Maybe not the lower shift cable afterall... or then again -- is it?

[kin402]

Hello all!

When my husband went to the mechanics to pay for the carb rebuild and pick up the boat, he started it on a muff (?) and went to put it into gear (which had been causing it to cut out, leading to a suspect lower shift cable) but it just kept on running!

He tried it several more times, and each time -- it didn't cut out ... so my husband started questioning why he would drive it to another Marina and returned it to the friends' garage where it is being stored.

Also, what is the group's consensus about that old gas that was never sucked out? Do you agree with the suggestion to put in high octane in the tank?

We're dying to get in the water! But we're also nervous. Probably with good reason... : )

 

[NHGuy]

Re: Maybe not the lower shift cable afterall... or then again -- is it?

The shift cutout does little or nothing while the boat is running on muffs. In the water the gears resist going to neutral because there is resistance against the propeller. When the cutout momentarily kills the ignition it allows the gears to go to neutral, then once the gears go to neutral the shift plate on which the cutout is mounted returns to normal and re-energizes the ignition. Since the motor is still spinning it keeps running.
If the cable is bad or mis adjusted the engine will quit when shifting out of gear.

If there is old gas you can tell by the smell. If it smells like varnish don't use it. If it's last years fuel and smells normal run it out of the engine or top it with fresh gas and then run that down. High test won't do anything differently. If the gas was bad I hope your carb builder would have said so, because bad gas will ruin his work.

 

[jtmarten]

Re: Maybe not the lower shift cable afterall... or then again -- is it?

Yes, sounds like a bad lower shift cable.

 

[cr2k]

Re: Maybe not the lower shift cable afterall... or then again -- is it?

If the shift interrupter moves on the muffs or it dies going IN to gear most likely your lower shift cable is bad or there is corrosion build up in the cavity where the shift slide is.