shift cable lock-up

[lccwne]

I have a 2000 VIP with a 5.7 mercruiser that ran out of gas last night. When we refueled, the engine starts fine (with throttle only button in),but when you pull the handle back to disengage throttle only and put it in gear, it won't move forward or back. The boat only has 30 hours on it. Could this cable freeze up or go bad all of a sudden. It was having no problems prior to this. Would it be a problem with the control end of the cable? Can this be fixed, or is it shot?<br />Thanks for any input-

 

[tommays]

Re: shift cable lock-up

it is not likely for the cable to go bad one day to the next it would get hard to move over some amount of time <br /> you going to have to poke around and see if the control lever has failed somehow or some part of the cable has come lose and locked up <br /><br />tommays

 

[Bondo]

Re: shift cable lock-up

I Agree...........<br />The Control itself is where I'd be Looking.....

 

[oldboat1]

Re: shift cable lock-up

agree with earlier replies. It sounds like the disengage is not working -- could be minor. Mine has a button that is pushed in to engage and pulled out to disengage. The top position for the shift/throttle lever is the neutral detent position. With the button in, shifting forward or backward first shifts into gear, then increases throttle speed (separate cables). Look for something simple before disassembling, and concentrate on the disengage/warmup button.<br /><br />The starting circuit should be dead unless the button is in the disengage position (unless of course somebody bypassed that circuit). It almost sounds like you might be starting the engine with the button properly disengaged (only way the ignition circuit would be completed), but might be failing to engage the button before trying to put the boat in gear. It might actually be working properly.