Shifting issues on my VP

"Engine and Drive: 2003 Volvo

"Engine and Drive: 2003 Volvo Penta 5.0 Gxi-B DPs

Problem: I took out the boat today and had a real hard time with the shift control box. In short, when we took off from the dock I put the drive in reverse with no more force than usual. After pulling away and settling in neutral I shifted the control to forward. Here is where things went wrong. The shift control would increase the RPMs but the drive would not engage and move forward. After tinkering with shifter with the engine off in the middle of the channel we started the engine again with the same result except this time when I took the rpms up to close to 2000 RPMs the drive engaged roughly. There was some improvement in shifting that allowed me to get back to the dock but I am still having a similar behavior especially when transitioning from previously going reverse. What is going on here???"

I'd not use the boat until

I'd not use the boat until this is corrected.
Hard hitting shifts on a Cone Clutch drive (or any drive) are NOT GOOD for one!
Pull the boat from the water (if moored).... Check your drive lube for water intrusion.... check your shift cable and linkage to make certain that you have equal travel past full gear engagement of each FWD and REV. (involves disconnecting from the eccentric cylinder while doing this)
Follow Volvo Penta's procedure for this.

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"There is a real simple thing

"There is a real simple thing that should be checked first...especially if the drive was recently put back on the boat.
Regardless of prop rotation the proper "direction" for the shift cable is to push outward from its sheath in order to engage "forward"... There is a clamping plate on the front of the drive at the point where the cable enters the drive itself. If this is missing, or if the screws are loose, then shifting into forward will become rather problematic."

"Robert,

The shop recently

"Robert,

The shop recently replaced bellows so this is probable! I will check this and the drive lube.

Ricardo, where is the eccentric cylinder?"

"Walter, It is the part that e

"Walter, It is the part that extends from the rear of the transmission..... it is brass.... from the only portion that you can see, it looks like a horizontal Diamond........ and offers two holes for either side vertical shift linkage attachment.
See SEQ # 8 in this image!
http://www.dougrussell.com/partscatalog/images/omcvolvo/Shift%20Mechanism.gif"


The word "Cylinder" can throw you off when thinking in terms of a shifting device.
Volvo Penta uses the eccentrically place shift shoe (SEQ # 2) at the end of a cylinder piston (SEQ # 8).

This cylinder/piston rotates side to side to create the up/down lift of the sliding sleeve "shoe".
It needs proper adjustment to create proper shoe travel up/down.

."

Well it is the shift cable....

Well it is the shift cable....

What am I looking at in terms of cost for replacement? How much time would it take a pro to do?

"What exactly is wrong with th

"What exactly is wrong with the shift cable??

Replacement... If you are at all handy, you can do it yourself. The BIG issue is physically "snaking" the old cable out and the new one in its place. This can be problematic depending on how "cute" the boat manufacturer got with the location of the throttle and the route of the cable. Almost any marine supplier has them. Not a "Volvo" item at all.
Time... last time I replaced one on my 23 ft cuddy cabin boat with side mounted single lever throttle, it took me about an hour and a bit. Its not an "in the water" kind of job.
While you are at it replace the rubber boot on the cable. That IS a Volvo part. It's near the point where the cable transits the transom assembly inside the boat. These cables are often clamped at several points to the hull/gunwales/bulkheads. Not undoing one of these (often hidden) can make the job frustrating at best."

The cable is super rough to mo

The cable is super rough to move even when I disconnect it...

I am thinking of doing the throttle as well. Do I need to pull the cable out to know which is the replacement length?

"When I pulled mine out, I ti

"When I pulled mine out, I tied some 1/4" line to it so I could use that line to pull the new one. So far as the throttle... On Volvo I/O boats the shift ones do not live as long as the throttles since their lower ends live in sea water. I've been pretty successful in extending my shift cable life by greasing the lower end with a bit of waterproof grease. I slide the rubber "boot" that is on the cable off the sheath and then pull the cable out a bit further than it would go normally and smear waterproof grease on the cable. Then return the cable to its normal position and slide the boot back onto the sheath."

"BTW... Once you rerun the shi

"BTW... Once you rerun the shift cable, it needs to be "adjusted"... It's a simple process but not obvious... but VERY NECESSARY. The shop manual has the adjustment procedure.
Invest in a shop manual."

If I may...... Invest in a re

If I may...... Invest in a real OEM manual. Not Seloc or Clymers. Just too many inconsistancies and errors in some. IMO.

I have the Seloc manual alread

I have the Seloc manual already but I agree there are errors.....any recommendations on where to get one inexpensive

Also could someone let me know if I need to pull the cable out to know which is the replacement length?

Thanks for all your help.