Shift cable adjustment

[4winnssd]

All just had new drive and shift cable installed. Now boat will go in reverse and went into forward butt kicked right out and now won't go in again. Thinking it is shift cable adjustment? 1993 four Winns 190 horizon with omc cobra ford 5.0. picture attached. Thank you in advance for any help!

 

[Travis71]

If you don't already have a service manual, the following website has pdf versions of the service manual instructions for adjusting the shift cable. In order to make sure everything is set up correctly you have to first remove the stern drive and check the measurement specs that are mentioned in the manual.

I just went through this procedure and it is pretty tedious, but once you get it set up correctly it works great!!

http://midnight-wolf.com/OMC_Install_Instructions.html

 

[seph510]

Not exactly an “apples to apples” comparison but I suspect it’s close enough. I have a 92, 7.4L OMC and just made this adjustment 3 days ago. The manual is crystal clear that you should not attempt to shift UNLESS THE MOTOR IS RUNNING. I did this in my driveway using muffs. I had the outdrive off to replace my gimbal bearing and I replaced my shift cable at the same time. I had the opposite problem, I could shift into forward but had no reverse.
Solution - loosen the bolt, dial the black adjustment screw (I turned mine 4 times 360 degrees) tighten the bolt back up. Took 2 mins. Works as advertised.

 

[kpg7121]

I have a 1988 four winns 180 horizon. I’ve had some shift cable and dog teeth issues myself. Thought it was the cable we replaced it once according to the manual. It would shift into forward but slip out. Reverse worked fine. So I got a new lower unit from sei and did the cable again. The cables we’ve got though off amazon they all seemed to long. It wouldn’t shift into forward in the driveway even after we did the omc adjustments with the tools. So we cut the cable by a half an inch and it shifts now. I still haven’t taken it out on the water yet but has anyone else had there cable be too long or not working even after following the manual?

If you went the SEI route how come you didn't do the conversion over to their "Merc" drive? That would have solved all the headaches that Cobra's present with parts & shift adjustments. Not picking on you, just curious.

 

[Chasebass]

So it seemed like it would cost too much and be also a big headache. The lower unit I got from sei was 890. But we replaced the esa module and now the esa works. But it still won’t shift into forward in the driveway even after all the new stuff. It has to be the shift cable at this point. Has anyone ever had to cut there shift cable by a half an inch because it wouldn’t fit?