuateing arm.

guess my question it this, it regaurds the old style shift calbe vs. the new. the old style one has all this info on cuting the core wire and support tube to this demension and that. the new style cable is not designed to be cut or disassembled. so. is the 6" demension in fwd. from the brass barrel to the center of the stud my critical demension? can i assume ( man am i gonna get ripped for saying assume) that if i had no issues with shifting prior to teardown. that the old cable was at 6", if i set the new one to 6" in fwd. there should be no change and i will be hip....

side note. i'm leary of this shift cable adj. proceedure. it seems complex to me, and i've read the service manual over and over. i've failed at this adj. before on a different boat. maybe that one had shift cable issues. but it ended up at a dealer and he got it set proper. so, i musta failed in that attempt. hence my reason for being leary of this adjusment. any insight?

 

[starsnstripers]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

Yeah zig when i'm ready for that step "soon" I was looking at it in the book and was like "HUH?" When i cut my cable on the drive to get it out i thought i'd try something like this "theory" haha I left the cable connecte in the boat/transom plate. I figure after i put my bell housing bellows etc. back together and install the shift cable i'm gonna try to match the adjustment on the new one to the exact location as the old one is set at. Will it work??? I'm hoping. any comments? will it work or am i barking up a tree? thanks

 

[ziggy]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

or am i barking up a tree?

or are 'we' barking up a tree...

i've thought about it and all i keep comeing up with is. that shift cable, being set at 6'' in fwd is the critical dimension (i think). there is nothing to cut or adj. on the new style cable. if it is set at 6'' in fwd. the cable is out as far as it needs to be. n and r are the other direction of cable movement.... what more can there be to it? with it at 6'' it performed on land as i thought it was supposed to. f=ccw lock on prop, nuetral= freewheeling, r=cw prop lock..... cut out switch always in the middle of the acuator....
in just now re reading for the umteenth time. on pp 2A-6, manual #2. i think that item 1-3 are not relivant since were useing the new style cable. item 4 is all we should be doing. which is setting it at 6'' in fwd.
it's the remote adj. that is overwhelming perhaps.
i guess my new question would be. does installing a lower shift cable effect the remote adjustment? my initial notion is no.

 

[Don S]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

Personally, I have not adjusted an old style cable in MANY years. They normally get replaced with the new style, so I won't be much help there.
But, they are both basically the same, and no two cables will ever be the same exact adjustment. They always need adjusting to get everything working.
I would strongly suggest you look at the manual (page 2B-12 Service manual #1) and do each step, one at a time and don't skip something because YOU don't think it's really necessary.
By the time you are thru the process, you will probably more understand the what's and the why's and how's of the adjustments and how they all work together.
Just like the newer cables, if you don't adjust things in the proper order, you miss things and it won't work like it should.

EDIT: Wrong manual, be back soon.

 

[Coors]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

Probably same theory- adjust lower with remote un-hooked; then adjust remote to center switch in valley. that for omc
most important is lower is sliding free, and centered before setting the 6 " or whatever it is. Like grab it it by hand,and 2 lbs pressure to shift, if not, something is binding.

 

[Coors]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

That was theory, Don, trying to show theory.
Most people don't realize, from the remote, what little pressure it takes on lower cable to shift out of water.

 

[ziggy]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

Personally, I have not adjusted an old style cable in MANY years. They normally get replaced with the new style, so I won't be much help there.

i had the old style cable, sns did too i think. we both now have the new style cable...

I would strongly suggest you look at the manual ......and do each step, one at a time and don't skip something because YOU don't think it's really necessary.

that's what i'm trying to do. but item 1-3 seems to suggest that i need to be trimin the core wire at 1/2'' from the support tube. i didn't use the support tube for the new style cable, should i have? it looked like the new style cable was just use as is.... am i mistaken? use my old support tube?

By the time you are thru the process, you will probably more understand the what's and the why's and how's of the adjustments and how they all work together.

are you refering to the interaction of the control cable with the shift plate with the shift cable? i've not adj. anything on my control cable.... i'm thinking perhaps i should at least look at it. all i've confirmed is that the shift cable stud end is in fact in the bottom of the slot for the shift lever... not confirmed any rev. lock stuff yet....... am thinking if i didn't have issues prior too. that adj. must be ok.......????

coors, yeah, usein my fingers to operate the shift cable is that easy. nice and smooth. new cable, new shift slide, new shift slide lever, new shift shaft, new shift shaft seal, new style, all greased up with 2-4-c...

 

[Coors]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

Yeah, on my OMC. dialed in the lower cable on the plate, then ended up buying new remote, as it was old and stiff, and screwing the int switch up.
Once the lower is correct- adjust the remote to it. making sure that f and r are centering the switch (In neutral)

 

[Don S]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

Did check out manual 2, and it's not much different than number 1.
What you have to do is understand what each adjustment does in relationship to everything else in the system.
Is it going to far into gear, not enough, is the Y bar not staying centered after a shift etc. etc.
NOW, if you are now installing a new type cable, you DO NOT have to cut it to length. It already comes precut.

 

[ziggy]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

Did check out manual 2,

yes, many times. bathroom reading even....

Is it going to far into gear, not enough, is the Y bar not staying centered after a shift etc. etc.

on land. i don't see any issues. pushin on the prop pretty hard when in either f or r. surely the gears are in mesh. n freewheels, no engagement. cut out switch acutator in bottom of v. f, n, r.

NOW, if you are now installing a new type cable, you DO NOT have to cut it to length. It already comes precut.

that's the way i understood it. was i supposed to use the support tube? from the old cable? i didn't. ?????

What you have to do is understand what each adjustment does in relationship to everything else in the system.

that's sure what i'd like to do. don't think i'm hip yet though. is there 'lost motion' between the remote and the shift cable, if so, where is it lost at? which piece is moving, and which is staying stationary......

 

[Don S]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

yes, many times. bathroom reading even....

No ziggy, I meant I checked manual #2, not if you did or not.

i don't see any issues. pushin on the prop pretty hard when in either f or r. surely the gears are in mesh.

The gears might be meshed, but probably not the shift dogs. The prop has to turn to make sure the clutch dogs engage and not set on top of one. Turning the prop (BY HAND) will turn the clutch.

was i supposed to use the support tube? from the old cable?

What are you calling the support tube? The white tube on the drive end of the cable? ? ? ? ? ?

 

[ziggy]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

The gears might be meshed, but probably not the shift dogs. The prop has to turn to make sure the clutch dogs engage and not set on top of one. Turning the prop (BY HAND) will turn the clutch.

ya just went outa my leage. i aint touched a lower yet short of an impeller....on the other hand......... ya know the one that gets ya in trouble.... when i go from n, to f. the prop turns a shade, like the gears are going into mesh. happens both f and r. perhaps that's what yer refering to?

What are you calling the support tube? The white tube on the drive end of the cable? ? ? ? ? ?

the other end dons.

service manual #2, pp 2A-6, fig. 1. my pic., the right small tube that fits over the core wire.....

 

[Don S]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

No, you do not need the support tube with the new style cable. Are you using an OEM or aftermarket cable?

 

[Don S]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

One note, in your picture above, the new cable comes with a different end guide (Black piece on the left) that has a smaller hole in it for the cable alone. Do not use any of the old style parts on a new style cable.

 

[ziggy]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

Are you using an OEM or aftermarket cable?

quiksilver

Do not use any of the old style parts on a new style cable.

cool. the new ones on the boat. thems the old ones in the pic.

thanks for the help folks. i think i'm hip. time will tell. i think it needs a water test next..... still winterized though... gonna have to wait i guess......

 

[starsnstripers]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

Ziggy? HAHA! Do you really think you'd understand it while ummm, bathroom reading? Isn't that multi-tasking? LOL I'm not at that point of my New style cable install but almost. Just waiting on a bellows. I left my old cable intact on the transom plate i'm hoping i can match it up, probably not. I havent studied the manual completely on this yet but have glanced at it and said Hmmm? So, gonna read it a few times to see if i can put into perspective. I might study mine here in front of the pc so i can single task! haha!

 

[ziggy]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

i'm hoping i can match it up, probably not.

i think yes you can.... i've decided that shift cable installation and adjustment is 4 items. the first 3 ya disregaurd because yer useing the new style cable. all step 4 says is to set it at 6" with the remote in f and the shift cable in fwd with prop lock ccw. theres also 5 steps for cable instalation. these seem pretty straight fwd..... the remote don't look so easy. 9 steps with a, b and c's included. so far, i'm going on the aussumption that i didn't have shift issues prior to teardown. i've changed nothing at the remote. the shift cable is barrel to center of stud is at 6", the old one was too. it had to be to be operating proper......nothings changed....... we'll see...

 

[Coors]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

i think yes you can.... i've decided that shift cable installation and adjustment is 4 items. the first 3 ya disregaurd because yer useing the new style cable. all step 4 says is to set it at 6" with the remote in f and the shift cable in fwd with prop lock ccw. theres also 5 steps for cable instalation. these seem pretty straight fwd..... the remote don't look so easy. 9 steps with a, b and c's included. so far, i'm going on the aussumption that i didn't have shift issues prior to teardown. i've changed nothing at the remote. the shift cable is barrel to center of stud is at 6", the old one was too. it had to be to be operating proper......nothings changed....... we'll see...

Something has changed.

 

[ziggy]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

Something has changed.

what has changed?

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: shift cable adj., 1 drive

This really is not that complicated.....
Put the helm in forward.....
Push the unhooked cable end in & turn the prop ccw to lock....
Adjust the barrel to 6" from center of eye to center of eye (cable end).....
My guess is that they will fit right over the studs.....
From the sound of it you are OK, Zig.....
Ya might have to fiddle with it a little, like Don says, but you will be close....​