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Neutral Button on Shift Lever Sticking

T

tmakows

Member
Hey Guys.....got a new one for you. Have a 91 Chris Craft Concept with OMC 460 King Cobra in it. I've been having this issue for about the past year now. My shift lever on the boat has a neutral button in the center of it. I have to use this button to start my boat on a cold start. For those of you familiar with it, it allows me to basically shift the lever and give the engine gas without actually putting the boat into gear. The issue I'm having is that this button seems to be malfunctioning intermittently.

My cold start procedure is as follows: 1. Pump the throttle lever all the way forward and all the way back 2 times. 2. Push the neutral button in and put the throttle back about 1/4 of the way. 3. Turn the key to start the boat.

The problem I am having is when I turn the key sometimes, nothing is happening. In other words, because something is sticking in that button, it is not going into neutral and as a safety precaution the boat will not start with the engine in gear. So what I have to do is just keep moving the lever around and keep pushing the button in and out. Eventually, it will work. My concern is that eventually something is going to finally break and I won't be able to get the boat started at all this way because of the boat being in gear when it should actually be in neutral.

I have tried to spray some WD40 in the lever, and it seemed to help a bit but I am still having the issue. Does anyone out there have any ideas that I can try? I called around and to replace the entire throttle is right around $600 with labor. Don't feel like spending that kind of money if I don't have to obviously.

I have attached a pic of the throttle as I am not exactly sure of the model it is.
 

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That button is not your problem, all it does it allow you to move the throttle forward without moving the gearshift, inside the gearshift there is a neutral safety microswitch, it could be sticky or out of adjustment.
 
Thanks for the feedback Bob. Do you have any pics or a schematic of that microswitch or anything. Is it easy to get to so that I could possibly try to lube or adjust?
 
I'm afraid it's not real easy, you have a concealed mount control (not sure if it's an OMC one or not?) but it has to come off. The picture below is for an actual OMC control, you can see the microswitch and wire harness in the middle #21. The button you push should some how come off and there may be a nut to undo behind it.

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I think the button does come off. But wow, I see what you mean about this not being easy. Maybe I should have a professional come out and take a look at this thing.
 
Jeez I hate darn side shifters. Way too complex. I think the originals are made by Uflex, don't remember. I installed your standard issue Morse controls with separate throttle and shift with a neutral safety switch option on my Cobra equipped Allmand (dual station with flybridge). I think that you are stuck with what you have or at least would have to go with another side shifter if you choose to replace that one. Does not look like you have the dashboard real estate to convert to anything else (thanks Chris Craft!) Maybe if you can still get the part for that, you can get it going again, but I'd say that if you have to take it off and pull it apart anyway might as well put in a spiffy new Teleflex CH1700:
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Or SL-3:
87517F-p.gif
 
Yeah....what a bummer. I think I'm gonna have a service shop come out and look at it for me next week. Might be worth the $$ just to have someone look at it and let me know what my options are. Hopefully it can just be repaired, because it will be big bucks to put a brand new one in.
 
I'm 99% sure a technician will tell you to put in a new one rather than fiddle around with one that's got a couple decades on it. Installation is quite easy, but again, along with the new shifter a set of 3300 X-Treme cables should go in as well.
 
Well, the CH1700 is about 200 US, the CC205 cables are, depending on length, between 25 and 50 each. Installation is not beyond the realm of a do it yourself job, but I would imagine a shop would charge you two or three hours labor.
 
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