99 Cobalt wont shift into forward

Has anyone ever removed, replaced or thoughts what to look for.
It shiftes perfect into reverse yet in forward goes like 1/2 inch.

Is it possible the throttle assy is gone south as it is 22 years old.

Thanks

Pull back cover off drive... observe action of the shift mechanism as you shift ( engine off)...

Thanks for the help, but I have tried that as well as disconnecting the throttle control cable.
Oh well the saga continues

Thanks for trying tho

......and when you tried that what did you see when you shifted into FWD ( and REV) ...???? HIINT.... inner core of shift cable should extend fully when shifting into FWD and that cable's jacket should not move ( in or out)...

Thanks again.
The cable moved out when in reverse but not in when going forward as it seems like throttle handle is stuck ( if that makes sense)

This whole issue began when the boat came from the shop from a new motor swap and the water test done and boat would not go out of gear into neutral,or reverse. It remained into forward position. I hope that clears this up as my writing skills are not the best describing the issues

If correctly set up...
1) The cable inner core extends fully ( end almost touches bottom of cavity) when in FWD
2) Cable retracts fully when in reverse.
3) Cable jacket is clamped to drive housing at the point it enters the housing and therefore does not move in/out.
4) If Cable jacket "head end" is not clamped correctly to the bracket at the helm shifter, funky things happen.
5) Single lever helm shifters are prone wear of the mechanism.

Hi and again thanks for helping me with this.
Yes I see the actual screwed threaded rod piece move in both directions but when in forward the actual throttle does not move forward even with the cable stop clamp on the transom side loosened. Which is what I was also asking if there is some adjustment on the throttle or do I need to remove all or both cables from throttle and check for forward motion. I hope not to replace throttle as I dont see how it is even mounted....Hahaha

Yes the head cable was not attached correctly on the silver part that is to be clamoed..Another issue as what is propper location

Yes I see the actual screwed threaded rod piece move in both directions

When shift into FWD, the threaded end should almost touch the bottom of the housing...

but when in forward the actual throttle does not move forward even with the cable stop clamp on the transom side loosened.

1) In normal marine terms, the "throttle" is the lever at the helm that you move with your hand which normally moves the lever at the carburetor ( O/E).... With a single lever helm, the first 40 ish degrees of throttle movement also moves the shift link into the transmission.
2) The cable stop clamp should NEVER be loosened and needs to be correctly positioned in the groove in the cable sheath end.

Which is what I was also asking if there is some adjustment on the throttle or do I need to remove all or both cables from throttle and check for forward motion. I hope not to replace throttle as I dont see how it is even mounted....Hahaha

Yes the head cable was not attached correctly on the silver part that is to be clamoed..Another issue as what is propper location.

For a test disconnect the threaded end of the shift cable at the drive end and check that the shift arm (#1 in "rotation" doc attached) at the transmission moves CW for FWD and CCW for REV when you move the shift mechanism that the cable was attached to up and down.

The only "adjustment " procedures are in the following.... Sometimes, the shift cable is connected incorrectly at the helm control...again the "jacket" must be firmly clamped and sometimes there are several holes in the arm on the controller that the cable can connect to.

View attachment PropRotation.pdf

View attachment volvo manual REV interlok.pdf

I really appreciate all your help, but lack of confidence is not helping me as dont want to do more harm than what is happening now. <br><br>A little background about this and my situation... The boat is now at storage so working on it is not as simple as before at my house ( sold my house got a condo) This boat was in the shop for 4 months for a new enginge swap out and the shop said it was ready to go. The shop is 100 miles away from where I live.. The reason for the shop was because no where within 80 could look at it for over 3 months ( Florida in the central area has no shops willing to work) No one wants to work on outdrives, very crazy and makes me drool that I was in my 30s at the opputunities availabe.......Okay enough of my ranting.<br><br>I have called 2 loacal mobile mechanics and they wont do it. Thus makes me scratch my head at it all<br><br>I will have to think more about this....<br><br>The actual shifter linkage under the helm are shows it moving in reverse with and arm that moves freely but when put into forward that same arm moves about 15% and stops. I am seriously looking into a new shifter and then beginning of the adjustment and possible shift actuator

Re:..."... that moves freely but when put into forward that same arm moves about 15% and stops..."

Well.... most single lever helms have a "gear" mechanism that when meshed ( when you select combined throttle and shift operation) causes the "shift arm" to move the "shift cable". Sometimes this internal to the helm controller gear wears other bad stuff happens and it does not shift correctly. Normally this problem occurs over time, not suddenly as you indicated. However..... if you don't disconnect the shift cable at the drive per my previous post, you can't really tell if you have a helm control issue ( gear worn or broken) or if something is jammed in the drive. I can't fix this for you by remote control, all I can do is suggest a debug procedure that will help isolate the problem to: Bad helm control or improper connection at helm or issue in the drive link or issue in the drive....

Mechanics not wanting to work on it..... Most "marine mechanics" these days are Mercruiser only mechanics....or other branded product "mechanic". They are "trained" as Merc (or other) mechanics in the classic sense that training means... "when you see this, you do that"...where "do that" means "replace this part". Troubleshooting where you look at a problem and think your way to a solution is actual work and requires actual smarts and more than a little talent.... Rare these days.

Thanks again
My shifter is not what I consider suddenly as it was shifting normal according to the shop, but was sporaradic, and now is just a complete stoppage.

I did disconnect the likage from the drive with same results not moving forward except a very small amount.

This is why my question was if it is servicable or just better to update it as it is 22 years old.

They aren't very serviceable... however... the shift arm on the unit is on a shaft... some of these shift arms are held to the shaft by a nut, some are "staked" on. If the former, it is possible the nut loosened and tightening it will "fix" it.
Beyond that.... it's a replace the unit fix. These shift units are sometimes held to the bulkhead by studs on the units and nuts.... remove nuts to remove unit. Since I have NO idea what kind of throttle/shifter you have, this is pure speculation on my part.

Thanks, as soon as I feel better will order this seastar 1700 which seems like a good fit, not a true volvo penta but will work

Thanks so much