"You can try this procedure. H
"You can try this procedure. Hope you can follow it OK.
Its not mine; I originally copied it from one of the outdrive service sites I believe.
ADJUSTMENT OF LOWER SHIFT CABLE: (FOR ALPHA DRIVE; RH ROTATION)
1) Be sure the pre set 6" length from tip hole to barrel (center to center) has been set and do not change.
2) Remove the upper shift cable from the shift arm assy.
3) Put throttle shift control into forward gear.
4) Test feel the movement of the spring loaded plastic piece that trips the shift interrupt switch.
a) It should move freely from stop to stop with no resistance except the return spring.
b) It should want to stay centered with the switch roller in the middle of the valley.
c) When pushed either way you should feel only light spring pressure to the stop.
5) Move the vertical shift arm with the lower shift cable attached towards the stern to collapse the cable to its shortest position (fwd gear).
6) While moving the cable to its shortest position the prop must be rotated CCW to the stop.
7) When the prop is jammed against the stop CCW, and the cable compressed, this is full forward position.
8) With the arm in the above position adjust the upper cable barrel bolt to just fit between the studs.
9) All cable slack should now be eliminated, but if too tight it will unseat the roller on the shift interrupt switch (this is not good).
10) Ideally the roller should stay in the center, but if you move the plastic bar that operates the interrupt switch you should feel pressure.
a) By pressure I mean you are forcing the cable before you hit the stop, it feels different than step 4c.
11) This completes the forward adjustment.
12) To adjust reverse; Remove the tip of the lower shift cable from the stud on the vertical arm.
13) Put throttle shift control into reverse gear.
14) Pull forward on the tip of the lower cable while turning the prop CW to the stop.
15) This is full reverse position.
16) Move the stud that the cable mounts onto up or down in the slot to fit the cable, DO NOT shorten the cable to fit the stud.
IF THE STUD RUNS OUT OF SLOT BEFORE THE CABLE IS TIGHT, THERE ARE TWO POSSIBLE REASONS:
1) You have gone too far; if you put it as tight as it goes and it feels almost tight enough, you can back off of forward adjustment to balance the two.
2) Slack in the shift chain of linkage (sticky cable, loose connection between parts, or sloppy lower shift shaft, loose shift slide bar/roller, or insufficient cable travel)
To check for the above problems there are three procedures:
Procedure #1 (Lower Unit parts wear)
1) Push the lower shift cable in for full forward, stand CCW on the prop blade to lock the shifter.
2) In this condition the lower shift cable should move very little; if you can slide it any distance, something is giving or sloppy.
3) Determine what parts are causing the slack and replace them.
Procedure #2 (Not enough travel in shift arm) MOST COMMON FIX!
If the cable adjustment in 16 is not far off, drill a new hole in the arm to accept the stud. Or you can elongate the existing hole.
Procedure #3 (Problems in the shift box up front.)
Many shift boxes have adjustments to make them universal. Sometimes people use the wrong adjustment shortening the travel of the box. The common problem with this issue is lack of cable travel.
The Alpha drive requires a full 3” of cable travel (+/- 1/8”) at the shift bracket.
1) Check if the arm behind the shifter that holds the shift cable is in two pieces.
2) If it is in two pieces be sure it is fully extended.
3) The farther out the cable is mounted the farther it travels.
4) Some arms are multiple drilled, make sure the cable is in the outermost hole, or is there room to drill another hole further out?
If the tests above do not indicate a problem then the other adjustments in the box and arm should correct shifting."