Logo
FULL SITE MENU

68 55hp trl-10r shift issues

J

Jay1234

Regular Contributor
Hey all,

My hydro electric drive has worked flawlessly up until tonight. Headed to our fishing spot, fished for a couple hours with the trolling motor, then tried to leave and boat wouldn't shift outta neutral. Figuring it had to be an electrical issue, I unplugged the harness that goes to the lower, and still only had neutral. Got the boat back to my slip, lifted it outta the water and checked gear oil, level perfect, no water. I only run type c in it... Lowered it back in the water, fired it up and had all shift functions back. Took it for a quick spin and sometimes it would stay in fwd regardless of control position, other times it would shift fine fwd/rev/neutral.
I'll be heading back down to look further in to it tomorrow after work, just looking for suggestions as to where to start. I would have banked on electrical, but the fact that it stayed in neutral with the shift harness unplugged threw me for a loop.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
It should have gone to forward with no power to the solenoids each and every time !!-----So I say that the bore for the shift piston needs to be looked at.----Some will argue , but easy fix on my work bench.
 
racerone said:
It should have gone to forward with no power to the solenoids each and every time !!-----So I say that the bore for the shift piston needs to be looked at.----Some will argue , but easy fix on my work bench.
Click to expand...

Agreeing with the diagnosis. The shift piston is a very close and precise fit in it's bore in the oil pump. Dirt and grit gets in there and makes it stick. That is why gear oil changes are an absolute must. Once it starts sticking, it is too late and generally needs to come apart for cleaning and repair.
 
Gotcha. I've always been a nut with lube changes, couple times a year generally. Sounds like I'm best off pulling it outta the water for a tear down then?
 
timguy said:
So what happens to the bore and what is the remedy? Trade secret?
Click to expand...

I've almost always been able to clean the grit out once the piston is removed. BUT you must be extremely careful to not make it oversize. If no longer suitable for use, the complete oil pump must be replaced.

Let me clarify one point. By "grit", I mean the microscopic metal particles that are a result of normal wear and tear of the gears, clutch dog, and other parts. It is the stuff that turns the oil black. It is the stuff that goes right through the filter screen on the oil pump. It is the stuff that imbeds itself in the aluminum pump bore.
 
Thanks for the info + clarification. She still runs great. Plan on pulling it out of the slip and bringing it home tonight. I will keep everyone posted.
 
Not a trade secret at all.-----There is a fine strainer screen in front of the oil pump and I have seen those damaged.----Guess where that material ends up !!
 
Excellent information, Racer, Gator, thanks. Now Jay can "proceed with knowledge". You guys have helped create a great forum.
 
Been helped out by the fantastic guys on this site on more than one occasion, hopefully I can it fixed one more time.
 
Ok so just a quick update... Boat is stored on a lift.. lowered it in after work today, fired it up once it was low enough to get good water but high enough not to move. Shifted into forward, forward engaged, shifted back into neutral, stayed in forward gear. Jiggled throttle lever side to side and it went in to neutral. Was able to repeat this several times before finally taking boat for a ride. Same thing in the water. Checked gear oil again it's as clean as the day I filled it. Opened up control box and a mess of metal filings dropped out. Don't see how this could affect shifting though. Going to spend a day this weekend going through all the wiring. Any thoughts?
 
Jiggling the throttle lever resulting in shifting would seem to indicate a bad shift switch. EXCEPT in post #1 you said it stayed in neutral with the wires disconnected. That was one of the main issues that influened our diagnosis of a sticking piston. With the wires disconnected, it should stay in forward. It requires electrical power to make it go into neutral or reverse.

Trouble here is, it seems to be highly intermittant. That makes positive diagnosis difficult. Back to the piston, it can stick one time, then work normally the next twenty times. OR, we might be all screwey in our diagnosis.
 
Back
Top