Hard shifting into gear

[bbrowning84]

I have a 2005 Crownline 240ex that I recently purchased. The shifter is hard to get into and out of gear. I just tried to use WD40 on it and just work it back and forth quite a bit. It seems to have loosened it a bit but it is still tough. This makes it pretty difficult for my wife to dock the boat. Any suggestions? I will try to add a video link for you to see exactly what I'm talking about.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Hard shifting into gear

How did it do with the on water test prior to purhase?
pull the drive to check for corrosion

 

[Bondo]

Re: Hard shifting into gear

I have a 2005 Crownline 240ex that I recently purchased. The shifter is hard to get into and out of gear. I just tried to use WD40 on it and just work it back and forth quite a bit. It seems to have loosened it a bit but it is still tough. This makes it pretty difficult for my wife to dock the boat. Any suggestions? I will try to add a video link for you to see exactly what I'm talking about.

Ayuh,.... Welcome Aboard,... We don't care what yer boat is,... What motor,..?? What drive,..??

Did you disconnect the cables at the motor, 'n try 'em,..??

 

[bbrowning84]

Re: Hard shifting into gear

Sorry that I forgot to add that info in there. It's a Mercury 5.0 with a Bravo 3 outdrive. The reason I put in the type of boat is so if there is a consistant problem with this type of boat, someone might tell me. Thank you, Brian

 

[Don S]

Re: Hard shifting into gear

The boat has nothing to do with shifting. That is the shifter, the cables, and the drive. Which has nothing to do with the type boat.

Disconnect both cables from the engine shift plate, have a helper move the shifter to forward and reverse and feel how it moves then. If it moves ok, then you hold the end of the cable at the engine end and try to prevent it from moving and have him try it again. He shouldn't notice any difference. If he does, you need a new cable.

If that is ok, start the engine and see if you can shift gears by moving the lower shift cable by hand. There will be some resistance just because of the design, but it shouldn't be near impossible either.

 

[Don S]

Re: Hard shifting into gear

One other point, make sure the shift and throttle cables are not tied down with cable ties within about 3 feet of the control, they need to swing back and forth to shift. I have seen owners try to "tidy" things up and make them bind during shifting.

 

[bbrowning84]

Re: Hard shifting into gear

One other point, make sure the shift and throttle cables are not tied down with cable ties within about 3 feet of the control, they need to swing back and forth to shift. I have seen owners try to "tidy" things up and make them bind during shifting.

I had 2 shops tell me that they thought it was the lower shift cable so I had it changed and it shifts a bit easier but is still pretty hard. $400 down the drain. What now?

 

[achris]

Re: Hard shifting into gear

I had 2 shops tell me that they thought it was the lower shift cable so I had it changed and it shifts a bit easier but is still pretty hard. $400 down the drain. What now?

Did you do the tests Don told you?

 

[Maxum88]

Re: Hard shifting into gear

Is it only in the water? I had this problem with mine and come to find out the shift assist switch was disconnected! Not sure if your boat has it, both of my 3.0L had it.

 

[achris]

Re: Hard shifting into gear

Is it only in the water? I had this problem with mine and come to find out the shift assist switch was disconnected! Not sure if your boat has it, both of my 3.0L had it.

Disconnected interrupt switch causes hard shifting OUT of gear, not in...

 

[dubs283]

Re: Hard shifting into gear

Disconnected interrupt switch causes hard shifting OUT of gear, not in...

a bravo 3 does not use a shift interrupt switch

to o.p. - there is a shift linkage in the drive that has superceeded to a "ramped" style that allows for easier shifting - its possible your 2005 vintage drive already came with it from the factory, but something to consider

also if the o-ring on the bell housing that seals the shift linkage had failed and allowed water into the shift pocket, rust and corrosion can cause the linkage and detent ball assy to stiffen up and cause shift issues

do the test don mentioned earlier, this will tell you if you have an issue with the remote or the remote shift cable

 

[bbrowning84]

Re: Hard shifting into gear

Both shops disconnected the cables to check them and came to the conclusion that it was the lower shift cable. They changed the cable and boot.
It is hard to shift both in and out of the water.