Alpha 1 Gen 2 revs up but barely has power to move. (Not a spun prop)

[Stevethomaspta]

I was plugging along with my 4.3 met cruiser and all of a sudden it seems like it kicked into neutral or something. The rpm’s stayed high but no power. It would catch just enough at very low rpm’s to get me back to shore. At home it cranks right up but it has a loud clicking noise in the lower unit when in forward or reverse with no power to turn the propeller. I had checked to see if it had a spun prop and it didn’t it was perfectly fine. Any ideas?

 

[makomark]

coupler spun

 

[Stevethomaspta]

Ok, is this something I can do myself? I’m new to this, but I’m pretty mechanically inclined.

 

[Stevethomaspta]

So this would make a clicking in the lower unit too?

 

[jimn]

So this would make a clicking in the lower unit too?

If you can run it on the trailer, attach the muff and provide water, then remove the end of the shift cable so you can move the pawl through its range. If it doesn't shift, you could have a bad lower shift cable or the shift crank may have broken or rotated too far, making it impossible to move the clutch dogs the way it should.

 

[Stevethomaspta]

I’ll check this out. Thanks!!

 

[Bt Doctur]

with the engine off try putting it in fwd stand on a blade of the prop and push.
With someone looking inside the boat at the rear:
prop turns, shaft turns bad coupler
prop turns, shaft does not, gears damaged in the drive

 

[bondo]

I was plugging along with my 4.3 met cruiser and all of a sudden it seems like it kicked into neutral or something. The rpm’s stayed high but no power. It would catch just enough at very low rpm’s to get me back to shore. At home it cranks right up but it has a loud clicking noise in the lower unit when in forward or reverse with no power to turn the propeller. I had checked to see if it had a spun prop and it didn’t it was perfectly fine. Any ideas?

Ayuh,...... Drain the outdrive oil, 'n look for metal,.....
Sounds like something broke in the drive,.....

If you find no metal bits in the oil, drop the lower unit off the upper, 'n check the top of the lower unit drive shaft,....

 

[jimn]

When I used my boat last, it shifted into reverse well, but forward wasn't.

Yesterday, with the engine NOT running, I tried adjusting the shift cables and checked the shift pawl (for lack of a better word and the Mercury EPC doesn't show the parts in the upper and lower gear case diagrams). The upper pawl engages the shift cable and it rotates the 'foot-shaped' part that makes shifting into forward necessary when removing/installing the complete out drive.

What I found is that the upper part and lower 'foot' have a gap that prevents shifting properly. In forward, it engages but in neutral and reverse, I hear the clutch dogs clicking.

I think it's possible that the E-ring on my shift shaft may have failed- the pawls weren't aligned properly when I installed the lower gear case, but I stopped tightening the nuts when I found this. The lower pawl fits onto the splined shift shaft and it needs to be in the correct position (bit of a PITA with the drive trimmed up).

Next step- drain the gear oil and remove the lower gear case, so I can remove the shift shaft and check the E-ring.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you need the diagrams.

 

[bondo]

What I found is that the upper part and lower 'foot' have a gap that prevents shifting properly. In forward, it engages but in neutral and reverse, I hear the clutch dogs clicking.

Ayuh,..... Is this an Alpha 1, or a Gen.II,..??..??

If an Alpha 1,.. Are you Sure the ssteel washer was on top of the shift spool when you put the lower unit back on,..??
That washer holds the shift foot up high enough to engage the shift shoe,....

 

[kghost]

Ayuh,..... Is this an Alpha 1, or a Gen.II,..??..??

If an Alpha 1,.. Are you Sure the ssteel washer was on top of the shift spool when you put the lower unit back on,..??
That washer holds the shift foot up high enough to engage the shift shoe,....

Gen 2 says so in post title

 

[bondo]

Gen 2 says so in post title

Duh,.....

 

[Bt Doctur]

The lower pawl fits onto the splined shift shaft

gen II `s dont have this only the Alpha

 

[Bt Doctur]

 

[Bt Doctur]

 

[Bt Doctur]

this is the alpha

 

[Bt Doctur]

also the gen ii uses nuts and bolts 2 on each side, alpha uses 5 nuts

 

[jimn]

Ayuh,..... Is this an Alpha 1, or a Gen.II,..??..??

If an Alpha 1,.. Are you Sure the ssteel washer was on top of the shift spool when you put the lower unit back on,..??
That washer holds the shift foot up high enough to engage the shift shoe,....

WRT 'shift spool', you're referring to the retainer with the oil seal, right? Yes, it was on top- I worked on enough of these to know that and I have the manual, but as I had posted, it may have been mis-aligned when the nuts were tightened.

 

[jimn]

View attachment 31162

Sorry, I thought I had included the year of the boat/drive- it's an '84, so Manual 6 applies.

Also, mine would have a cotter pin, not an E-ring in a groove, so that makes me think I'm on the right track WRT what is causing the lower shaft to not engage, but I'll know more later today and will post what I find.

 

[kghost]

I would suggest ending this post and start a new one WITH THE CORRECT INFORMATION............INCLUDING THE TITLE.

 

[Bt Doctur]

1st pictures of the drive to determine exactly WHAT YOU HAVE
your posts dont make any sense, "splined shaft, E clips.etc"

 

[Georgia Rooster]

When I used my boat last, it shifted into reverse well, but forward wasn't.

Yesterday, with the engine NOT running, I tried adjusting the shift cables and checked the shift pawl (for lack of a better word and the Mercury EPC doesn't show the parts in the upper and lower gear case diagrams). The upper pawl engages the shift cable and it rotates the 'foot-shaped' part that makes shifting into forward necessary when removing/installing the complete out drive.

What I found is that the upper part and lower 'foot' have a gap that prevents shifting properly. In forward, it engages but in neutral and reverse, I hear the clutch dogs clicking.

I think it's possible that the E-ring on my shift shaft may have failed- the pawls weren't aligned properly when I installed the lower gear case, but I stopped tightening the nuts when I found this. The lower pawl fits onto the splined shift shaft and it needs to be in the correct position (bit of a PITA with the drive trimmed up).

Next step- drain the gear oil and remove the lower gear case, so I can remove the shift shaft and check the E-ring.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you need the diagrams.

Hey Dude,
You hijacked the thread. Your problem is totally different than the original poster.

 

[jimn]

Hey Dude,
You hijacked the thread. Your problem is totally different than the original poster.

I added the info about the shift shafts not engaging as a possible cause of the OP's problem- I', not going to add any more about it but some of the info (and huge diagrams) don't pertain to my boat, but that's not their fault since I didn't post the year, Dude.

 

[jimn]

If a moderator wants to remove the posts about my boat, feel free.

 

[Stevethomaspta]

Update….it ended up being the engine coupler and the gimbal bearing. Runs great now!

 

[jimn]

Update….it ended up being the engine coupler and the gimbal bearing. Runs great now!

Was the gimbal bearing siezed?

 

[Stevethomaspta]

It wasn’t seized, but the rubber seals were shot. Or so my repairman says. I’m trying to load pics of the gimbal bearing and the coupler

 

[jimn]

It wasn’t seized, but the rubber seals were shot. Or so my repairman says. I’m trying to load pics of the gimbal bearing and the coupler

Looks like the bellows may have leaked and it wasn't maintained- did you see the shaft and U-joints? Were they coated with grease, or rusty?

My boat looked OK, but the gimbal bearing needed replacement and eventually, the U-joints, too- my outdrive was removed while I did other repairs and I hadn't checked the U-joints earlier, but since it was out, I replaced them rather than have them fail on the water. Maintaining this area isn't something I would expect most boat owners to think about or do for themselves- I also haven't talked to many boat owners who said their dealer or service shop mentioned it, either- that concerns me.

 

[kghost]

Looks like the bellows may have leaked and it wasn't maintained- did you see the shaft and U-joints? Were they coated with grease, or rusty?

My boat looked OK, but the gimbal bearing needed replacement and eventually, the U-joints, too- my outdrive was removed while I did other repairs and I hadn't checked the U-joints earlier, but since it was out, I replaced them rather than have them fail on the water. Maintaining this area isn't something I would expect most boat owners to think about or do for themselves- I also haven't talked to many boat owners who said their dealer or service shop mentioned it, either- that concerns me.

The problem/ reason is,

Alpha 1 gen 1 required annual ujoint and gimbal bearing greasing along with the splined shaft.

Alpha 1 gen 2 went to non servicable ujoints and gimbal bearing. Also a grease fitting on coupler to grease shaft which by the way very few ever do, both boat owner or service shop. Many of the coupler grease fittings cannot be reached.
Very bad design.

So many who get a boat dont understand which they have and or are unaware of the differences and what needs to be done.

I pull all outdrives regardless of generation and check everything and grease what needs to be.

 

[jimn]

The problem/ reason is,

Alpha 1 gen 1 required annual ujoint and gimbal bearing greasing along with the splined shaft.

Alpha 1 gen 2 went to non servicable ujoints and gimbal bearing. Also a grease fitting on coupler to grease shaft which by the way very few ever do, both boat owner or service shop. Many of the coupler grease fittings cannot be reached.
Very bad design.

So many who get a boat dont understand which they have and or are unaware of the differences and what needs to be done.

I pull all outdrives regardless of generation and check everything and grease what needs to be.

Right- you probably remember the 4.3 liter run-on problems of the late-'90s, then. I went to the Regal Boats dealer meeting in '98 and Mercruiser was in damage control mode, with their service bulletin that included:

Use cooler spark plugs
Use a cooler thermostat
Use higher octane gas
Enrich the fuel mixture (IIRC)
Retard the timing
Let the engine cool down before shutting it off
Leave it in gear when the engine is shut off
Install the idle stop solenoid

Total BandAid. Then, they were also having problems with the water seals on the water circulation pumps leaking because the ones that were installed weren't meant to be used with water as the coolant, only Glycol-based coolants. Every time they mentioned a different issue, we all said "Aw, man!".

We then went to the Volvo-Penta presentation and everything got "Now, THAT'S cool!".

I recently worked on a boat for a former employer and he 'did the maintenance'. His brother is a Ford-trained mechanic and my old boss has worked on cars for over 50 years but he neglected every grease fitting. The end cover on the heat exchanger came out and he overheated the poop out of it, which killed his bellows and he had me replace those, along with the trim sender/switch. I replaced the bellows before finding that the gimbal bearing was bad and the puller I was using didn't get it out, so he had someone else do that. I ALWAYS make sure the bellows are snug, sealed and check them with a flashlight to ensure they won't leak but this year, he contacted me to say that he had water coming into the bilge through the hole next to the water fitting, which means water is getting into the bellows with the yoke, telling me that it was my fault, even though three pairs of hands were in there after I replaced the bellows.

Maintenance CAN'T be ignored or avoided.