Mercruiser i/o will not go into neutral
Hi,
I have a 1999 Bayliner capri with a 4 cylinder mercruiser. When the
boat is out of the water and connected to the water hose and running.
It shifts in and out of gear fine. When the boat is in the water and I
switch the gear shift to neutral, it will NOT go into neutral most of
the time...it just stays at the "no wake" speed but the shifter is in
neutral. I have to shift it back and forth to get it to finally go to
neutral. Any help would be greatly appreciated.Scott |
scottfyi
Jan 22
2006
|
| Who are you responding to? What are you responding to? Who said EFI? You're confusing yourself immensley. Take for example a brand new Alpha 135. Disconnect the interrupter.
Guess what? It wont come out of gear, even at idle(in water, under
way), unless you use the cable and pull the shift lever past neutral
into reverse... then guess what? you're in reverse! From neutral, it'll
go INTO gear all day long no matter how fast you shift & throttle(&
actually, the faster you shift the better for the dog & gears in the
foot - none of that chunka-chunka-chunka-chunka-clunk stuff...). Makes docking tough. Now connect the interrupter on our EXAMPLE brand new Alpha 135. Shifts
like a dream(at least as good as a dog clutch leg can)! You obviously do not understand the need for an interrupter on the Alpha
leg. (135hp is a carb engine) It's for getting out of gear, in water. Engine running. Period. Not running, or on the flush muffs, you don't need the interrupter, in
fact it shouldn't even activate... it's action is based on the force
needed to overcome the resistance of a drive working against the water,
the ratcheted clutch dog teeth embedded into the drive gear, which is
the exact problem the OP has. Now he's telling us the idle is twice as high as it should be, which
compounds the problem - even more force demanded of that lower shift
cable. Without the interrupter, he's headed for a docking, trailering,
or maneuvering disaster. Rob |
trainfan1
Jan 24
|
| Way too high. What engine? Idle in neutral, depending on engine, should
be close to 600 RPM if I recall correctly. Eisboch |
Eisboch
Jan 24
|
| sorry guys..down with a cold for a few days. Thanks for all the
replies. I have no physical difficulty putting it in and out of gear, the
process is actually quite smooth. Occasionally, I do hear the shift
interupter cut the engine for 1/2 second when I take it out of gear.
The engine speed is idled correctly in my opinion...in neutral-on land
it usually tach's at 1200-1500 rpm
Also, when on land and I put it in fwd, I hear gear grinding for 1/2
sec...kinda like I power shifted a car without pushing in the clutch.
I just bought the boat used about 2 months ago and the guy I bought it
from had used it in salt water. I do not have the manual nor have I ever worked on a boat so have no
idea where the interupter...I guess I get to learn the old fashion
way....by looking for it. anyone have any schematics they can throw my
way.
Trying to prevent from going to a merc dealer....or should i just bite
the bullet?
ps - it is a carb engine
Thank you all again |
scottfyi
Jan 24
|
| This has been a most interesting thread. Thanks!
--
John H ******Have a spectacular day!****** |
JohnH
Jan 24
|
| It's not a brand new alpha, it'a a 7 year old carbureted 4 cyl.. but I
do agree that an answer as to shifting effort would help diagnosis... |
markvictor
Jan 24
|
| EFI? brand new alpha? are you in base timing mode? |
markvictor
Jan 24
|
| I agree, but when the control cable and lower shift cable are in good |
markvictor
Jan 23
|
| markvictor, you're confusing yourself immensley. Brand new Alpha. Disconnect the interrupter. Guess what? It wont come
out of gear, even at idle(in water, under way), unless you use the cable
and pull the shift lever past neutral into reverse... then guess what?
you're in reverse! From neutral, it'll go INTO gear all day long no
matter how fast you shift & throttle(& actually, the faster you shift
the better for the dog & gears in the foot - none of that
chunka-chunka-chunka-chunka-clunk stuff...). Makes docking tough. Connect the interrupter. Shifts like a dream(at least as good as a dog
clutch leg can)! Rob |
trainfan1
Jan 24
|
| OK, got me on terms, I should have said that there is pressure on the dog |
Jeff
Jan 24
|
| He usually is when it comes to the Merc outdrives. Eisboch |
Eisboch
Jan 24
|
| Yes, it should... not entirely, just enough to shake the clutch dog off |
trainfan1
Jan 23
|
| Probably the shifter cable is bad, your shifter kill switch is not engaging.
This shows up with DOG type gears. The engine has to be moving slower than
the prop for the gear to go into neutral thus the kill switch. (In the water
because of the inertia of the water the prop is always going to be running
slower than the engine unless the kill switch is working.) |
Jeff
Jan 23
|
| The shift interrupt should Not cut out the ignition if the cable is in
good working order AND adjusted correctly. The purpose of the interrupt
switch is to prevent damage to the drive from the throttle opening
before forward or reverse gear is engaged. A number of models did not
come supplied with interrupters at all. I would check the adjustment,
if incorrect, adjust to spec, if still sticking then check the lower
shif cable. You can sometimes see dried mineral deposits directly under
the engine end of the lower cable, indicating a leaky shift bellows and
probable damage to the cable, it only takes a few ounces of extra
resistance to cause a problem, but if you do have a shift interrupt
switch ,the engine will stall when shifting(as it should to prevent
damage.)..Also make sure your idle speed is correct...
markvictor |
markvictor
Jan 23
|
| All correct except the shift engine kill switch SHOULD engage if there is
any resistance disengaging from reverse or forward into neutral. This
resistance (if shift cable is good) comes from the dog gear not disengaging
because the engine is running faster than the prop. The kill switch engages
and the motor slows relative to the prop and the gear can disengage. |
Jeff
Jan 23
|
| It's likely a combination of the shift interrupter switch not cutting
out the ignition properly, & the rear/back shift cable sticking and/or worn. Rob |
trainfan1
Jan 23
|
