Logo

hard to shift forward/reverse

spopop

New member
Hi all, new member here... I have a one year old 16foot smokercraft with a 50 hp honda and all works pretty good except that trying to shift forward or reverse is a real struggle. If I just shift it for nuetral throttle it seems to be no problem so it must be the actual shift cables or something. Is there a way for me to make some adjustments?? Thanks.
 
I am not sure what you mean by neutral throttle. If that means you use throttle only, that may not help defining the problem with the shift...since the shift would be disconnected.

You can do the following out of the water without the motor running. You will need someone to turn the prop for you. If someone does not turn the prop, you can bind linkages and break one of the plastic levers. They are no fun to replace...

Disconnect the throttle connection at the engine. While someone turns the prop backwards, try to shift into forward. when you do the prop should lock up. If it seems any easier to shift, then your throttle cable may not be adjusted correctly, causing tension in the shift box. If it does not shift any differently, then you could have a bent shift cable.

If the shifting is still difficult, disconnect the end of the shift cable where it connects to the lever on the motor. Now try to shift. If you can feel a significant drag, you probably have a bad cable. Make sure the cable ends are not getting caught on something at the motor end. Normally, the operation should be fairly smooth, except for the forward or reverse detent.

Mike
 
Thanks Mike, I disconnected the cables at the motor end and sure enough it was the shifter cable not the throttle cable. I found a small bend/kink in the shift cable just close to where it goes into the motor. I straightend it out and it works better. But that location seems to want to bend again whenever I turn the motor left or right. Is there a way to brace that section of the cable so that it doesn't bind up?
 
I do not know how the cable is routed...

The way to keep binding to a minimum when turning left and right...the cable has to be long enough to go from the starboard rear corner under the engine, then a four foot loop loops past the engine around toward the front and then back to the engine. Sometimes they have to be rigged differently due to the boat design.

Also, the shift/throttle cables should not be restricted anywhere around the engine so they move freely.

Send a picture of the way your engine cabling is routed and maybe I can be more specific.

Mike
 
Ok, here are a couple of pictures... the place that it kinks is within an inch or two of where it enters the motor.
 

Attachments

  • CIMG1780.jpg
    CIMG1780.jpg
    94 KB · Views: 1,719
  • CIMG1781.jpg
    CIMG1781.jpg
    88.9 KB · Views: 708
  • CIMG1782.jpg
    CIMG1782.jpg
    93.3 KB · Views: 4,275
Just my opinion but it looks as if your cables are a bit short. Like Mike says, you need a good sized loop in them so that they can flex not only with steering but with tilt too. Maybe if they weren't bound up with all those tie-wraps to the steer cable housing and battery leads they might be long enough. Hard to tell looking at the picture. I wouldn't tie them up that way. Neatness doesn't count in this case, it is hurting you.

You're probably going to need a new cable now that one is bent. You want the transmission to "SNAP" into gear and not "chatter" because of a binding cable slowing down the transition. That will quickly wear out your clutch dogs.

Teleflex sells a good replacement for a reasonable price online. I buy them all the time. You need to determine the length you need and order them using the entire length of the cable. I found out the hard way that they are not measured from shift housing to motor entrance. Good luck.
 
My recommendation is the same as Jimmy's...only replace both cables. It looks like both have some kink to them. It will not be much more work.

It looks like they probably got kinked when the motor was raised too high and the cables were "bent" by the back deck. There is no perfect way to rig a motor with a back deck this close.

You should get the best quality cables that you can afford. Teleflex makes the Tfx line. It is the same that Honda recommends. They operate better in sharper bends.

When you put them in, do not wire tie them like they are with all the other cables.
Make the loop for the control cables as big as the one you have but keep them separate and not tied to anything. You can make a smaller loop of the cables and wire tie to the steering cable near where it connects to the motor. You should be able to hide the excess by pushing it back into the grommet in the rear of the boat.


Mike
 
Good luck. When you change the cables, connect the new ones at the shifter first. Watch for the little black spacer (black plastic about 1/4 cube) in between the cables where their bases are secured in the shifter. If there is no spacer, you may have one of the shifters that does not have it.

Once the shifter end is done, then connect to the engine. Check for full throttle and make adjustments accordingly.

Mike
 
Back
Top