Installed new control cables. Having intermittent stiff/sticking problem.

Hi all,

1998 Evinrude 115, 2 stroke on 1998 1800 Hydra Sports. Have owned this boat about 6 months. Controls have always been stiff. Started having problems with not going completely into neutral. I found shifter cable got pinched and had a hole worn through it.


I replaced both control cables with Teleflex extreme, 16’ long. Connected at shifter. With in neutral (controller and at motor) I set the adjusting wheels so the plastic piece fell into the grove when the cables were connected at motor end. Moved shifter forward, reverse, throttle and was amazed at how smooth the shifter worked. Shifted into neutral with no problem. Ran motor and seemed to control just fine. Worked the controller a few more times with motor not running, again smooth as can be.


The next morning on my way to work I jumped in the boat just to feel the smoothness of the shifter. My bubble was busted as the shifter was very stiff. Got home from work did same thing and shifted smooth again. So I figured must need some fine tuning on adjustment. Loosened the set nut and adjusted shift cable slightly. Again smooth as can be. Next day was stiff again.


I move to the dedent forward or reverse and have to almost force to go farther. Again I can walk away and next time I move shifter may be smooth as silk. Than back to sticking again.
I am dumfounded. Am I being stupid and missing something?

also when the cables were off i could move shift arm at motor in to both forward and reverse with 2 fingers and the shift lever moved freely as well.



Thanks,
Dumfounded Jim

I have a Mercury 150 EFI 1997 has done the same thing. I lost top end power while on the water thought it was my control cable changed the cable but still do not have top end power

kimcrwbr1 said:

Have you greased all the zerts in the motor? Is the motor running while shifting?

Click to expand...

The grease fitting have all been greased within the past few months. no motor was not running. I will reset this weekend and try with motor running.

Thanks

Problem was my stupidity.

After installing cables I was failing to spin the prop by hand when testing shift control. So one time everything in lower end would line up and shift was smooth as can be.

Then I would move the prop to make sure was back in neutral.

Next time I went to put in gear if everything in lower end was not lined up shift would be stiff after the idle dedent.

After I figured out what I was doing wrong and had someone spin the prop while moving the shift leaver every time I have tried shifts smooth.

I guess lesson learned is to pay attention the small details in instructions.