Stiff shifting even with cable service.

[Serf27]

Hi all, another shift cable thread.

1984 omc sterndrive v6.

the throttle/shift lever was very stiff so i decided to try and lube all the cables.

I took the accelerator apart and cleaned it and re greased it.
the the throttle cables and shift cable were cleaned by blowing wd-40 through them. Not much wd-40 came out of them from the other end but they were sliding back and forth smooth for the most part.

I took the shift adapter housing apart and used some grease on it too.

i dropped the lower gear case to access the main shift cable.

I blew wd-40 trough this cable and it did flow out of the other end well then I blew some oil through it as I saw some do it on YouTube.

I assembled everything and after adjusting the shift cable so it could move between forward, neutral and reverse, the accelerator is still hard to shift into gear.

the main shift cable in the rear goes into a “shift housing and support assembly” I cleaned this as well and oiled it.

None of the cables had tears or were frayed.

Im at a loss as why the shifting is still stiff.

It is “shiftable” and I suppose drivable but almost seems like a safety hazard.
I feel like it will use a good amount of force to shift into forward then finally get in gear and move the accelerator too far causing it the boat to move forward and I would prefer that doe not happen.

With the lower drive removed, I was able to easily shift gears by hand by pulling the “rack, shift rod” up and down.
all cables moved freely. Once everything is put together is when it stiffens up.

Any help or tips is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[alldodge]

I'm assuming your shifting this with the motor running and not with it off

Sounds like you have done all the right things but maybe kenny nunez or Scott Danforth might have an idea

 

[Scott Danforth]

you have to shift the stringer drive while the motor is running or you risk damaging that $700 lower shift cable

if the lower shift cable housing was bent, it will also shift hard. the only cure for that is a new $700 cable

 

[Serf27]

Thanks for the replies.
Yes shifting is with the engine on.
with all the cables removed, the lower shift cable($700 one) shifts the drive somewhat easily.
I am not sure what force they take to shift but I can grip the tooth on the pulley in the adapter housing with vise grips and shift between gears with almost no force.

Since the accelerator shift cable connects to this, I can’t help but think it should be this easy shifting the drive from the driver seat.

I am ordering a new throttle cable and shift cable.
I saw them the other day for around $40? But I can’t find them anymore. Any help in finding them?

If the $700 cable is bad, I would scrap the boat boat at that point.

Apologies if I am using incorrect terms and if it is making it hard to understand what I’m saying.

Here are some photos to show what I’m working with.

edit: I found the cables.
They say 1978 or older but look the same as my 1984, they should work right?
I just have to measure mine and see how long they are, 1 of my cables it’s too long and kind of spirals when installed. Is that normal or should I order a shorter one?
Do I measure the actual cable length or the length of the rod that goes in the cable?
heres the link.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Shift-Th...kAAOSwu3ZcWgrJ