Re: shifting into reverse affected by postion of prop
CDP.... You may find the following of some interest.<br /><br />This pertains to lower units on all OMC manual shift outboard engines, or any OMC engine with lower units defined as a Shift Assist or a Hydro Electric Shift unit which incorporates a "Shifter Clutch Dog".<br /> <br />Within the lower unit, splined to the prop shaft is what is most often referred to as a clutch dog, hereafter simply called dog. The dog has at least two lobes protruding from it on both ends, facing both forward and reverse gear. The forward and reverse gears also have lobes built into them near their center area. When the engine is running, in neutral, the gears are spinning constantly via the driveshaft being connected directly to the powerhead crankshaft, but the propeller does not turn due to the fact that the dog is centered between the two gears, and the dog lobes are not touching either of the gear lobes.<br /> <br />When the unit is put into either gear, shift linkages force the dog (and its lobes of course) to engage the lobes of the the gear. The lobes of the spinning gear grab the lobes of the dog, and since the dog is splined to the prop shaft, the propeller turns.<br /><br />The lobes of the dog and gears are percisely machined, most with right angled edges that could be installed in either direction, and some with angles slightly varied that must be installed in one direction only (one end only must face the propeller). Dogs that can be installed in one direction only, if reversed, even if the dog and both gears were new.... would jump out of gear almost immediately. Keep in mind that the lobes are percisely machined with sharp angles!<br /> <br />Due to improper adjustment or worn shift linkages, but usually due to improper slow shifting, those percisely machined sharp edges of the lobes become slightly rounded. Now, with those lobes rounded, as the rpms increase, the pressure of the gear lobes upon the dog lobes increases to a point whereas they are forced apart (jumping out of gear), and due (usually) to the shift cable keeping tension on the engines shift linkages..... the unit is forced back into gear giving one the sensation that the engine has hit something, and the cycle continues.<br /> <br />Some boaters have the mistaken belief that shifting slowly is taking it easy on all of the shifting components..... Wrong! Shifting slowly allows those percisely machined sharp edges of the dog and gears to click, clank, bang, slam against each other many times before they are finally forced into alignment with each other..... and this is what rounds those edges off! The proper way to shift is to snap the unit into gear as quickly as possible.<br /><br />- - - - - <br /><br />The following should explain the proper procedure for shifting into gear when the engine IS NOT running.<br /><br />Pertaining to the manual shift models, when shifting into gear with the engine NOT RUNNING, the prop must be spun so as not to possibly have the dog and gear lobes run directly into each other.<br /><br />To grasp this scenario, with your left hand form a "C" with your thumb and forefinger. Now, with your right hand, form a backwards "C" with your thumb and forefinger. Your fingers will represent the dog and gear lobes.<br /><br />Slide the finger and thumb of your right hand alongside the thumb and finger of your left hand so that they overlap. This is the position of the dog and gear lobes when properly in gear.<br /><br />Seperate that position, then butt the tips of the finger and thumb of your right hand up against the finger and thumb tips of your left hand. This represents having the gear and dog lobes directly facing each other. Should you atempt to force the engine into gear with this condition existing, damage to the shift mechanism will surely ocurr.
