Nuetral switch adjustment ???

[hogdogs]

My '86 85hp force cables finally gave up the ghost. This was a free boat and the cables were likely original. Last trip on the little lake to verify reliability before hittin' the bay, I had a little issue of the gear shift hanging up instead of going into gear. This occurred once going for forward and, iirc, once into reverse. I knew full well these cables had very limited life left but bein' the cheap skate I am, I wanted every mile out of them I could get.

Well, both failed with in 10 minutes of the end of my first trip in the bay. I had a hard time engaging forward a few times thru the day.

When I got them off, one had bent and broke at the control box. It broke off at the beginning of the threads. The other suffered a failed housing at the motor due to failure of the sheath allowing rust to compromise the strength.

Now I think I found my hanging up may have been related to the bending of the one shaft shortening the inner length of one and the housing beginning to fail essentially lengthened the inner cable of the other causing the 2 pieces (one on shift shaft and other on advance shaft) to hit each other. What I need to know is what is the proper position of these 2? In nuetral? Pics? Links? And on a 16 foot capri, what is the length I order? I measured the housing at 12' and couple inches... I think the inner measured 13'2" or so...

TIA,
Brent

 

[hogdogs]

Re: Nuetral switch adjustment ???

One more thing... main reason I started this... The stainless tab that actually pushes in the nuetral switch seems to have scooted... Real clean white paint like screws moved in slot. I am not thinking the PO did anything in recent history as he was admittedly afraid to muck around with motors.

Anyone got the rigging positioning in a diagram to share?
Brent

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Nuetral switch adjustment ???

Buy cables long enough to have a 2-3 foot loop in the splashwell. Too short cables will bind. This is a case where too much is better than not enough.
So, if the existing long cable is about 13 feet, then it would not be incorrect to buy two new cables at 14 feet long.

There is a bent tab that attaches to the bent arm on the shift linkage with two pan head screws. All you need to do is set the engine in neutral and attach the tab so that it depresses the white button on the interlock switch.