290 shifting into reverse problem

Rscottdds said:

I took the boat out for a shake down cruise after having some outdrive work done. I had a hard time shifting into reverse. Forward was easy but the throttle was stiff going into reverse. Most times it wouldn’t go into reverse at all. Got home and took the cover plate off and unhooked the cable from the gear yoke and it acted the same. Btw the reverse locking rod is hard to push in and out as well.
That part is a coupling rod.
Try temporarily removing it!

If your latch hooks are good, and if the center lift spring is good, the coupling rod can be omitted.
You call on that!

Isn’t it supposed to slide pretty easily in and out of the hole?
When making a REV shift, the coupling rod will undergo some resistance as it depresses the lock brace.

Anyway at first I thought that might be the issue but like I said the throttle lever acts the same even when disconnected from the yoke/rod. Any tips on trouble shooting this further? Thanks for any help.
Robert.

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Rscottdds said:

Thanks for the quick response. I unhooked that reverse locking rod and I have a hard time mo omg it. It won’t even spin in the hole very easily. Does it just come out straight back or is there something keeping it from sliding backwards.
It should pull straight out.
If not, it may have gotten bent.

After unhooking the shift cable from the yoke it is still hard to get it into reverse from the helm but easy to go into forward. It almost looks like the cable is slightly bent but I’ll. Heck again. Anything else I should check?
With the shift cable disconnected from the gear yoke, will it shift easily into FWD and REV?
With the vertical rod disconnected from the gear yoke, will the eccentric piston move easily?

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Rscottdds said:

View attachment 22268

So #6 in this picture (reverse lock rod) should come straight out?
That is a coupling rod.
When working correctly, it depresses the lock brace during a shift into REV.
In theory, the lock brace is to prevent the latch hooks from over-centering and letting go of the set pin equivalent (the 290 does not have a set pin).
In reality, the latch hooks will not release while reversing.

I’m assuming whatever #7 is (spring pin) needs to be removed first? What exactly does the locking rod do?
See above.

You said I might be able to get rid of it and still have the engine not kick up in reverse?
I think that you mean the drive not kicking up in reverse. (I'm teasing you... I knew what you meant!)

As far as everything else is concerned everything moves freely but the cable doesn’t when going into reverse, it is sticky and not smooth. So either it’s the cable or the throttle control giving me issues?
Like said, try removing the coupling rod and see if things free up.
Or..... see if you can find a twisted wire bore brush that will fit into the coupling rod bore.

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Rscottdds said:

I was able to get the rod out. It looks straight but won’t go back in very easily. I’m going to try and clean out/polish the hole to free it up a bit. So why do we need that rod? I looked and the cable does look bent a bit so I think it’s binding when going into reverse. I’ll try straightening it and see what happens. Any tips on doing that without removing the cable?
Tip #1 .... be careful if you attempt to straighten a 33C cable end shaft. These can be somewhat brittle.

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Rscottdds said:

Thanks. Ha, yes. Drive kicks up. Before all this happened the drive would kick up every once in awhile.
Common causes:
.....Latch hooks have lost their sharp edges.
.....Latch hook unit center lift/return spring is either broken or weak.
.....Corrosion preventing smooth operation of the side plates where they pivot against the bearing sleeve.


I’ll clean out that coupling rod hole and see how that works.
Yes, give that bore a good cleaning with a twisted wire brush.

when you say disconnect the shift cable do you mean from the controller side?
Initially, I meant at the gear yoke. However, if you suspect the throttle/shift unit, then yes..... disconnect it at that end also.
By chance do you have the old Morse U-flex controls?

I’ve already disconnected it from the drive side. The solid rod end of the cable looks like it binds in the stationary tube it slides through.
Perhaps it's time to replace that 33C shift cable.
Pull the transmission ONLY for this work.

When going into forward the rod slides out of that tube but retracts into it in reverse.
Correct!

To me it looks like a slight bend in the solid rod is binding in the tube when going into reverse.
Like said.... perhaps it's time to replace that shift cable.

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Rscottdds said:

It’s a Morse. Helps to look at the emblem . Anyway I took the control apart and it shifted much easier. Got to be the cable.
Isn’t there supposed to be a rubber sleeve between the solid rod and the tube?
Yes, but seldom do they hold out water. They are more of a dust/dirt cover than anything.

If not wouldn’t salt water get up in there?

And do I have to remove any outdrive parts to replace the cable other than the cover I already did and the retaining clamp on outdrive?
It is always best and easier when the transmission ONLY has been removed.
Great time to replace the drive shaft bellows also.

View attachment 22273

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Rscottdds said:

And one final question. What would make the cable shift into forward easily but not reverse assuming the controller is ok?
The coupling rod!

Btw I just got the boat back from the shop where they did some work on the u joints and had the water hose elbow replaced. They had the upper gear-case off so I’m assuming they disconnected the shift cable.
The shift cable does not need to be disconnected from it's clamp in order to remove a transmission.
It does need to be removed from it's clamp for an entire drive removal.

It was working before I took it in and not when I got it back. Any ideas on what could have happened or what to look for before replacing the cable?
Some shops remove an entire drive for this type of service work, of which is absolutely un-necessary..... unless for some reason the suspension fork, pivot tube, etc need attention.
If they did remove the entire drive, perhaps they damaged something in the process.

Robert

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