Leaky Shift Cable Sleeve

"Last year I replaced my engin

"Last year I replaced my engine to outdrive shift cable on 87 omc cobra GM305 230hp. After installation, the sleeve began to leak. It just dripped last year. This year on shakedown run, water was oozing thru the hose in many places, and running off the bottom. Questions: how do I replace the sleeve? How is the sleeve fastened to the transom? Does the engine have to be pulled to do it? Boat is 28 foot twin engine Regal Commodore 277XL. Thanks for any good ideas anyone might suggest."

"Richard, assuming that the &#

"Richard, assuming that the '87 and '88 outdrives are the same, you don't need to pull the engine to replace the shift cable sleeve, but you do need to pull the outdrive. The sleeve attaches to the gimbal housing. You'll need a crowfoot adapter or an offset wrench to remove the sleeve. It screws into the gimbal housing adjacent to the exhaust opening. If you run in salt water, you'll probably need to soak the connector with Kroil or PB Blaster for a day or so, and go slowly to avoid pulling the threads out of the aluminum gimbal housing. After you get it unscrewed, you can thread it through the transom and out the back. More aggravation than difficulty......good luck."