82 Evinrude 90 hp Trouble with selecting Fwd/Reverse

[gnomes9]

Hello, I'm new to the site although I have been reading posts for awhile now. I recently changed the water pump and after reinstalling the lower unit and testing I've noticed that the gear shifting has some grinding when going into fwd and reverse.
The shift shaft did turn when I was trying to remove the lower unit.
When I went to reinstall the lower unit I noticed that the shift shaft was lower than the lever it connects to, so I removed and measured the shift shaft in neutral from the base to the centre of the pin hole. I adjusted to 21 27/32. Reinstalled and found it was closer to the shift lever, but not bang on, so I adjusted the cable to help line things up. I know I messed something up here, would really appreciate some help.

 

[Bosunsmate]

Undo the cable and adjust the shift shaft until you have it moving correctly using the lever in the engine bay
Then hook up the cable while motors in neutral and control box in cockpit is in neutral. Adjust cable to get to motor neutral, dont do what you did which is a common error which is to use cable to try and adjust motor that never works out

 

[gnomes9]

Thanks for the reply. Hopefully my upload works. So I disconnect the cable where I marked? Not sure what you mean by "adjust the shift shaft till I have it moving correctly using the lever in the engine bay".
I'm worried about the correction I made to the shift shaft height by adjusting it to 21 27/32". Did I use the right measurement?

 

[interalian]

If it's grinding when going both in F and R, you may just be shifting too slowly. Shifting should always be a quick and firm action.

Best results will be when you have the shift rod set to the correct length (center it up/down in the neutral notch before measuring) - I'll leave the measurement confirmation to others as I'm away from my book.

 

[Bosunsmate]

Thanks for the reply. Hopefully my upload works. So I disconnect the cable where I marked? Not sure what you mean by "adjust the shift shaft till I have it moving correctly using the lever in the engine bay".
I'm worried about the correction I made to the shift shaft height by adjusting it to 21 27/32". Did I use the right measurement?

Yes I disconnect it there. And then i get everything right to there. Ie when that levers in the middle its in neutral. Sounds like you will need to drop the LU again and sort it out so that the levers in the middle when its in neutral. Then when thats sorted put control box into N and then adjust cable so that it fits on to that screw when lever is in N.
Ive no idea about measurements either, i just do it by fiddling with it, screwing it one way until its right.
And as Interalian says above, you do need to be firm to get them into gear otherwise they will grind.
But the lower you get the rpm the better. My mates one of these i have it idling so low when warm in the water that you actually think it has stopped. It then goes into gear very smoothly. If your idle is high it will always grind.
You can lower idle by doing adjustments to your throttle cable but always check the timing idle stop first which is just up above the photo you took

 

[gnomes9]

Okay I can drop again, this time should be much easier, no matter how much I read that pin was hard to find and even harder to get out. lol.
Does anyone have the measurement for the shift shaft length? I feel like I've set it wrong now. Although the boat is new to me, i don't feel like it was doing this before I got my hands on it.

 

[gnomes9]

Model # of my motor is E90TLCNB

 

[heypawpaw]

1) Disconnect shift rod from shift lever and verify lower unit it is in neutral. 2) Disconnect control cable from shift rod. 3) Verify shift lever on motor is in neutral. Adjust shift rod longer or shorter as needed to connect it to shift lever while both lower unit and shift lever are in neutral. 6) When this is done verify it shifts as it should. 7) Now verify shift is in neutral and control cable is in neutral and adjust control cable to fit shift lever. Hope this helps.

 

[gnomes9]

I just disconnected the cable then started the engine and tried shifting manually with shift lever, it is definitely not going into f or r very smoothly. Going to drop the lower unit again and adjust the shift rod height. Wishing now I had marked it or counted turns. Sigh. I have looked all over the net and can't confirm any height for my year and model.

 

[Bosunsmate]

I just disconnected the cable then started the engine and tried shifting manually with shift lever, it is definitely not going into f or r very smoothly. Going to drop the lower unit again and adjust the shift rod height. Wishing now I had marked it or counted turns. Sigh. I have looked all over the net and can't confirm any height for my year and model.

You a following a road most of us have being down
Try manually shifting it with LU off by using a wrench with a rag on it on driveshaft turning it clockwise.
As Intertalian mentioned, its unusual its happening in both directions yet it finds neutral ok.
Have you ever seen this motor working right?
Perhaps there is a worn gear/clutchdog

 

[gnomes9]

I bought the boat not to long ago, I took it up to the lake to test. Started and ran good, I dont think the shifting problem was there. I didn’t see much water from the tell tale so I didn’t want to run long cause I figured I needed a new water pump. I really had trouble finding the shift shaft pin and in my haste I ended up taking off the carbs and the shift cables. This allowed me to see the pin so I put everything back on before removing the pin. When I removed the lower unit the shift shaft turned a bit. So I measured it and adjusted to 21 27/32. I also did this because it wasn’t going into the shift shaft lever all the way. My adjustment aligned the shaft with the lever better. So I thought all was good. I now see that it would have been better to bring the lever to the shaft. I’m taking lu off right now.

 

[gnomes9]

So when things don’t go smooth I tend to second guess what I’ve done, so I ended up taking off the water pump. Nothing wrong with it so waste of time. But, when I spin shaft without pump on I can hear the gears running on each other, it’s not a grinding, but I thought it would be smoother. Am I crazy here or what? I changed the gear case oil the other day, it looked fine. I can lift and drop the shift shaft fairly easy. I spin prop to see if it’s engaged or not sometimes I have to lift or drop a little more after spinning prop to engage f or r.

 

[interalian]

When you turn the driveshaft when the lower unit and water pump are off, you'll feel/hear the gears meshing. When the motor is running, the pinion gear rises against its bearing and the noise stopps. Try turning the driveshaft whilst lifting upward on the driveshaft.

 

[gnomes9]

Too late, pump back on, sorry. I’ve lowered the shift shaft to about 21 3/4 “. Thoughts?

 

[interalian]

27-3/4 would be 0.09375" too short. 3/4" is 0.750", 27/32 is 0.84375"

Dug the spec out of my '82 manual:

21-27/32" +/- 1/32"
or
554.58mm +/- 0.91

I use the shift bolt through the hole as a pointer. Measurement is taken from the top surface of the gearcase, not any part of the shift shaft cover. I always make sure to 'center' the rod inside the neutral detent, just to be safe.

 

[gnomes9]

Just want to say big thank you interalian!! Well, that's good too hear kinda. 21 27/32" is what I had adjusted to yesterday (it wasn't at that before I started monkeying around) and not smooth F and R shifting occurred afterwards. Is it safe to say that if shifting manually from shift shaft lever that it should move into F and R smoothly? And if shifting manually, the height should not really matter, right?

 

[gnomes9]

That's what has me confused now.

 

[interalian]

Setting the rod height correctly is imperative for proper overall adjustment. If you notice the range of the arm the cable attaches to, it nearly hits the block in one direction and the air silencer in the other. If the rod is out, it will hit one end or the other, preventing the shift rod from moving fully.

Once you've set the rod height correctly, put the shift bolt back in. Rock the cable mount assembly back and forth in N to center it. Adjust the cable trunnion so the cable will go on the stud without moving the shift arm.

Remember to shift quick/firm when in the water. And if you're trying to shift it with the motor off, have somebody turn the prop while you do it - otherwise you run the risk of stretching the shift cable.

 

[interalian]

That's what has me confused now.

If you're trying to shift it manually (cable detached), you still need a firm/quick action. Too slow and the shift dog will grind into the gear faces.

 

[gnomes9]

ok, going to adjust shift shaft back to 21 27/32" and reinstall as you stated. I was running in the driveway with the water muffs to test.