Omc Stringer Help!!!

[chucky112233]

Hello all. New to this website it is really good! anyways i recently purchased a 1974 fibreform 24 ft with a 350 and omc outdrive..I have got a used complete outdrive to install on this boat (boat one was destroyed,never came with it) and have a issue.. I have my two wires in the wiring harness for the forward and reverse clutches on top of the engine and have my two wires comng out of my "new" used outdrive.. Where do they go through the hull? they go from the top of the engine and then where? How do they get to the outside of the boat? i see no passages.. Is it possible that someone has put a manual shift housing on the rear of the engine? Thanks for any help!!

 

[whywhyzed]

Re: Omc Stringer Help!!!

stand behind boat - look on intermediate housing - just left of the ball gear - should be a hole regardless of mechanical or electric shift - all intermediates had that hole 1964 thru 1985

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Omc Stringer Help!!!

The hole in your '74 intermediate housing should be the right size unless someone hogged it out to accept the larger mechanical shift cable. '78's and later came with a larger hole and a retainer clip to hold the mechanical shift cable in place.

You should have a long, ringed bushing? on the electric shift cable that should fit snuggly into the I/O hole. Make sure that it fit's snugly or you will leak water in thru it. If it is distorted, you'll want to use some kind of a mild sealant on it. There is no real tension on that wire so do not use any kind of permanant sealant that would cause you to ruin the shift wire if you have to pull it out again.

 

[chucky112233]

Re: Omc Stringer Help!!!

O.k i see the hole if i stand at the back of the boat i see the hole to the left of the ball gear.. O.k so now where does the wire enter on the inside? i can see no passege from the inside of the boat? thanks again guys,you already have been a big help!!! Oh buy the way i know these outdrives are a issue,,is there a better outdrive to switch to that the conversion is simple? thanks

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Omc Stringer Help!!!

Did you locate the sealing bushing on the wire from the outdrive? The hole comes out, inside the boat, above the tilt motor. Stick a screw driver in there and have someone watch from inside. The wire from the outdrive goes thru the hole and joins the other wire, with locking connectors inside a sleeve, inside the boat.

The only thing you can convert to are the later hydro mechanical and full mechanical stringer drives. This assumes that your current electric shift is not a high profile drive. They did not make a high profile (long) drive in the later styles.

For most purposes these drives have no more issues that any other drive. It is true, cause they are out of production that it is harder to find qualified technicians and some parts, but in many ways these drives were better in a lot of respects. They tilt higher, turn sharper and have a fraction of all the cables and bellows and gimbals and bearings and alignments and pumps and rams and yada yada yada.

 

[chucky112233]

Re: Omc Stringer Help!!!

O.k Well i checked it out.. On each side of the balldrive on the boat there is a hole. Beside each of these holes is a another hole with hex plugs(possible water passenger for draining?) If i am standing facing the back of the boat the open hole on the right is dead ended,the hole on the left enters a cavity of some sort but no through hole. I checked on the inside of the boat,nothing at all above tilt motor just flat steel.. no holes at all.. I checked the other side,same way.. I have a feeling this is not a electric shift type.But i have no cables and i have the waires the way i should. And the intermediant i will call it that bolts to the engine looks brand new,it had to have been just installed before i bought the boat,,bright blue paint without a scratch on it,,even the underside so i know it has been out... But do i try and drill through the hole on the left? What is that cavity? Does anybody have a picture that shows the wire going through from the inside? I have to say right now thanks to everybody so far,its nice to know that other people have been in the same boat before,no pun intended!!