One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

[Boats-A-lots]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

Did you check while it was in neutral or in gear?

and the reason he asks... Tah Dah.. it doesn't work in Neutral

Of course I did... (laughing now).. REALLY??? COME ON!!! This is too funny... it was in Neutral. Okay.. I'll check it again tomorrow. Thanks guys. Geeese... totally embarrassed.

 

[projo198]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

I replaced my ESA with a relay set-up that totlly stumbles the motor. It takes a bit getting used to and you have to shift quickly, but I drop into neutral every time now!

 

[Boats-A-lots]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

I replaced my ESA with a relay set-up that totlly stumbles the motor. It takes a bit getting used to and you have to shift quickly, but I drop into neutral every time now!

I'm going to do that too, but I don't think my stumble switch is working at all. In a little while I'm going out to check it (in gear). It has to be working to set up the relay doesn't it?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

I'm going to do that too, but I don't think my stumble switch is working at all. In a little while I'm going out to check it (in gear). It has to be working to set up the relay doesn't it?

Needs to be in neutral when you check it if you have an overstroke switch still.

 

[Boats-A-lots]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

Needs to be in neutral when you check it if you have an overstroke switch still.

This is VERY ODD.. When cleaning up the wires and tracing them out... I found a large positive and neg cables going to a male connector.. a little over to the side I found the female end to this.. it was unplugged. Not sure how long its been this way, or why. BUT.. some of those wires coming off of that plug was going to the ESA switches. Humm..... I connected it with a zip tie.

The boat is 100% all original as far as what was put on it from SeaSwirl, other then the lower cable, and my toys I added to it. I have 2 Cherry switches by the V arm connecting the shifting cables. I cleaned all wires up, and ground. Started it, Put it in gear (so nice how it just goes right in) and depressed the one with the metal arm and wheel on it.. Nothing.... NOW.. I will go back out and try it in Neutral again.......

 

[Boats-A-lots]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

Should I start a new thread? What I found was those 2 switches have 2 black, 2 blue wires coming off them going into a round harness. One of the blue wires loop back, one of the black goes to ground, the other blue and black are going into a group of wires that go all over the place. What I did.. was splice into the blue wire going all over the place and connected it with a wire to the - side of the coil. NOW.. when I press that switch it stumbles out the motor. (it stalls completely if I hold it in).

Is what I did a good thing or bad thing?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

Yes, that's a bad thing to do. That blue wire is an input to the ESA. This input gets grounded when the switch gets depressed. Curious what prompted you to do this.

You may have blown out your ESA if it was actually still good.

This shows how the ESA is wired:
http://www.cdielectronics.com/InstallSheet/123-7878.pdf

 

[Boats-A-lots]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

Well.. I looked at the sticky on the front page of this thread and it shows a diagram of those switches, and one wire is going to the negative of the coil. When I tried to trace out where those wires were going, I get lost. They (one blue, and one black) go into some taped up wires that go all over. Splits off goes to the alternator, goes behind the motor, up to the fuse box. Since the diagram shows one of those wires going to the coil, (and I couldn't verify one did) I made one up to see. I just went out and checked it again, and it stumbles the motor when I have it spliced in. I remove it and the switch does nothing.

I could have hooked up the black wire to the coil, but I just tried the blue. When it worked, I stopped. So um.. now what?

 

[bruceb58]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

Disconnect the plug that goes to the switches. On the ESA side of the connector, ground the blue wire while the engine is running. If it stumbles, the ESA is good and your switches have problems.

The other connector has two wires on it. One has 12V switched on with the ignition and the other wire goes to the negative side of the coil. Get a meter and check those connections.

 

[Boats-A-lots]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

Disconnect the plug that goes to the switches. On the ESA side of the connector, ground the blue wire while the engine is running. If it stumbles, the ESA is good and your switches have problems.

Did that, and nothing happened. So, the ESA module is bad?

 

[Boats-A-lots]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

Found this while searching for a new ESA. Some one asked this question 4 yrs ago if they could bypass the ESA...

"First let me tell you,this is the worst system I have ever seen or worked on in my 35 years working on boats.The ESA system only shuts down 2 cylinders when shifting,so if you do not have it set-up properly it will stall every time.The merc. system momentarily shuts off the whole ignition system witch in my opinion works much better.I just
finished doing what you are asking and it works great.To do it you must disconnect the wiring plug to the module.Unplug the wiring to the
main cut-out switch.Now to wire it like a merc you need to connect 1 wire from the switch to a ground and the other wire needs to be connected to to negative side of the coil.That's it your done.Now you only need to start it up and test it.With the engine running activate the switch and it should shut your motor off.The only other thing to do is to be sure that it is properly adjusted so that after you shift the switch is not stuck on.I hope this helps and good luck".

 

[bruceb58]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

Did that, and nothing happened. So, the ESA module is bad?

1) Do you have power to the ESA?
2) Do you have continuity in the wire that goes to the negative post on the distributor?

If so, the ESA is probably bad. If you change the ESA get the CDI one that will allow you to use a Delco EST distributor in the future if you chose to do so. Or, wire it like the merc.

The only problem you may have is that the switches can't handle the current flowing through the coil to ground and that is why some use a relay.

I would use the CDI ESA if I were you. It also uses the timer method and doesn't use the overstroke switch.

 

[Boats-A-lots]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

I will have to check it tomorrow.. I noticed on some of the rubber clusters, there are 50, and 30 or 40 amp fuses. Maybe one of those is bad? I would like to keep the boat as close to as it was from the factory, but if there is another way, something easier, or better I would change it to that. Bruce, thank you for the time you are putting into this for me.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

Gets its power from the ignition source so since your ignition is already working, not going to be a fuse.

 

[Boats-A-lots]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

The ESA is the powerless source, so it must be bad. It seems like there are a couple of ways to bypass this if some one wants to do so. Not sure what one is more right then the other though. Before I order a CDI ESA I'm going to have to give this some thought. Like long term just bypassing it is there harm? When I shift I have always made a quick motion, and not the slow push or pull. I do want to do this right, but have to question if right means bypassing or replacing.

I'm sure a team of engineers worked on making this system work correct for OMC and then another to make the ESA a timer. I'm married to an engineer so I know how they think some times. The easiest way isn't always the route they choose to do things.

(I understand now why I could not confirm the switch wasn't going to the coil. The wires change colors at the ESA)

 

[projo198]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

I eliminated my ESA and did a direct ground with a relay. Works great. You have to get sed to shifting quickly, but she goes into neutral every time.

 

[Boats-A-lots]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

I eliminated my ESA and did a direct ground with a relay. Works great. You have to get sed to shifting quickly, but she goes into neutral every time.

I'm really liking how easy this goes into gear since all the work I have done on it, and I want it to go into neutral as smooth. It will be a couple of weeks before we get time off to go boating to test this out. On mine right now, I just have the blue wire going to the negative on the coil, and not sure how I would rig up a relay with one wire.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

The ESA is the powerless source, so it must be bad.

You checked that you have a good ground right?

 

[Boats-A-lots]

Re: One last question about adjusting lower shift cable

You checked that you have a good ground right?

Yeah, solid ground.

I remember it working last year because I was setting my idle after I changed the gas filter and water separator. It's hard to say if it was working last time I went crabbing, because the shifter rod was so messed up. After I get it all back together its shifting great but the ESA is not working. I checked all the wires going in and they are hot, but coming out nothing. The one place I didn't check was the alt connection. I'll go out and check that now.