Will not shift out of gear

[globtrotter121]

Please help. I have a 4.6 V6 with OMC stern drive that will not shift into neutral while in the water. On the trailer I can shift from forward/reverse back to neutral with no problem. However if you put pressure on the prop (putting foot on prop with very little pressure) you can shift out of neutral but you can not get it out of gear with motor running. It takes a lot of force trying to go back to Neutral and will inevitably skip it and go to reverse. It does the same in the water.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Will not shift out of gear

need more info about your engine drive. Cobra?

4.6L is not a valid size engine.

 

[globtrotter121]

Re: Will not shift out of gear

Sorry it's a 4.3 Chevy motor.

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Will not shift out of gear

Your gears in the outdrive are designed to lock in tighter as load is applied. Because of that design, there is a system called the ESA, Electronic Shift Assist system on your engine's ignition system. The ESA, when working correctly, stumbles the engine's ignition system as you attempt to shift to neutral. This stumbling of the engine allows the locked gears to disengage.
Yours is not working due to a bad shift cable, faulty lower unit, bad ESA module, bad ESA switch, faulty wiring, or some other issue.

The factory service manual is the best source of the procedure to test and adjust the shift cables, and switches and bellcranks that make the system operate.
Get a professional experienced with the system, or follow the factory procedure to test and adjust.

 

[Lou C]

Re: Will not shift out of gear

Iffn its a Cobra, then the things you need for it to shift right are:
Good shift cable, 2 lbs or less drag.
Pivot housing bellcrank housing cleaned out and greased.
Cable adjusted properly with OMC or similar tools, AND remote cable also adjusted properly.
ESA working, and engine in good enough tune to run a very slow idle. Normal idle in water in gear should be between 500-600 the ESA will momentarily drop it to 450 to allow the clutch dogs to release. If its not in good tune and you have a sticky transom shift cable you can get stalling then.

These units can shift GREAT but they have to be set up carefully and methodically by someone who understands how they work. I learned how to do mine this year and it has never shifted better.