1990 alpha one shifter question

[500dollar744ti]

hi everyone, i am new to this boat ownership thing. i just bought a 1990 Cobia San Marino 225 ESC. my family has had boats in the past but we haven't had one in about 10 years. i miss having one so i got my own.

a little about me, i am 28 years old and a very resourceful auto mechanic that's been at it for 10 years now. i build race cars and other projects on the side, now i've got this boat and i need to make some outdrive repairs. i'm a little ashamed to admit i've never worked on an outdrive before so i have no diagnostic experience with their problems.

what i've got is a 350 magnum alpha one...

first question is the forward gear engagement. i've got no forward engagement whatsoever. first it was stalling when trying to engage forward, i looked at the cable arrangement on the motor and figured that the micro switch was to stall the engine on drive engagement to prevent some sort of damage. i figured out how that all worked and adjusted it. now i've got nice smooth reverse engagement and the engine doesn't stall when trying to engage forward but it just revvs up.

i had the boat in the water dockside to test it out but had to pull it back out when i couldn't get forward to engage. the reason i put it in the water is i figured it was safer running it there for my cable adjustment and testing purposes than on land for any extended period of time.

as a last ditch effort to see what the deal was i started the engine and pulled the lower cable out of the bracket and pushed it in as far as it would go by hand and got no forward engagement. the cable slides smooth as butter, reverse engages effortlessly but there's no forward.

any ideas? my mechanic side tells me it's not the cable, it just moves too smoothly and i figure if it was stretched then it would be the opposite and i wouldn't have reverse.

second question, low speed overheat.. when testing the engine on land with the ear muffs the temp creeped up slowly past 180 degrees at around 800rpm. if i idle it up to about 1100rpm the temp drops right down to 140 very fast. i thought well maybe the el-cheapo ear muffs weren't providing enough water with the hose and i needed to test it in the water to see what's up.

i put it in the water for more testing and found the temp creeping up to 180 again, this time a lot more slowly then before. same deal, idle it up a little higher and the temp drops down very quickly. i don't know how it works exactly but i know there has to be some sort of water pump in the outdrive that pumps to the engine. i figure it has an impeller or something that can be replaced or rebuilt? my guess is that i need to overhaul that pump to fix the low speed temperature creeping up?

i think i'll be taking off the bottom part of the sterndrive today, they call that the lower unit or something right? that water pump has got to be in there somewhere, then i can order whatever parts are needed and maybe it will shed some light on the shifting issue.

again, i don't know much about outdrives so if i got something wrong, please correct me. so far i've had to figure out how the stuff worked by looking at it, now i've found this site.

tips/tricks/advice/ideas appreciated.

 

[ktbarrentine]

Re: 1990 alpha one shifter question

Hello and welcome to the forum. you have definitely come to the right place! You will get lots of answers to this thread from very knowledgeable people. Be prepared to read and take heed!
Good intro and info.... I recommend you also provide your drive serial number here so we can determine the true type of drive (1990 is "probably" a strait Alpha-1, the last year before they went to gen-2... however, since the drive may have been changed, the ser number will ensure you get the "right" replacement parts and the right manual...) You do have a manual for this work you plan to do, dont you? If not (and/or if you are attempting to use a Seloc or a Clymers manual), here is a link to the "right" manual (assuming you indeed have an Alpha-1 drive):
http://www.4shared.com/office/L17_ufPa/06__Drives_R-A1_83-90.html?

Best of luck, and have fun! You'll put alot of your mechanics skills to the test on these drives, and you'll learn even more during your work. Remember... the forum is here to answer all your questions... so if something comes up durin your maintenance that just doesn't feel right... stop and get on line and you'll get an answer post-haste....

Also...visit the "adults only" sticky at the top of this forum for lots of threads on various topics and info you definitely need to read up on...

And dont be afraid to "search" the existing threads. Lots of existing info, questions, answers will help you...just plug in "shift interrupt switch" or "cable adjustment", or "impeller replacement" or "engine overheat" to get the threads to pop up. Lots of good reading, good links to other sites, etc. I even find a great deal of help just looking at youtube videos, some of which you have to take with a grain of salt, though...

C-ya!!!

KTB

 

[500dollar744ti]

Re: 1990 alpha one shifter question

thanks for the info! i don't have the serial number for the outdrive but i know where to find it so i can certainly get it when i get home.

i did show the issue to one of the guys (mechanic) i work with (his experience is mainly outboards) and he is sure that even though the cable is moving freely it's not moving far enough to engage the forward gear. after examining it closer i think he's right.

my guess now is that there's something binding after the cable on the drive side, is it possible for something in there to pop out of place?

 

[Spinnaker]

Re: 1990 alpha one shifter question

Try adjusting the shift cable to the outdrive. Takes 2 people and 10 minutes. If this doesn't work then you will have to drop the drive and or replace the cable.

With 1 person at the controls shift into reverse, have 2nd person turn the prop. One direction will not move , other should turn but with a clicking and resistance. Try and remember the amount of resistance.
Shift to fwd. Turn prop in opposite direction. Feel the resistance.
Adjust cable @ shift on engine. The trick is the make sure the resistance in both directions is the same.
As you were saying you could not get it into fwd gear. Adjust the plastic adjustment on the cable on the shift plate until you can. If you cannot, I'd be dropping the drive to make sure the linkage is connected properly in the outdrive. Possible that the small wheel on the shift leaver isn't set into the shift slides 2 fingers. When removing and installing the drive your shift should be in fwd gear. If it is not you may be able to pull the drive off but you'll never get it back on.
I may have left details out but this is basic and very easy. If you have any questions please ask. I can supply photos for you as I have my outdrive off right now. I can easily walk you through this.

 

[500dollar744ti]

Re: 1990 alpha one shifter question

any photos would be helpful. i am going to try and pull the upper drive back some today and examine where the cable goes in. i can't actually get it into FWD, when the cable is pushed in there's no FWD engagement and the prop spins either way freely. i was told to check the ratcheting both ways, it is fine in reverse but nothing in FWD.

i think you may be right about the thing with the two fingers being aligned, someone else mentioned that. i'm a visual learner so i just have to start taking it apart until i find the problem. i'll try and take pics of whatever i find.

also, which of the trim sensors is the one that's preventing me from trimming up? it will trailer trim and go down but the actual trim up button isn't responding.

 

[Spinnaker]

Re: 1990 alpha one shifter question

any photos would be helpful. i am going to try and pull the upper drive back some today and examine where the cable goes in. i can't actually get it into FWD, when the cable is pushed in there's no FWD engagement and the prop spins either way freely. i was told to check the ratcheting both ways, it is fine in reverse but nothing in FWD.

i think you may be right about the thing with the two fingers being aligned, someone else mentioned that. i'm a visual learner so i just have to start taking it apart until i find the problem. i'll try and take pics of whatever i find.

also, which of the trim sensors is the one that's preventing me from trimming up? it will trailer trim and go down but the actual trim up button isn't responding.

I'm going to betcha it is the shift leaver as I said. I'd put money on it. The trim dial you want is on the left side. However, there is a measurement you should take before making any adjustments. I am not sure but If I remember correctly it is 20 1/2" from the center of the back trim ram pin to the center of the front pin. Or that little center part on the plastic cap. This measurement is taken when the drive is at it's "trim limit". If the measurement is fine then there are other issues. Double check this measurement before you move on. I might be wrong and a 1/4" means a lot.

 

[500dollar744ti]

Re: 1990 alpha one shifter question

yes, that's what it was. i pulled the outdrive this evening and fixed the lever so everything is lined up. it's a good thing it happened that way because i found a break in the upper drive to bellhousing gasket which was allowing water to get into the bellows. i don't think it's a big enough leak to sink the boat but it's certainly big enough to seize bearings and u-joints. i checked over the bellows and the shifter and drive bellows are in good shape, in fact they look new. the exhaust bellows was broken so i replaced that but i don't think that could allow water into the hull.

i also found the left trim dial has the wires cut, that's preventing it from trimming up, correct? i'll worry about replacing that when i can, i think it's sort of pricey and as long as i can use the trailer button to get the motor up then trim it down to where i want it that will be okay, just a little annoying, right?

thanks for the help too, i appreciate it.

 

[Spinnaker]

Re: 1990 alpha one shifter question

Glad I could help. You should be able to splice those trim wires no? Anyway, look as though you're on your way.

 

[stonyloam]

Re: 1990 alpha one shifter question

i also found the left trim dial has the wires cut, that's preventing it from trimming up, correct? i'll worry about replacing that when i can, i think it's sort of pricey and as long as i can use the trailer button to get the motor up then trim it down to where i want it that will be okay, just a little annoying, right?

Couple of things you can do here. If the wires are cut you should be able to splice them together ( a solder connection would be the best) and coat them with several coats of Liquid tape" to waterproof them. But before you make the solder connection, with the wires connected together try the trim switch on the control to see if it works. If it does go ahead and finish the repair, and take a couple of cable ties and secure the wire so it will not get damaged again. If it does not work then carefully mark the position of the switch remove it, carefully noting the position of the indexing mark on the piece that goes into the hinge pin. Then take it apart and look inside almost nothing to it, see if you can get it to work, maybe even CAREFULLY bend the contacts for a better connection. If you can get it to work reinstall. If it does not work you can get the trim switch on the control to work by locating the two black trim wires coming through the transom that go into two connectors, one with a purple/white wire and one with two blue/white wires. With a short piece of wire, jumper between the connectors and your trim switch should work, but be careful because it will have no up limit. If you get it to work, run the turim all the way down, then up till it stops and adjust to 21 3/4 inches center to center on the trim ram bolts. Turn the switch CCW to extend the rams. Kind of long winded, but anyway good luck.

BTW the left side looking from the back is the port side, nice thing is that it is always port no matter which way you are facing, port and starboard never change, less confusing that way.

 

[500dollar744ti]

Re: 1990 alpha one shifter question

thanks for the help. got the shifter issue sorted, rebuilt the raw water pump and took it out on the water this past weekend. engine temps never went above 140 and i was able to GPS full throttle at 48.6mph, full tank of gas and three big guys on board.

it should do an even 50mph in the right conditions and i'm pleased with that.