Shift lever install on 88 OMC cobra stern drive

[eaceti]

I'm about 95% of the way getting my stern drive back together with new seals & gaskets on my 88 OMC Cobra stern drive (2.3 litre Ford motor). I removed the shift lever from the shift lever cover plate to straighten it out & the manual tells me that doing so ruins the seal (wiper) on the shift plate. So now I'm worried about ruining the seal on the new cover I bought when I put the lever back through.
How do I do this without ruining the seal?

Thanks in advance.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Shift lever install on 88 OMC cobra stern drive

What manual are you talking about here and what shift lever? Also, what cover are you talking about?

Maybe post a picture.

 

[eaceti]

Re: Shift lever install on 88 OMC cobra stern drive



#75 is the lever & #7 is the plate. This is the only shift lever on the lower unit. The manual is published by Seloc. #8 is the little rubber seal that apparently gets damaged by the shift rod threading when seperated but then how do I get the rod back through the cover plate?

Thanks for the response.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Shift lever install on 88 OMC cobra stern drive

You take the equivalent of a thin plastic straw and slip it over the threads so they don't drag on the seal as you slip it through, then simply remove the straw and your done, all your doing is keep the threads from dragging through the new seal.

 

[eaceti]

Re: Shift lever install on 88 OMC cobra stern drive

That's a great idea thanks. MacDonalds should do it!

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Shift lever install on 88 OMC cobra stern drive

What I do in cases like this is wrap the threads tightly with electrical tape and then remove the tape after I slide it through the seal.

 

[eaceti]

Re: Shift lever install on 88 OMC cobra stern drive

I actually couldn't find a straw & thought the lever might be bigger than any straw I could find. The best equivalent I could find was tape so I tried it. The hole was already pre-filled with grease. It took a little convincing to get through; I had to twist it through the other side but everything seems ok. I guess I'll know when & if I get oil leaking.

I've been going through all the posts & I see that getting the shifting lined up with cable & lever adjustments is going to be a challenge. Can this mostly be adjusted by the cable end or will I be putting the stern drive on & off to get this right?

I simply threaded the shift lever all the wa then backed off one & half turns.

Thanks again for the suggestions guys I think they did the trick.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Shift lever install on 88 OMC cobra stern drive

If your ever there again just take a razor blade and slice the straw so it can be opened up a little, it only needs to be an inch long. That shift rod needs to be measured and adjusted to the exact installed height, it has to be the correct height to be in range. I'm only going by memory but something like 7-5/32" installed height, measured off the case.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Shift lever install on 88 OMC cobra stern drive

Can this mostly be adjusted by the cable end or will I be putting the stern drive on & off to get this right?

I simply threaded the shift lever all the wa then backed off one & half turns.

Thanks again for the suggestions guys I think they did the trick.

There is a height adjustment that is listed in the factory manual which I suggest you get. You can read more about the adjustment on this site.

http://www.hastings.org/~stuart/cobra/