control cable issue force 125

[fisheymikey]

here are some pics to help diagnose..

i was soo happy finally my engine electrical been solved now i know i got a lower unit issue with my controls.

here is the symptom.

#1 when i engaged the controls and heard the usual "clunk" going in forward gear, i heard the little grinding noise like if someone is going slowly unlike the way it recomends giving a sharp crisp movement forward to fully engage the clutch dogs.

#2 that got me worried after running at 20miles and hour a few seconds i heard another louder clunk like i disagaged the forward control cable.

as you could see in the pictures the fully engaged pic shows the shifting rod needs to go all the wat down to engage

the NOT fully engaged pic is showing the maximum adjustment possible. i have turned the teleflex "nipple" that attaches to the engine block as far s it could go.

when looking at owners manual setup procedure for control linkage i have found the neutral position and spins freely at neutral.

i am guessing i might need to play with the control cables inside the housing that attaches to the center console?

if so any procedures or guide?

or is it something wrong with my lower unit and the LU rod got bent?

thanks guys

 

[Frank Acampora]

I usually adjust the lower control rod all the way in, that is. threaded until it stops. Then I adjust the upper to give me full throw in both gears. HOWEVER: You al;ready have as much throw downward as you can get.

SO: Adjust the lower rod up a bit--and here you need to experiment as to how much. IF your lower unit has the rubber bellows type seal, the lower rod needs to be four turns out from seated.

 

[fisheymikey]

frank i love the way you even know all the terms of each part!!

you must of teared down a few of these lower units.

just to make sure i understand you you are talking about the rod coming out from the gear housing?

were do i look for the"rubber bellows".

thanks

 

[Frank Acampora]

Yes, I am talking about the 1/4 inch rod that exits the top front of the lower unit.

At the front of the oil chamber cover/ lower water pump housing you will find a tapered rubber bellows about 1 1/2 inch high and held in a groove in the lower shift rod with a zip-tie. You can't miss it. Only some lower units had this bellows seal yours may not. If there is a simple flat seal pressed into the gearcase cover, there is no bellows.

The bellows seal was a good idea poorly engineered. They will prevent proper shifting if the rod is screwed in too tight and they do fail. Unfortunately when they do fail, there are no replacement parts. HOWEVER: There is a thread on here describing how to modify the plate to accept the regular seal which is still available.

Right now I have about six complete lower units sitting in my garage, two of which have the bellows seal. And yes, I have repaired probably 30 lower units from Chrysler 2 piece to Force dual exhaust.

 

[fisheymikey]

well i have adjusted the control cables from the center console. the control box had some adjustments and now i feel the rod goes all the way down thus engaging the clutch dogs better. BUT like before i feel the linckage very stiff to engage only when i turn the prop slowly it engages easilly.. is that normal? or the lower unit need some servicing?

thanks