shift cable freaking out! help!

[birdy3897]

My shift cable shifts fine when I am in the boat and it is not running but as soon as I put it into the water and shift into forward it is really hard to go back into neutral. I have to pull back with a lot of force to get it into neutral again, but when it is out of the water and not running it shifts smooth as butter. Any ideas??

 

[ctrlaltdl]

Re: shift cable freaking out! help!

Is your idle set correctly?

What engine and outdrive?

 

[birdy3897]

Re: shift cable freaking out! help!

I have a 1978 2.5L 120hp with I believe a pre-alpha. The compression is a little low in the #4 so I have the idle set at about 950 because is is rough any lower than that. When I first leave the dock it will shift fine into forward but after I throttle back and try to go to neutral is is very hard right before you get to the top where neutral is. this is a problem I haven't had before!

 

[Don S]

Re: shift cable freaking out! help!

950 is too fast to be going into gear and coming out of gear.
Fix the engine so it will idle in the 650-700 rpm range and it will probably shift fine.

 

[birdy3897]

Re: shift cable freaking out! help!

So your saying that the higher idle speed is causing the lower end to bind up the cable because of the tension in the lower unit? Basically the lower end does not want to shift into neutral because of the higher idle speed??

 

[Don S]

Re: shift cable freaking out! help!

It doesn't sound like your shift interrupt switch is working at all, or it would kill the ignition all together. But going into gear at 950 rpm is going to destroy your lower. Having an engine that won't idle at the proper rpm and raising the rpm so it will run is going to cost you a drive in the long run. So fix the engine, then look into your shift problem.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: shift cable freaking out! help!

The higher RPM causes a higher load to be put on the dog gears. That is why it is harder to release them from eachother.

When you are out of the water there is no load on the prop and hence no load onthe dog gears.

 

[birdy3897]

Re: shift cable freaking out! help!

thanks for help guys, sounds like that is what is happening. I think I may pull the motor and mount a 502 in my 16ft boat:devil:

 

[Bondo]

Re: shift cable freaking out! help!

thanks for help guys, sounds like that is what is happening. I think I may pull the motor and mount a 502 in my 16ft boat:devil:

It'd be Easier,+ Cheaper to Burn the Boat,+ Buy a New 1.....................d