Omc Cobra shift problems---- 5.7 1988

[ab59]

KPG -- I'll give the controller a shot of penetrate , couldn't hurt anything ---Beachrights---- I don't see any hijacking . When I bought the new ESA from CDI , they required a resister for the module and also said that the ESA is compatible with the Mallory Electronic that I am running. The only reason that I did not run a ballast resistor is because I already have a resistor wire and when tested I had the proper amount of OHMs . The problem now is not the ESA triggering but the outdrive is slow to come out of gear into Neutral . In one of the last videos that I made you can here the engine slow as the shift system drags into neutral. But , the ESA is functioning correctly. OOps ,one last thing , I already had the electronic ign. installed before and the other ESA worked as well. I believe that I burned the old one up when I put a high performance Coil of far less than 1 ohm resistance so I bought another one that has 1.5 .

 

[ab59]

I am out of other ideas so I guess I'm going to pull the outdrive again and clean out all the grease from the pocket where the shift cable retainer is . My thought is that I might be getting some kind of hydraulicing action out of grease and shift cable as it is actuated .

 

[kpg7121]

I am out of other ideas so I guess I'm going to pull the outdrive again and clean out all the grease from the pocket where the shift cable retainer is . My thought is that I might be getting some kind of hydraulicing action out of grease and shift cable as it is actuated .

I never packed that pocket with grease. I just never saw the need for it. I did put some in there but didn't overdo it. I'm not saying you or guys that did it differently are wrong, just the way I dit it. I also greased the bellcrank.

Keep at it. We're pulling for you!

 

[Lou C]

On mine I packed the pocket with grease because for boats left in the water like mine, if water gets into that area the deposits will for sure cause stiff shifting, in fact that was what was wrong with mine when I got it back in '02. Back then the mechanics that do OMC got it set up right and every year when I pulled the drive I added a bit of grease to that area. It will not cause a hydraulic lock, not in over 10 years of experience that I have had at least.

OK what about the CLUNK when it comes out of gear? How is your outdrive gear oil level? Any water in the gear oil? Changed it recently?
What is the history of this boat? Any work done to the drive before you got it?

PS your drive and transom mount look absolutely pristine compared to my slipped in salt water boat. About 10 coats of anti fouling paint, it just looks bad and would take a huge amount of labor to clean up. But it shifts good.

I gotta give you credit, you have really tried hard with this thing. When I did mine I was lucky, it just seemed to come togetehr the first time I set it up. I did the shift rod/transom shift cable one day and the remote cable the next.

 

[ab59]

thanks for your Reply Lou--- I did not pull the drive again after reading your post . I did go back to the ramp and after having a heated verbal disagreement with 2 morons because they wanted to use the side of the ramp that I was using although the 2nd lane was wide open , I began to test and adjust again.
As things stand now I have Forward to Neutral working like it should. However Reverse to Neutral is another story. What is really odd is that Reverse to Neutral worked as it should for one or two shifts them began the hanging in gear for different amounts of time after that. I have begun to move the interrupter switch cam slightly , up and down the slot thinking that the timing of when the switch is triggered could be causing the problem but got no real results that made any consequence .
Why would I be able to get Forward to Neutral to work correctly or from Reverse to Neutral to work correctly but not both ???
thanks, A.B.

 

[Lou C]

Well...
you cable does not have excessive drag
the bell crank in the pivot moves easily
your shift rod moves easily from n to fwd and rev and back correct..
and thinking back to what changed...shift cable...drag is ok...how about the routing of it in the engine compartment where it comes out of the cable tube..any sharp bends? Stuck behind anything? Like the steering actuator? Just a thought...,

 

[ab59]

thanks for the reply Lou---I have never liked the routing of the TSC . I do have it run behind the shift steering actuator as that is what was suggested by the book. I did put in front but did not like the idea of the moving parts of the steering rods against the cable setup. How is yours run ? Guess I can take the cable loose and drag it out from behind . Not much room in that area and is mostly manifolds in the way . I will give it a try , sure isn't anything else that I've tried

 

[Lou C]

I'll take a look tomorrow.….

In my '88 shop manual it says: route shift cable between exhaust pipe and flywheel housing, (here they are referring to the Y pipe and bell housing, way down by the bottom of the transom mount) and behind the power or manual steering assembly. If this should result in interference, the shift cable may be routed in front of either steering assembly as long as the operation of the ESA is not adversely affected....

hmm....those last few words....

 

[Lou C]

wondering if the aftermarket cable jacket might be stiffer than oem...might not flex as easy...might work better in a different position...may be worth trying it both ways to see if there is a difference...

 

[ab59]

thanks for your reply Lou-- I went out and looked the cable over and see that the cable and tube is just crammed in between the engine the manifold and the transom . Man what a **** poor design . I got sidetracked with other duties today but will try to pull the cable out from behind the steering assembly and somehow wedge it in between the y pipe and the engine. Again what a @#$%%$ design . Not sure if that will be any better but got no other ideas left. You never know though .
A.B.

 

[Lou C]

I looked at mine today, it comes out between the flywheel cover and the Y pipe and then goes behind the steering assembly. See if yours is kinked against anything that might stop the cable from moving freely inside....

 

[ab59]

Thanks again for your response Lou --- I went out and pulled the cable and tube loose with the help of some Purple Power soap and water . It made the tube slick enough to pull it out of where it was wedged between the bell housing and the transom mount . It did have a little tight kind of bend there and for a minute I thought that was it but when I took it to the ramp I still have the same ol problem. I did some adjusting at the ramp but it was so hot that I could not stand on the carpeted deck of the boat in bare feet so after a short time I brought the boat home and will set everything up again to the basic adjustment and start again tomorrow.
I found an OMC Mechanic in a town about 35 miles from here and will take it by his shop if the next try does not work.
He is booked up till the end of JULY but said I should bring it by and he will look it over and then tell me what to do . He also said that I must be missing something in the basic adjustment and he may be able to point it out to me and the problem will be solved. Sounds good to me but the part about him being booked up till after July is a real bummer if I can't solve the problem myself .
He also mentioned the aftermarket cable but with a 2 lb drag I can't see the problem there .
So I guess the plan is one more ramp test after basic setup and if not right then I'm headed down the road to the OMC guy and hope he sees the problem.
thanks-----A.B.

 

[Lou C]

Let us know what he says...the suspense is driving me nuts!

 

[ab59]

Stranger than fiction . This morning I adjusted the shift cables, throttle disengaged , Once I got the cable adjustments made , again, I began to look for cause of the shift to neutral problem . I had began moving the lower cam yesterday as I had been over everything else a million times. When in Reverse I noted that the cam was not properly located in the center of the cam . I adjusted it to center the switch in WOT Reverse . I took it to the ramp , lowered the outdrive and fired the engine up . When I shifted into Forward gear and back to Neutral and everything functioned correctly with no hanging in gear. Then into Reverse and back to Neutral and it came right out of gear just like it should . After shifting in and out of Reverse several times it will occasionally hang in gear for a second or two and then on the next shift function in an immediate way so I'm saying that IT'S FIXED .
Hallelujah !
Lou I can't tell you enough how valuable you guidance through this headache has been and I thank you.
To the other lessor contributors , I thank you as well.

Bruce

 

[Lou C]

Great I’m glad you kept after it! They do shift nicely when we’ll set up...

 

[blitz491]

My apologies Mr Ab And in no way trying to hijack your thread I have been following your post with great anticipation and am happy you may have it fixed!
I posted my question because it seemed you were several steps ahead of me with your trouble shooting so I was attempting to go back a few steps that you would have done?
again I apologize
Jd

 

[ab59]

JD---NO worries bud , was just trying to work out my problem without getting sidetracked with another's :joyous: . Don't get discouraged and keep asking questions until you understand how things work . The more you learn the better off you are so don't sweat the small stuff and keep at it till it's done.
If you haven't started your own thread , do so , and many here will help you if they can.
Good luck with your quest.

 

[blitz491]

Good Morning I completely get it I totally feel your frustration!!! if I may ask is your fix still working?

I ask because I was just starting my own thread about this because I have been following various threads on different forums and there is a ton of answers out there but you mentioned something that clicked and might be a key to my issue? I'm going to ask you first so I do not have to start all over with the basic questions, but you mentioned using the hoe to hook your prop to get yours into gear and now mentioned adjusting your cam to center position in reverse WOT I can't do That!

I can not get my drive into gear at all sitting on the trailer? when shifting the remote throttle with everything connected it seems frozen, when I rotate the prop and have someone else try and shift it into gear same thing and the prop will roatate freely in both directions? like you mentioned to me it does not seem to engage the dog gear? I purchased the kit with the tools and new cables to do the repair you were doing but before I remove my outdrive this morning I want to make sure its not something else?

Thanks
John

 

[ab59]

JD--- If the boat is new to you or you have not serviced it this year then go ahead and pull the outdrive. It does not take very long and you will be able to check several things while apart. Like- once apart you can see if you can shift the outdrive by hand without to much force. You can also check the height of your shift rod and check for damage. From your description you may have eaten up some gears but you must diagnose the problem first before you will know that. Pull the outdrive , test both sides of the shifting system ie the outdrive and then the shifting system and go from there.
Plenty of advise from people who know here so dig in and fix it.
A tip that Kenny Nunez gave me about the outdrive is that a 1/2 " eye bolt will screw right into the top of your outdrive to use as a lifting eye if you have a cherry picker or lift of some kind and makes the job of removing and reinstalling a lot easier. Oh , the bolt screws into the hole that your dip stick is in that checks your oil level in your outdrive. Also , If you have metal in your OD oil then you know the outdrive has had a catastrophic failure .
lastly , Yes, so far my problem remains fixed but I will not say for positive until I put it in the water for the day early next week.
A.B.

 

[blitz491]

Thank you and I went ahead and started a thread of my own my problem is not anything new but the boat is basically like it was pulled out of a time capsule having such low hours and little use.

Thanks for the tips, I am also in Ca so I had to go out and get my garage fans and swamp cooler going because I am about to get dirty and its going to be about 98* today!!