Omc does not want to shift into forward. Reverse fine.

[Buffalomike]

I got a brand new replacement OMC Cobra sterndrive in 1995. (OMC still existed then.) The engine is a 5.7 litre. Less than 400 hours on the drive. Past two seasons (but only on the first and last day of the season -- so maybe temperature-related) it slips going into forward. (Reverse is fine.) Mild grinding until I rev it up, then an obviously bad clunk into gear. This season, it seems finally to have become persistent. There are only two dealers who still do OMC on the Niagara River, and the one I spoke to last year said to wait until it fails. I think that time has come. Problem is that he has no waterfront facility and his trailer isn't big enough. I have to have the boat hauled at a yard where he has privileges. Expensive, so I only want to do it once. My inclination is to tell him to replace the forward gear cable, rather than to just tweak the adjustments. Is that the right thing to do ? Can a forward gear cable have become so unstable in sixteen years ? (It's only a few feet long.) Or could it be my single-lever Morse control, that doesn't seem to have any available adjustments ?
Thanks.
Buffalo Mike

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Omc does not want to shift into forward. Reverse fine.

and the one I spoke to last year said to wait until it fails.

Howdy, and welcome aboard....


You're describing a possibly defective lower shift cable. If you did what the "Dealer" above suggested you may have waited too long and caused REAL DAMAGE.

I would not take it there to get the cable replaced. (AND you may be rebuilding/replacing the drive too)

Allowing the drive to shift like described above can permanently damage/destroy the shift dogs or cone clutch depending on what you have.

It's helpful if you post the make/model of the engine/drive you have. There's a rather large difference in drives made in the 80's and 90's


Regards,


Rick

 

[Buffalomike]

Re: Omc does not want to shift into forward. Reverse fine.

Thanks, Rick. What info do I need to supply about my engine and outdrive ?

 

[Buffalomike]

Re: Omc does not want to shift into forward. Reverse fine.

Thanks friend. What do you need to know about the engine and drive ? The boat is a 1988 SportCraft Caprice 25. The engine is a 5.7 litre ford or chevvy, and the Cobra drive was new from OMC in 1995. Is this info useful ?
Mike