This is my first sterndrive boat.When shifting into gear is a slight gear grind normal. The shift assist is working.And it shifts easy and has the red cable on it. Oh Yea it is a 1989 4.3 omc/cobra. <br />Thanks<br />Tony
That's normal, don't hesitate when you put it in gear, but you also don't have to speed shift. the slower you go the more it grinds.<br />The drive has a dog type clutch, that's what you are hearing. The shift assist works when pulling it out of gear, not putting it in gear.
if you look in the owners manual it says to use a quick positive movement when shifting. do not baby it into gear or try to ease it in. that just accelerates wear on the clutch dog and gear.
Don't try to shift it like a car with a synchromesh trans. You give it a quick firm shift, and make sure the engine idle speed is not too high as well. 500-600 rpm in the water in foward gear.
Yeah rodbolt one of my high school buddies with his 70 Chevelle 396 Muncie-M-22 did the same thing. Powershift here we go! Spend spring afternoons after 8th period practicing behind the high school till the cops (all 2 cop cars in our little town) showed up.<br />Powershifting worked a lot better when he put a Hurst in it
hahahah dang blue lights. mine is a 70 w-30 442 but on the cobra and mercs and all other clutch dog shift untits a quick positive gear engagemnt is nessasary. if you hear it chatter your either shifting to slow or the linkage is binding. either way its time to modify the condition.
"thats how I shifted my syncromesh muncie. 6200RPM and do not use the clutch"<br /><br />thats how english traffic cops are trained to do it.. shame they dont train em to pay for their own gearboxes as well..<br /><br />i think the big secret with dog clutches (same with no clutches) is to keep the engine idle rpm down as low as u can consistant with it keeping running reliably.. a 100 rpm makes one hell of a difference to that "clunk"..<br /><br />trog100
yep trog it does. the worst are little engines.<br /> as the engine starts running poorly they just keep cranking the idle up. by the time i get it not only do i have to fix the powerhead problem we can add 350 for a sealkit,clutch and fwd gear.
