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1987 Evinrude 150 hp STLCUR Shift Problems.

M

mike37

New member
Hi Everyone,

This my first post on this forum. I have frequented this forum quite a bit and it has saved me thousands, thanks a lot for the helpful advice. The backstory on the boat, it is a 1987 Bumble Bee 178DF. It is an ok boat but I very uncharacteristically bought the boat with very little knowledge in the area and as a result, it has been a nightmare. It had a number of issues that manifested themselves, the first time I took it out my steering wheel popped off! It had been tack welded on. I have hammered down most of the issues and the after replacing lots of parts it runs great, starts right up even in cold weather and will run about 45-50 with a 17' 8" boat. One issue that I have not been able to overcome is the shifting. When I first got the boat it would intermittently go into reverse and then eventually wouldnt go into reverse at all. I have replaced the shift cable and adjusted the shift rod to the 22.06" off of the lower unit housing based on the seloc manual (Huge waste of money). I can get both forward and reverse to engage by hand, but when the shift cable is on it doesnt seem to have the range needed to engage both gears. I have adjusted the shift rod one turn at a time up and down and reinstalled the lower unit several times but I cannot get it right. I can get one gear to engage but cant get the other one to work as well. There isnt a lot of play in the shift rod when the lower is removed and it shifts into forward, neutral, and reverse cleanly with no grinding or obvious issues so I dont think the issue is in the lower unit. Ive looked at the exploded diagrams and it doesnt seem like anything could get bent inside of the lower that would affect the range of throw for the shift rod either. I did read on one of yalls forums that the shift lever could be adjusted but I couldnt find anything else on this. Perhaps this is the issue? I was about to sell the boat to get rid of it out of frustration but I have decided to defer to you all instead.

As far as bringing it to a mechanic locally the one closest to me wont work on anything older than 1991 and the next closest worked me over pretty good and didnt do anything to my boat. The repair bill started at around 1800 then ballooned to almost 4k over a three week period so I picked it up and did the work myself squeaking out of their out only 1700 with a box full of overpriced parts and almost no work done :mad::mad::mad:. The mechanic at this shop did say he pulled the lower unit and said the gears and clutch dog looked good so take that for what it is worth. Thanks for the help in advance.
 
Drop the lower unit and measure from the top surface of the gearcase to the center of the shift rod hole as follows:

1979 thru 1987 - All V/6 Crossflow models = (L) 22-1/16" - - (XL) 27-1/16" plus/minus 1/32". Have shift rod in neutral.

Then............
********************
(Centering Shift Cable)
(J. Reeves)

When all is as it should be, the proper method to adjust the shift cable is to disconnect the cable from the engine. Move the shift linkage on the engine to find the center of the play in neutral, and when found, leave it centered.

Now, grab the end of the shift cable sleeve, push and pull it to find the center of the play there, and center that play.

Adjust the trunion on the threaded portion of the shift cable so that the centered play of the cable lines up with the centered play of the engine's shift linkage. Install and lock the shift cable with the retaining clamp in that position. That's it.

********************
Then...........
Take that local "mechanic" to Small Claims Court!
 
joereeves said:
Drop the lower unit and measure from the top surface of the gearcase to the center of the shift rod hole as follows:

1979 thru 1987 - All V/6 Crossflow models = (L) 22-1/16" - - (XL) 27-1/16" plus/minus 1/32". Have shift rod in neutral.

Then............
********************
(Centering Shift Cable)
(J. Reeves)

When all is as it should be, the proper method to adjust the shift cable is to disconnect the cable from the engine. Move the shift linkage on the engine to find the center of the play in neutral, and when found, leave it centered.

Now, grab the end of the shift cable sleeve, push and pull it to find the center of the play there, and center that play.

Adjust the trunion on the threaded portion of the shift cable so that the centered play of the cable lines up with the centered play of the engine's shift linkage. Install and lock the shift cable with the retaining clamp in that position. That's it.

********************
Then...........
Take that local "mechanic" to Small Claims Court!
Click to expand...

Okay, I had been measuring it correctly and to the short shift rod specs. No issue there. I bought a new ruler today to double tap the one I have been using. I had been reattaching the shift rod to the shift lever in reverse though because I couldn't reach the screw but I just removed the fuel pump to ease access so I will check to see if I can get to it now while it is in neutral. Adjusting the shift cable sleeve is new though for sure. That may have been the issue. As far as the mechanic their shop sponsors our collegiate bass team so it may be a sticky situation. I have been doing my part by sending business elsewhere. :)

I will post update tomorrow. Thanks for the help.
 
Once the shift rod height is set it does not matter how you put the pin in !-------Forward / neutral / reverse as it does not matter.------You might want to inspect the shift cable.-----They do wear internally.
 
racerone said:
Once the shift rod height is set it does not matter how you put the pin in !-------Forward / neutral / reverse as it does not matter.------You might want to inspect the shift cable.-----They do wear internally.
Click to expand...

Yeah thats what i figured thats why i had been putting on in reverse easier to get and didnt matter really. Another question I saw a video from dangar marine where he showed measuring the shift rod height. He measured the height from the center of the opening where the pin goes in. Thats what ive been doing. Is this correct? Right now my shift rod height is good, in nuetral its right at 22 1/16, the boat shifts by hand into forward and reverse no problem but the new shift cable doesnt seem to have the range of motion needed to shift it or it isnt getting pushed/pulled far enough. I have the shift lever on the engine straight up and down with the remote control in nuetral. It shifts into reverse but wont shift into forward without a little nudge. I was inspecting the remote control shift lever and cam and there is substantial wear on the teeth of both of them. I can provide pics if needed. There is worn down plastic on the cam teeth and they appear to be slightly misshapen due to wear. Could this be the problem? The shift lever is perpendicular to the control box in nuetral so the alignment is fine but when shifting at the far ends of the shift range it looks like if the teeth were a little longer or less worn it would give it that extra push it needed. I had it working for a while when i first encountered this issue by adjusting the trunion on the shift cable. It would shift into both gears no issue. Then it started to lose either reverse or forward. So i kept fine adjusting it until eventually it would only shift into one. That before i took it to the mechanic who said he looked at the gears and clutch dog and said it was good. I dont know im konda at a loss. Im thinking that the old shoft cable was putting extra pressure on the shift lever and cam and that led to expedited wear. When i adjusted the trunion it worked temporarily and then it eventually wore down the remaining plastic that was barely holding on. What do you think?
 
The measurement is to the center of the pin hole , as already mentioned.------And are you shifting this motor when it is NOT running , yes or no.-----Is someone turning the prop, yes or no ?
 
In post reply two, I think I've said all I can say about the correct method to adjust the shifting of a engine if the engine actually exists. In re-reading it all... nothing to add other than......................

Disconnect the shift cable from the engines shift linkage.
If the engine shifts okay by manually shifting with the engines linkage, the engine's shifting assembly is okay.
The shift cable is okay as you said it is new.
The problem would be the control box.

Good luck.....................
 
@ raceroneTurning the prop by hand, i have the fuel pump removed to get to the screw that retains the shift rod

@joereeves thats what i am thinkong thanks for the help, enjoy the weather down their in west fla, i miss it.
 
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