Pre-Alpha drive won't stay in gear.

RandyJ

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 13, 2002
Messages
808
The latest boat I acquired is a 1978 Hammond 20' ski boat with a 350 chevy (260 Mercruiser) coupled to an outdrive with a 1.5 ratio (stock)<br />This weekend my boat was very difficult to shift from forward and from reverse unless I stopped engine first...then, while pulling kids at a hauling @ss speed on a tube the boat popped out of gear leaving us stranded in the water. After checking it out and adjusting the shift cable and control cable, my boat will not go in gear and stay there ...so I'm suspecting a problem in the lower unit...at first I thought I had spun a coupler or trashed a u-joint because it shifted good but wouldn't go anywhere. Now, I can push the shift shaft around with my finger (once the shifter is in gear) and it will go into gear but will not go on it's own and stay threre... Any of you old mechanics know what the problem is? I suspect either a worn out shifting clutch, shift spool, or shift arm (the thingy at the end of the shift shaft that pushes and pulls the spool). I've had this same problem on 140's before and still have not figured out what is wearing out...<br />Too.. what do I look for in deciding it is time to trash the gears because they are not shifting properly... I've had alot of problems with the old 140 because I could adjust cable to shift to forward or adjust to shift to forward but never could get it to shift to both until I replaced the whole outdrive with a 470 outdrive which I happened to acquire.
 

hullofalottatrouble

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 16, 2005
Messages
306
Re: Pre-Alpha drive won't stay in gear.

um that should be "lower unit shift cable"<br /><br />not "lower unit **** cable"
 

RandyJ

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 13, 2002
Messages
808
Re: Pre-Alpha drive won't stay in gear.

Nope...the last time I had a problem like this on another boat I replaced the cable and it did no good. It is shifting but not staying in gear as if it is "almost" in gear but not enough to completely engage and stay engaged.
 

Grayhorse

Cadet
Joined
Jun 29, 2005
Messages
29
Re: Pre-Alpha drive won't stay in gear.

Sounds like you may have bent your shift bellcrank in the lower unit. Common problem when you have to force things a little to shift.
 

RandyJ

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 13, 2002
Messages
808
Re: Pre-Alpha drive won't stay in gear.

Could be... I'm thinking that it is acting as if the shift crank arm is worn or getting too much play which causes it to not move the shift spool far enough in either direction to fully engage the gears. Just hope I can get someone with more experience to tell me what to look for or to give me some helpful hints. I just don't think it is the cable. Before it popped out of gear with me at high rpm hauling tail down the lake it was strange that I usually had to kill the engine to shift out of gear or from one gear to another...like the old "dock buster" mercurys were...they had no neutral and had to be started in either forward or reverse.
 

RandyJ

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 13, 2002
Messages
808
Re: Pre-Alpha drive won't stay in gear.

Bump...looking for some input here from all you experienced mechanics!!!!
 
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