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Hard Shifting

M

Mark010

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I have a BF40a Honda outboard that has become extremely hard to shift. This started right after I put the lower unit back on after replacing the impellor. I have read about how to check the cables, but I wonder if I could have messed something up when I put the lower unit back on? I did forget to put it in reverse before pulling it off. Then to get that nut back on the shift lever, I shifted both the throttle and and the shift lever to reverse before re-installing the lower unit. Any advice appreciated.
 
Hi Mark,
Is this a tiller model by chance?

Could you elaborate on what's happening?

When you say it's "hard to shift", do you mean that it's physically hard to move the shifter OR that it grinds and won't find a gear?.

Will it go into forward more easily than reverse?
Into reverse more easily than into forward?

Or, is it equally difficult to select either gear?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm confused about what's happening.

I thought you had this thing WHIPPED man and were out on the water having fun!
 
Hi gjmo,

Thanks for offering your help, again. I thought I had it whipped, too. Your questions are in italics below.

Is this a tiller model by chance?
No, it is a remote throttle.

Could you elaborate on what's happening?
Almost takes two hands to move the throttle in and out of neutral, whether it's forward or reverse. Once in gear, it's still hard to move the throttle lever to accelerate, forward or reverse. But, giving it gas is easier than getting it in and out of neutral.

When you say it's "hard to shift", do you mean that it's physically hard to move the shifter OR that it grinds and won't find a gear?.
Physically hard.

Will it go into forward more easily than reverse?
Into reverse more easily than into forward?
Or, is it equally difficult to select either gear?
I'd say they're equal.
 
Well, my immediate inclination is that it's much more likely to be a problem with the controls than anything to do with the transmission or how you reinstalled the gearcase and linkage.

Did it shift smoothly before you did all the work? If so, you may have accidentally misrouted something or pinched something going back with parts....
...maybe even putting the carbs and intake manifold back on?

I don't know.

But, if it shifted ok before you started the project then I would go back over my work, concentrating on the powerhead components that had to be removed or loosened to get things off and back on.

Other than that, you may have just gotten very unlucky and, in a "coincidence of life" started having a cable bind up or kink because of corrosion or wear or both. Checking where the cable housings have to make turns and especially where they might rub through on something might be worth doing. Have someone move the shifter back and forth gently and watch for excessive cable housing movement. The cables should move inside the housings but the housings should remain relatively still.

Sorry, but all I can do from here is make guesses.
 
And rereading my question, I noticed I forgot to mention that in reconnecting the shifting rod after replacing the impeller, I likely adjusted that long nut to get the shift ride to **** underneath it. I read in another post that that doing that could change the length of the top rod?
 
Well, that nut does lengthen or shorten the rod assembly. That's how the adjustment is made. But too long or too short wouldn't cause binding like you're describing. At least I don't believe so.

When you were dry shifting the transmission....meaning engine off....we're you rotating the propeller slowly as I described before? If you don't do that, it's possible to bind the clutch and maybe bend the shift rod if you try to force it into gear.

But that doesn't sound like what's happening here. I could be wrong though.

I think that you may need to start isolating things and seeing if you can narrow down where the resistance is occurring.

You could start by disconnecting the shift rods from each other again to see if the remote moves freely. If it still binds though, then you'll know that the problem is not with the transmission.

You may then need to disconnect the shift cable end at the shift shaft and see how it moves like that. If the cable and remote shift lever free up and move with the lower rod disconnected and the cable end free that narrows it down to the upper shift rod and shift shaft binding somewhere.

I mean, it could even be the neutral switch has partially frozen.

It's just going to come down to a process of elimination I think.

.
 
Thanks. It is reassuring that it's not likely damage was done by moving that long nut.

Going to start isolating variables then.
 
Progress update: I disconnected both the throttle and shifter cables from the motor. Once they were disconnected, it was obvious there was a bend in the cables just before they go into the lower motor case. So, I did my best to straighten them, and, with them still disconnected from the engine, operated the throttle. The throttle moved smoothly.

Then, I re-connected the cables to the shifter and throttle linkages on the motor, but not to the lower motor cover, which clamps into place pretty tightly. That way the throttle moved freely, but not as freely as disconnected. Next, I connected the cables to the lower motor case. Operating the throttle got pretty tough again. It seems that the bit of bend that I could not get out of the cables gets pinched off when it is pushed into the lower motor cover.

The next step is to replace the cables. I would work harder on straightening them, but I found that the sheathing on both cables was cracked right about where the bends were, right outside where they enter the lower cover on the motor. The cracks on the sheathings had expanded to about 1/4 inch. I suspect the bends cracked the sheathing. I am not sure what bent the cables, but it looks like they get pressured when they go from being perpendicular to the centerline of the boat to being parallel where they go into the lower motor cover. Possibly adding to the routing problem is that the gas tank sits on the back of the starboard pontoon, right where the cables turn from running along the side of the boat to head toward the motor. They can easily be getting caught on the gas tank.

My concern is that if the cables' routes do not change, I will damage the new cables as well. One idea is to move the gas tank to the port side, but no guarantee that will resolve to potential to kink again. Any additional thoughts on protecting the cable from bending would be appreciated. There just does not seem to be a lot of room for the cables to line up with the entrance to the lower motor cover. Added to that, tilting and turning add additional bending opportunities.
 
Mark.

First off....GOOD TROUBLESHOOTING!!

Just my opinion but I don't think you need to make any big changes. I think the cables probably "buckled" due to friction between the cables and the inner sheath.

That might have been enhanced some by the "pinching" at the entry into the lower case but your description of how deteriorated the housing exterior looks makes me think that progressive damage was occurring for awhile. Moisture gets in there....lubricant leaves or breaks down and the cables AND sheath oxidize. Normal wear and tear.

Yes, replace the cables....it is time.

And, by all means, make any small changes that you think will help but, if the present set up worked for years before, it certainly will again

Good luck.
 
I would though replace the rubber guide grommet where the cables enter the case. Those get hard and seem to expand, causing the pinch I think you describe.
 
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