shift cable moves freely..still no reverse

[thunderroad]

160 mercruiser sn 2497444. Unhooking the cable and moving it by hand, I can get it to lock into forward with no problem but can only get it to the verge of going into reverse. It's like if I could only pull the cable another 1/8 inch it would go in. You can hear the gears touching as you turn the prop. When I had the drive off I remember thinking that the upper shift lever and shift slide seemed to be a pretty loose fit but really couldn't see anything that looked like much wear. Could it be that slop in that area is keeping it from engaging? <br />Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: shift cable moves freely..still no reverse

when was the cable replaced. if some crud got behind the slide it would prevent full reverse. more than 4 years, replace it.can also be the shift spool in the lower unit.

 

[Don S]

Re: shift cable moves freely..still no reverse

Probably the cable is worn out inside. They will wear a groove in the outer sheath giving the inner too much room to move around. Then you end up with a lot of excess slop you can't adjust out.<br />Replace the cable.