omc cobra ,lost reverse

[shimano]

Boating this past weekend,Reverse stopped engaging,Goes into forward fine.Tried adjusting the lower shift cable ,was able to get reverse but then I couldn't get forward.Wondering if this would be the lower shift cable getting worn out.

 

[Gene70]

Re: omc cobra ,lost reverse

Sounds like the forward and reverse gear is worn out. Inside the lower unit the gears are worn out. Need to be replaced. Do not think it is the cable.

 

[shimano]

Re: omc cobra ,lost reverse

Is there a way I can verify the problem.Right now it is adjusted so it goes into forward fine(no grinding).I just don't use rev.If I place the shift handle in rev and just push down lightly on the arm that the shift cable attaches to(drivers side of engine) , It goes into rev no problem.This happened about 2weeks ago,I played around with it.and it worked no prob until now it happened again.That's kinda why I thought the shift cable.I'm removing the outdrive for the season in about a month if it's the gears I'll tackle that this winter. Thanks

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: omc cobra ,lost reverse

Howdy,

That's a common shift cable problem. It needs to be replaced and adjusted correctly IAW the OMC Service manual.


Have a look at the following info too!

http://www.hastings.org/~stuart/cobra/

Cheers,

Rick

 

[King P.V.]

Re: omc cobra ,lost reverse

It seems you are not providing all the info we need NOR are the people posting ASKING you the right questions!!!!
1st. What year boat? How long have you owned it? Are you the the orginal owner? Ever had the cable recall?? What color is the shift cable that goes down from the engine to the outdrive?? If you push the outdrive over to the left, stand on the right side and look at where ther shift cable goes/threads into the housing, does anything look askew????? Pig tailed??? The vertical arm, on the shift bracket, on the side of the engine, that the intermediate cable attaches to... Is it straight or does it have a little "dog-leg" at the top going slightly off to the right???

 

[shimano]

Re: omc cobra ,lost reverse

It's a 89 renken 3ltr ,cobra outdrive.I've owned it about 4 years,previous owner had it serviced at a shop.It has always been kinda hard to shift but always went into gear no prob.The last time I lost rev I removed the lower cable at the motor end and pushed it from forward to rev a bunch of times reattached it and it worked fine again for about 30 hrs ,now same issue.There has never been any grinding of the gears since I've owned the boat.I read the info about the problem it seems to be common.I'm going to go and check the color of the cable.Do these need adjusting over time?I do have a new cable so if I can make it till the end of the year I'll pull the drive and change it then.

 

[sea wolf]

Re: omc cobra ,lost reverse

It's a 89 renken 3ltr ,cobra outdrive.I've owned it about 4 years,previous owner had it serviced at a shop.It has always been kinda hard to shift but always went into gear no prob.The last time I lost rev I removed the lower cable at the motor end and pushed it from forward to rev a bunch of times reattached it and it worked fine again for about 30 hrs ,now same issue.There has never been any grinding of the gears since I've owned the boat.I read the info about the problem it seems to be common.I'm going to go and check the color of the cable.Do these need adjusting over time?I do have a new cable so if I can make it till the end of the year I'll pull the drive and change it then.

If you have the new cable, I would change it now. Why risk a blown gearcase for a few hours work? And yes, the shift cables on Cobra drives do need periodic adjustments. Like yearly. If you're lucky. It's what makes Cobra drives a pita. But, you learn to live with it, or you get rid of it.

 

[King P.V.]

Re: omc cobra ,lost reverse

Why O' why, would you change the cable prior to knowing IF the cable was the cause of your problem??/ No doubt you can benifit from all a new cable brings to the table, but perhaps a build up of salt in the bell-crank area, as an example, really is the cause of you issues.... What if the cable is "pig-tailed" due to the fact that the previous mechanic didn't install the webbing around the cable when he installed it.., Hense, causing the cable to be damaged. A "new cable" reinstalled just like the old cable will fail again...
So, what is the failure, the cause, and what's it gunna take to fix it !!?? BTW, Cobra's are very good units, it's just that most have never taken the time to DO IT RIGHT the first time!!
So, has the cable failed? Is the correct vertical shift arm installed??

 

[sea wolf]

Re: omc cobra ,lost reverse

Why O' why, would you change the cable prior to knowing IF the cable was the cause of your problem??/ No doubt you can benifit from all a new cable brings to the table, but perhaps a build up of salt in the bell-crank area, as an example, really is the cause of you issues.... What if the cable is "pig-tailed" due to the fact that the previous mechanic didn't install the webbing around the cable when he installed it.., Hense, causing the cable to be damaged. A "new cable" reinstalled just like the old cable will fail again...
So, what is the failure, the cause, and what's it gunna take to fix it !!?? BTW, Cobra's are very good units, it's just that most have never taken the time to DO IT RIGHT the first time!!
So, has the cable failed? Is the correct vertical shift arm installed??

Because it's cheap insurance, that's why. Look up the cost of a new gearset for that drive. His cable may be past the point where an adjustment will solve the problem. And he didn't say anything about the cable being "pigtailed", or salt in the bellcrank area. He can do the adjustment, hit the water & it may shift fine. Or he can do the adjustment, hit the water & blow the drive because the cable is shot. I suggested he change the cable now because he has one on hand anyway. Those cables are no fun to change. But neither is emptying your wallet on a new gearset or replacement drive. If he changes the cable now, & follows the steps in the Hastings site, his drive will shift with one finger. Problem solved.

 

[King P.V.]

Re: omc cobra ,lost reverse

Disconnect the shift linlage at the shift bracket, shift by hand.. smooth AND EZ ???. sALT IN BELL-CRANK AREA?? , remove outdrive and look... with outdrive off, cable is/is not ez to shift?? look at shift cable as it enters pivot housing, cable is "pig-tailed" or not?? Is the plastic sleeve installed over the cable as it sits inside the large rubber tube>??? cable is seperated where it enters the brass nut on underside of pivot housing?? LOOK !!! shift "chicken lips" by hand, ez or hard?? Total time ... about 1/2 hour... Sheese !!

 

[Lou C]

Re: omc cobra ,lost reverse

With my Cobra what I found was that although the cable was OK...the problem was the salt and crud build up behind the bellcrank in the pivot housing...I took it to the mechanic back in 2004 because it would shift into fwd and then to neutral OK but would not shift from rev to neutral...very stiff..they did not have to replace the cable but did clean out the pivot housing area behind the bellcrank and adjusted the linkage and it's been fine ever since...I have not had to adjust it once in the past 5 years...but what I do each year...is remove the drive...make sure that area is cleaned out...then I pack it with OMC/Bombardier triple guard grease to keep water and salt out...and when I reinstall the gasket between the drive and the pivot housing...I give it a really good coating of OMC gasked sealer on both sides...I also make sure all areas of the shift linkage are lubed with the same grease...and the engine is in a good enough state of tune to idle reliabley at 600 rpm...these drives shift better if you get the idle as low as possible without stalling....

In fact the later model Cobras incorporated a grease fitting on the outside of the housing where the belcrank is...so you can grease it up without removing the drive....

I have found that if the cable is in good shape (low drag) and the adjustment is done right....and that area is clean and the shift linkage is lubed up...idle set right...it really does not need to be re-adjusted each season...

 

[havasuboatman]

Re: omc cobra ,lost reverse

Why O' why, would you change the cable prior to knowing IF the cable was the cause of your problem??/ No doubt you can benifit from all a new cable brings to the table, but perhaps a build up of salt in the bell-crank area, as an example, really is the cause of you issues.... What if the cable is "pig-tailed" due to the fact that the previous mechanic didn't install the webbing around the cable when he installed it.., Hense, causing the cable to be damaged. A "new cable" reinstalled just like the old cable will fail again...
So, what is the failure, the cause, and what's it gunna take to fix it !!?? BTW, Cobra's are very good units, it's just that most have never taken the time to DO IT RIGHT the first time!!
So, has the cable failed? Is the correct vertical shift arm installed??

Also, he said it's always been hard to shift. Wear on the (plastic) cable guide also causes that problem.

 

[King P.V.]

Re: omc cobra ,lost reverse

Let's see. OMC had lots of service bulletins on hard shifting, pin behind the chicken lips too far out, bent bellcrank, salt in the bellcrank area, yes...plastic guide distorted, missing protective sheathing, cable failure, pig-tailed cable, incorrect vertical shift lever (never updated to the one with the "dog-leg" to the right),there is two different cables to order depending on what year Cobra you have, one is just the cable and the other has the cable and all the hardware to update everything to the latest (at that time) shift linkage., someone having removed the inner core wire from the outer cable prior to installing the cable and then re-inserting the core wire, incorrect routing of the large rubber tube in front OR behind the power steering cylinder, shift shaft bushing bent/damaged, did I miss anything??/ If he changes the cable and fails to inspect any number of other potential causes, then he will be destined to continue to have HARD SHIFTING PROBLEMS. This isn't that hard to figure out. But just changing the cable may/or may not be the total solution!! When you buy a Mercruiser shift cable, the inner core wire is laying in the box next to the outer part of the cable.You install the core wire when done installing the cable , IF someone removes the inner core wire on a Cobra cable, the sharp end will rip the inner silicone film on the red cable, The silicone film will bunch up inside and cause ...... hard shifting. Never remove the core wire, just push it in flush to the end and then route the whole thing into the housing and then into the large rubber hose, while taking precautions to not bunch up the protective sheething around the cable inside the tube. IF he doesn't have the correct shift arm, it will never be adjustable correctly, NEVER!! Again, installing a new cable may not solve all of your problems IF you don;t inspect the other things that can contribute to difficult shifting efforts, etc...

 

[bruceb58]

Re: omc cobra ,lost reverse

Thi is a clasic shift cable going out.

 

[cheers731]

Re: omc cobra ,lost reverse

Hi folks,
Don't mean to interupt but just a short question. I will need to pull my 92 cobra outdrive in a month for the first time to change and adjust the cable. Do I need a engine alignment tool for placing the outdrive back if I don't mess with other components? Also, I have lowered idle rpm from 800 to 650 in forward gear, it did helped on shifting but engine will stalled occasionly. What needs to be adjusted to keep the engine running?
Thanks for your patience.
Frank

 

[bruceb58]

Re: omc cobra ,lost reverse

You will need the alignment bar. You also should be pulling your drive yearly, to grease the u-joints, grease/check the gimbal bearing, checking alignment and checking the pocket that has the bellcrank in it to make sure it is free of deposits