Logo
FULL SITE MENU

Neutral switch

K

kokoloco

New member
I had my throttle/shift cables replaced and they had a little trouble getting the neutral switch adjusted properly. It's a good now however they informed me that operating the shift lever while the engine is not running is bad for the system. They also said that by doing so the motors computer thinks you are trying to"trick" it and causes the neutral switch to not operate properly. Personally, I think this is wholey or partially untrue. What do you think?
 
If you shift the transmission when the engine isn't running, you must do it very slowly and gently while ALSO be slowly rotating the propeller by hand or you risk having the dog clutch bind up and you could bend something.

SO, if the boat's in the water, you shouldn't do it.

Just my opinion.
 
OK.....the only reason I did this was to confirm that they did in fact adjust the neutral switch to operating condition. Thanks for the information.
 
Something else to consider about shifting an outboard with a dog clutch while it's idling is to do it with a swift, firm motion. If shifted to slowly or "softly"you will likely hear rapid clicking or soft hammering noise. That is the dog clutch "ears" bouncing off of each other instead of immediately engaging. That causes rapid wear and rounding off of the clutch ears which will lead to premature clutch failure and/or increased wear of other transmission components.

While you can't completely eliminate the bounce factor of a dog clutch and will always have some clicking taking place while selecting a gear, you should strive to train yourself to minimize it as best you can.
 
Back
Top