What I'm learning with my 1999 Bravo 3 is that cable adjustments are CRITICAL for the thing to work properly. That is both the helm cable and the control cable into the drive. (I found that the helm cable had stretched and took a lot of adjustment to get it right) I replaced the control cable to the drive already. (I also disassembled the upper drive to check the gears, bearings and clutch plus shift linkage assembly which appeared fine.) Also, I spoke to an expert Mercruiser mechanic who told me that even though my helm cable worked smoothly when it was not connected to the other cable, over the years, there is wear inside the cable sheath and tends to rub when placed under the required force to make the whole thing work. He told me to take it out of the boat and measure it to order the proper length. That's my next step.
