Problems installing new Alpha One

[Browner01]

I am in the process of installing anew Alpha drive. I have the upper on but can't get the lower to slide on easily. I had to use the nuts to pull the upper inplace. I am a little leery of doing this on the lower. Every other time I have remove my lower it just slid right back into place. I don't know if this being a brand new out of the box part that it needs to be pull up the first time. Every thing is aligned my drive shaft is engaging and my shifter is in forward and appears to be engaging. Has any one else had this problem? I want to know if being a brand new part it isn't going to slide in smoothly the first time or is something not right?

 

[hondon]

Re: Problems installing new Alpha One

I'm a little confused.Did you buy these two units separate ,and if so why?Please give us a little more background.

 

[bomar76]

Re: Problems installing new Alpha One

Are you 100000% certain that the old o ring off driveshaft is not still lodged up there? That will do it.....

 

[Browner01]

Re: Problems installing new Alpha One

I bought the two as a package, however, they were shipped from separate places as they didn't have both parts in the gear ratio I needed at the warehouse. Here is what I've found. First the upper appears to be fine. The lower is where my problem is. The upper shift coupling is in the 12 oclock position in forward gear. BUT,the intermediate shift shaft WILL NOT slide in as it is supposed to. I have determined after MANY times installing and removing the lower, the lower unit is put together wrong. The shift shaft in the lower is about a tooth off. Where the intermediate shift shaft slides into position on the lower, for forward gear, it is pointing to the 1 o'clock positon. If I rotate it to the next tooth it still doesn't line up. I can put it ogether with it in forward gear, by forcing it into position, but as soon as I try to shift gears from the shift box it gets messed. It will go into reverse fine but in neutral I get a grinding, and forward it is in full neutral. Basically, the lower is off, assembled wrong from the factory. If possible! So much for quality control! A good a**chewing is heading someones way Monday! When the get the part back all they have to do is drop that intemediate shift shaft on to it to see how far it is off. Paid extra to have it hear by Friday so I could be on the lake this weekend. Wasted a day and a half messing with it. Hope everyone else is enjoying their boats this weekend!

 

[Trent]

Re: Problems installing new Alpha One

Have you tried to unhook the lower shift cable at the engine and install the lower. Manually shift it by hand and check it. If it works adjust the lower shift cable. Your older unit may have been adjusted or worn in the past. You have to go back to the basics.

 

[flashback]

Re: Problems installing new Alpha One

I'm with trent on this, free up the shift cable. the new drive is most likley OK. where did you get it?

 

[Browner01]

Re: Problems installing new Alpha One

I unhooked the shift cable at the engine and tried to adjust to compensate for th lower being off. All it did was mess up my shift box. I could get it to go into full neutr in the neutral position, but, it would never go into forward. It was still in neutral in the forward position at the shift box, and it would not shift into reverse without much difficulty. I took an Apha One SS drive off and downgraded to an Alpha One, because an Alpha 2 won't mount to my Gimbal and transom setup. Never had a problem when I would remove the old lower. It slid right into place like it should. I removed the intermediate shift shaft from the upper and dropped it int oplace on the lower, with it in the forward position, and it was cocked to the 1 o'clock position. All information I have says that in forward it should be at the 12 o'clock position. I considered removing the upper and trying to reposition the cam on the shift cable to allow it to shift correctly, but got pissed. If I have to change out the lower in the future, I will have to reposition it to the correct angle, where it should be to begin with! Maybe I'm wrong, but I've had every one and their brother over here checking it out and we have all come to the same conclusion. The lower is a tooth off from the factory. Sorry if my post is a little confusing, but I just got back from the lake. I was on my buddys boat! So the beer flowed freely! I appreciate everyones input. As I am fairly new to the boating scene. I sold my hot rod car because I bought a boat and couldn't afford 2 toys! I am not a complete idiot, I am a mechanic, and the basic principles are the same whether it be a car, boat or airplane. I can't hardly stand to pay any one to fix anything that I know I can fix myself. So I get on here,or wherever it may be to get everyones input on my problems. You can never get enough information! Thank you all.

 

[Browner01]

Re: Problems installing new Alpha One

If that doesn't make sense I'm sorry, I'm a few beers down!

 

[hondon]

Re: Problems installing new Alpha One

Will that lower gearcase shift into forward by itself on the bench?.Remember to establish forward you need to turn the propshaft counterclockwise.Likewise when the two gearcases come together you will sometimes need to hold that lower against forward or it can move.That lower shift shaft is a circular splined shaft .It can't be installed wrong.

 

[Browner01]

Re: Problems installing new Alpha One

Get this! Here is what the outfit I bought it from told me to do: They told me to take the intermediate shift shaft off my old unit and put it on my new lower, take a pair of channel locks and twist the shaft. He said the metal will bend to the correct position. He says he's done hundreds like that. I told him I would prefer he send me a new lower, that had the shift shaft properly indexed, and he said they're all like that. He assured me that he would replace it if it broke while attemping this process. So I did what he said. I bent it till it was in the 12 o'clock position in forward. I then installed it and it shifted as normal, with only a minor adjustment needed to the reverse cable. Now this seems like a messed up thing to do to a brand new part. I don't think I will be buying anymore equipment from this place. Anyway, that is how my problem got "fixed"