Hard Shifting on 43L Alpha 1 gen 2

"I ahve a shifting question pr

"I ahve a shifting question problem for al of you out there. I have a 2004 4.3L with Alpha 1 gen 2 and the problem is when I move the shift lever into forward it does not always go into gear, sometimes it grinds the gears and has to be moved farther forward or quickly back to get the gear to engage. Reverse is perfect, never grinds and alway goes in with little hand movement. The distance the shift lever has to be moverd to go into to forward is about 2 to 3 times that of reverse. Is this a shift cable adjustment or do I need a new shift cable and or transome cable, do I understand correctly that the outdive has to be removed to replace the transome cable? Any info would help, Thanks."

"How old is the boat?do you kn

"How old is the boat?do you know if the cables were ever done,try a cable adjustment but rememeber that a "tiny" adjustment makes a big difference,if that does not do it then I would seriously think about a cable,if you do,rememeber to check yout shift shaft,bushings , and seals while you have it off,also while it is right in front of you,check the bellows and gimble bearing also."

"disc the shift cable at the e

"disc the shift cable at the engine,that comes from the shifter....if it operates smooth,then your prob is prob lower shift cable...very common,...a factory service manual,alignment tool,and a transom repair kit would be helpful."

"The boat is 4 years old with

"The boat is 4 years old with 140 hours, mix of fresh and salt water use, stored on a trailer. I don't know if this helps any. Also if I am mechanicaly inclined, and have a good set of tools is the replacement of the ship cable a do it your self project or is this best left to the pros, the reason I ask is because in my experience many people that you pay to do a pro level job are doing something for the first time and the job you get is less quality than if I had stumbles through it myself. Any good articles to read before one starts this project. Thanks"

"[b]"Any info would help,

""Any info would help, Thanks."

Ayuh,... See your Other post,...

I ain't typin' it Twice..."