Remote Control Cables? (Quicksilver 3000 Classic) 1988 3.7

Have a 1988 3.7lx (470) with a 1988 Alpha One standard rotation drive (1:84 ratio). Problem started when I looked on ebay for a used remote control. (Did not have one for the boat so had to start from scratch!) It was advertised as a Mercruiser remote control so I bought it. I get the thing and it reads HILEX on the cover. It had several holes in throw arms for different manufacturers which it listed next to positions.
Found out that it was a (nla) Japanese universal remote control that required 3300 style cable ends. Bought 3300 style cables from teleflex. Drive is on boat and operating perfectly. I can manually engage shift cable and propeller is working in forward and reverse. All is well in that respect. However, when I tried to adjust shift interrupt switch, could not get the throw to work correctly! (gave up after about three hours) Drive is installed correctly, shift cable seems to be working properly, etc. After a few more hours of misery, decided to take drive and control off of boat again and had a marine mechanic friend check it out. He said that the HILEX remote control shift lever had excessive play and or wear. He also stated that this remote was not providing the right throw like the oem remote which he stated was around 3 1/4 inches. I know now that I made a mistake in buying the HILEX control. Also, was told by the mechanic, to make things easier on myself, and just go with a genuine Mercruiser control and compatible cables. He then gave me a used Quicksilver 3000 Classic remote control with the trim/tilt switch on top part of handle, a lanyard man overboard switch, and I guess a neutral safety switch. The guy really went out of his way to try and adjust the shift interrupt with the HILEX control but after about an hour he said something was not right and that is when he gave me the used Mercruiser control. He told me the proper style cables to buy but it was about a month ago and like an idiot I forgot. I hate like heck to bother him again asking the same question twice. Thought you guys might know what type of cables I should use with this particular control. I know what length the cables have to be but am not sure of the type of end to get for the control side. (Oh, by the way, I know that the cables ends are mounted to the control by two screws on the throw arms if this helps). I also know that there is a plastic piece that holds the cable casing in a fixed position to the control. The used Mercruiser 3000 Classic control does not have the plastic pieces that lock the cable casings to the control. I am hoping that the new cables will have this part on them. Any help would be greatly appreciated! thanks, Tom

Re: Remote Control Cables? (Quicksilver 3000 Classic)

http://issuu.com/marineteleflex/doc...t.xml&backgroundColor=080000&showFlipBtn=true

You will want to find the CC179/CCX179 cable number in that link, That is the teleflex # for the merc # you will need, So your part number will 179XX (XX is your cable length)

Any dealer should be able order it for you, Or you probably could call and order it from the owners of this website you are on right now. Here are your cables for you, from this site.
http://www.marineengine.com/products/accessories.php?g=482&p=2

Good luck.

Re: Remote Control Cables? (Quicksilver 3000 Classic)

The total throw of a merc control and cable system in good shape would be from full wide open throttle forward, to full wide open throttle reverse is 2 7/8" to 3 1/8 inches.

I cant imagen why you have has so much difficulty....I once converted a OMC shift control to work on your exact engine.........shift interuptor and all.

Here is the adjustment proceedure when you get what you need.......

Trim out drive up 2 inches from all the way down.
Take keys out of ignition!!!!!!!!!!!
Have a second person stand at the prop.
You, remove the short shift cable from the shift bracket.
After the cable has been removed, push the plastic cable end all the way in and hold in place while prop is being spun C’Clockwise..
Have second person rotate prop counter clock wise until the prop is fully engaged and wont turn anymore. Maintain light effort on shift cable plastic end pushing it to keep forward engaged.

Measure the distance from the center of the brass trunion to the center of the round mounting hole in the plastic end. Adjust trunion to make that distance 6 inches. no more no less! In cases where the shift cable is old but still works well you can adjust this dimension to 5 15/16”. NO MORE.

Put shift control handle in forward FULL throttle position.
Remove the control shift cable from shift bracket at this time.

Install short shift cable back onto bracket (while engaged in to foward) at this time.

Take the shift control cable and adjust the trunion so it fits perfectly back into the shift bracket.
Before installing it turn the brass trunion 4 complete turns away from the plastic end and reinstall into shift bracket.

Now put shift control handle in the neutral position.
Have second person spin prop, it should spin freely.
Put shift control into the forward detent position at ~ 10:00 position. NO FUTHER.
Have the second person rotate the prop counter clockwise. You should have solid engagement with no ability to continue to turn the prop.

Now shift back into neutral. Prop should spin freely with no clacking or clunking.

Now shift to reverse to the 2:00 o’clock position detent NO FURTHER!!

Have the second person spin the prop clockwise.

If you have positive engagement with no clunking or jumping out of engagement, you are done.

If it does not fully engage into reverse than look at the shift bracket where the short shift cable mounts and there is a slot. Loosen the 7/16 hex that is touching the bracket and move the stud so you are pulling the short cable.

Try this and retest in water under load.

Anyway there are tests that would tell you if the cable is bad but to difficult to type out here but in general if you remove the shift control cable from the shift bracket, shift the control handle to full forward/wide open throttle and make a mark on the cable end, now go full reverse and repeat. Measure distance between marks, (2 7/8" to 3 1/8") any more and replace the control cable.

Re: Remote Control Cables? (Quicksilver 3000 Classic)

Thanks so much kghost and boat_tech for the leads, It just saves me from stabbing around in the dark as I have been doing! lol Also, kghost has always been a great help to me on this particular site! I posted around seven or eight months ago and you helped me back then also! I have come a long way with the boat that I am restoring and I feel that I am starting to round the bend with all the nasty work. I actually thought I was there until I found that the ebay controller that I bought was pretty much junk and would not enable me to adjust shift interrupt properly. The data on the throws will be very valuable to me in finding out if the other controller is within range. Thanks again for your continued support! I will be working on the boat this weekend if not too cold and will post how I make out mounting the Quicksilver controller. I will have to order the above cable #s that boat_tech furnished for me. What a tremendous help just to know what is needed for my particular situation. I did not do enough homework before I ordered the first so called Mercruiser controller and that is what got me where I am at presently. Oh well, back to the drawing board! lol Guess I will have to chalk it up for experience, thats all! Thanks again guys for your insight and knowledge! sincerely, Tom

Re: Remote Control Cables? (Quicksilver 3000 Classic)

Good news so far! Had to cutout and install the Quicksilver 3000 Classic controller for my boat. I still have not ordered control cables but intend to do so this evening! All went well and noticed alot smoother shift and just overall feels alot more solid and durable than the other HILEX controller. I also noticed that the actual shift throw arm has very llittle if any play as compared to the other Japanese controller. Just feels alot smoother and tighter than the one that I previously mounted. The throttle throw arm has a little free play, but hoping that should have nothing to do with shift interrupt switch and proper shifting of drive. kghost, I have had this drive off and on at least four times in the last two months. First, I had some kind of problem with the lower end (spool) which was repaired by a reputable boat mechanic, also installed a new water pump, all bellows and hoses were replaced, also had a bad seal on upper drive shaft and was leaking some gear oil but all the same was not holding pressure. This was my first time working on an Alpha One so I was a little leary about jumping into it! The mechanic corrected the seal leak and the lower unit problem (I hope) He said he could not get the shift interrupt to adjust properly and there was too much movement in the forward shift linkage which he said had something to do with the lower unit.
I did notice after picking up the drive from the mechanic that the shift lever for the forward gears seemed to rotate alot less than before and the forward and reverse gears seem to be working correctly. I manually engaged the shift cable and it seems to work fine. I can see where the old neutral mark was on the cable and where reverse and forward used to be. The only thing that I have not done is the shift cable and I think I know what you are going to say! lol Actually, at this point I feel alot more confident about pulling the drive. I reinstalled the drive in about an hour the last time I had it off. I also used the alignment tool each time I reinstalled drive and everything seems nice. It slides in with two fingers so I think I am good to go in that respect. Let me ask you this question: If the cable moves freely in the casing, and the casing is in good shape, would it be possible to replace only the cable itself? And also, is the forward shift more prevalent to shift cable failure due to a loss of rigidity over time due to the fact the cable is in a pushing throw versus a pulling throw for reverse? (I hope that made sense! lol) Well to make a long story short I guess I will have to try the new shifter with the proper cables and then hopefully the shift cable funtions properly. I guess I will find out soon enough. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated at this point. all the best, Tom

I ordered the cables that you guys suggested and recieved them today. I mounted controller and will try and get cables hooked up and will let you guys know how I make out sometime this weekend. I also printed out the instructions for the shift cable adjustment at the shift interrupt linkage.
thanks again, Tom

View attachment 1353When a short shift cables wears out from use or heat the typical issue is it will stall when shiftinmg into reverse.

The shift spool is a common wear item and can cause a lot of issues with shifting..

Originally they used a bronze spool but now they are steel.
When looking at the forward side of the outdrive when it is off the boat, you will see a shift link, it is made of a bronze material. It is the part that fits into the upside down U shaped shift link in the gimbal housing. See pic attached.

When in full forward the bronze shift link should point straight ahead (12:00) perfectly.

When in full reverse it should point to 10:00 and neutral is inbetween

When checking you must rotate the prop/propshaft while turning the shift linkage to fully engage the shift/clutch dog in the lower unit.

If this bronze shift link moves beyond 12:00 towards 1:00 then your spool or crank in the lower is worn and this holds true when going to reverse, if it goes past 10:00 then the same holds true.

If this is all good as it should be now due to your recent work by qualified merc mechanic then check it out yourself to see if what I say holds true.........

now look at the bell crank and cable end that comes thru the gimbal housing, The bellcrank has a small wheel that engages the shift cable end. The shift cable end (aluminium wied shaped piece) has a set screw with a safety wire thru it, the cable end should be snug to the inner core but still spin. the set screw sets this and it should NOT be tight so the cable end is stiff!!!!

Also look at the U shaped vertical shift link in the gimbal housing. the bellcrank attaches at the top and the bronze shift link engages it at the bottom when the outdrive is attached. that U shape should be ~ 1/32 of slop or so to the bronze shift link.

If it is much more it will create to much slop in the shift system. Check this very carefully, if it is too wide, close it down with a good set of large pliers. A good fit here is worth a lot!!!!

Once all of this is confirmed, If you follow my cable set up intsructions to a T then you will be in great shape.

kghost, everything you just said pretty much came to pass already. I originally had a problem with the bronze shift link going past 12:00 to get forward gears. That is what the mechanic fixed. It now stops at 12:00 and is holding forward gears. I also did everything you said with shift cable end! All is well in that respect. My brother and I installed the two new cables today and after about an hour of carefully reading your shift bracket and cable adjustment instructions I was able to get full range of shift and throttle. I did however have a problem with carb. return spring. It was not pulling throttle back to the idle position and engine was running way to fast. We fixed that by attaching two light springs (one inside the other) and found that it worked really nicely.
Anyway, I did originally set the trunion at 5 15/16" but found like you said above that I was stalling in the reverse throw. It would go into reverse, but then stall when I tried to give it throttle in reverse. I finally adjusted to 6" and found that I was getting full range of motion in respect to forward and reverse. That seemed to work perfectly! One last thing that I need to know : You mentioned that the boat would have to be water tested and I was wondering if the shift interrupt switch will work when prop is in the water and under load? The only problem that I have encountered now is that the drive grinds and clunks into gear when running on my trailer. Is this normal? And if everything that I did is right: Should this problem go away?
Just so you know, I was idling at around 625-650 when shifting in and out of gear, but it's still clunking and slightly grinding when I put it in the forward or reverse gears while at idle. It only grinds on the shift and after that everything works well. Anyway, that is where I am at this point.
For what it is worth, just wanted you to know that I couldn't have gotten this thing together without your help. I really appreciate all your continued support on my restoration project. Thanks again, Tom

View attachment 1358When shifting a mercruiser shift control, you shift quickly and firmly to forward or reverse. NO easy does it. It should have a firm clunck when engaging.

If it rachets when shifting you may need a bit if fine tuning on the shift cable or it could be the clutch dog and gearf teeth have worn and it is what it is.........if this is so there is not much you can do other than gear and clutch dog replacement.

One thing that strikes me is the 5 15/16 setting. you should have been able to make that work but I am not there to see what you are doing............

Also one more thing, when assembling the short shift cable, did you make sure when you attached the plastic cable end (shift bracket end) did you make sure the core went all the way through the plastic and was visable and touching the cable end when looking through the eye of the plastic. see pic below.


The shift interuptor will NOT work on land when adjusted probperly it has to be in the water under load, On the trailer just backed in is good enough..

Also the throttle spring is not what makes the throttle return to zero/idle. YOU MUST ADJUST THE THROTTLE CABLE so the linkage returnes all the way. the spring is a safety mechanism incase the cable breaks......more or less.

kghost, I may have been mistaken on my measurements the first time around and to tell you the truth I don't remember what the heck I did but I did eventually got the 6" measurement and that definitely made a huge difference. I also had to move the position of the 7/16 stud on shift mechanism arm to a lower position and that also helped alot. I never answered you about the U shaped vertical shift link in the gimbal housing: They are all brand new parts and there isn't any slop or free play. They fit together perfectly and was kind of a pain to slide in the last time I reinstalled the drive by myself. (kept knocking out of forward on me) Also, the shift cable end and bell crank have been installed correctly and swivels freely (installed according to merc. specs to a tee). Back to the topic of shifting: I was hesitant about pushing shifter too quickly into forward or reverse because I thought I might damage gears but you are telling me that I should shift quick and firm when doing so. (had no idea) lol. All new to me! Anyway, I am getting full engagement in forward and reverse at this time with no ratcheting when fully engaged. I was simply doing it wrong. I was shifting ever so slowly into forward or reverse which was causing a slight ratcheting effect before being fully engaged in either gear. I simply wasn't moving remote control fast enough into the gears. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused but I guess I was being a little overcautious about shifting the darn thing. (that is all). I posted on another site last nite and also found out that not only does the boat have to be in water creating a load on the prop but also I was not aware that the shift interrupt engages when coming out of gear (not going into gear). Wow, now I am starting to figure things out for a change! lol kghost your the best! I just wired the trim/tilt switch this morning up at my shop and all seems to working well!
thanks again, Tom