Shifter wonbt engage

"Last weekend, after a tune up

"Last weekend, after a tune up from the dealer I took my 24 Chaparral out on the water. She ran fine for about five minutes before all _ _ _ _ broke loose. Smoke was billowing from below and I had to shut her down. Problem was the exhaust manifold was completely blocked, over heated due to no water. I replaced both manifolds with new ones but now while I was testing the new manifolds I can't get the shifter to drop into forward. It works in reverse, just not forward. I first thought this overheat problem was the impellar and replaced it as well. Do you think it was the shifter cable not being in full forward when I replaced the lower unit or the manifold over heating and melting or warping the shift cable?"

"You have not given us much ba

"You have not given us much background data, but I gather it is RWC and used in salt water.
Guessing also it is either a 5.7 or 7.4 Alpha drive.
You may not have gotten the shift shafts correctly engaged, so the gears are not engaging. When you remount the lower gear unit, the throttle quadrant should be in forward, and the lower shift shaft in forward gear (shift shaft pointing forward, and prop locked when turned CCW). This will assure shift linkage mates up correctly.
You can check gear selection by removing the lower shift cable from its mount pin at the shifter bracket (on exhaust elbow) and move the inner cable in and out. It should move freely about an inch either way. Back should engage forward, and forward should engage reverse. If it is stiff, or does not engage both gears, you either have a problem with the shift shaft mate up (per above) or you need a new lower cable. I suspect the shift shaft mateup is not right.
Is the overheating problem cured?
If you don't already have one, I strongly suggest you get a Seloc or Clymer manual if you are going to do this kind of stuff. It will save you a lot of grief in the end, for not much of a cash outlay.
Rod"

"Ken
My money is on the shift

"Ken
My money is on the shift shaft mateup when you have bolted the gearcase back onto the upper housing.
Rods right, this sort of stuff isnt that hard to do if you have any type of ability, but if you havent got one, a good manual and a bit of a read before and during surgery will save you alot of time and heart ache
Regards
Peter C"