Logo
FULL SITE MENU

1990 5.8L cobra OMC shift issue

T

TPaquette

New member
Hey,

I’m looking into a 1990 Caravelle interceptor. It has the 5.8l cobra OMC with the clutch dog, engine is in amazing condition and runs really well. I’ve had it out on the water a few times and only ever had issues with it when taking people tubing.

today, it bucked into neutral, and now it seems to not have a forward gear. When I go to put it into gear, it stays at the same RPM as it would in neutral. My best guess is that the lower shift cable has snapped, at the connect in the lower unit. I didn’t hear a bang as if the gears in the gearbox blew up.

It does have the updated red shift cable, but it was put in almost 30 years ago. Just curious if anyone has had similar situation.

Thanks!
 
Paquette, Thanks for moving the thread!

Did you check to see if the gears are engaging with the engine off? Link to a video on how to do that. Let us know results of that test.

Was any work done recently? Could be ESA or shift cable adjustment. Could be damaged dog or forward gear. Best start with looking into proper adjustment and function of ESA system and shift cable. You likely need to buy a special tool for adjusting the shift cable. Also, highly recommend picking up the repair manual if you don't have one yet. Totally worth having.

 
Also, did you take a look at the oil yet? You can drop a little bit of oil out of the outdrive onto a white paper towel. Check the color and look for metal particles.
 
What happens with some of the Cobras is this:
If the drive is never or seldom pulled (factory said each season for maintenance) water can get in around the gasket between the drive & the pivot housing. What happens is it will cause deposits to build up in the recess where the shifter bellcrank is located and makes shifting stiff. If this goes on long enough the cable can stretch ans eventually break. I have had one of these over 20 years with regular maintenance they shift well and last a long time.
 
theydrewa31 said:
Also, did you take a look at the oil yet? You can drop a little bit of oil out of the outdrive onto a white paper towel. Check the color and look for metal
theydrewa31 said:
Paquette, Thanks for moving the thread!

Did you check to see if the gears are engaging with the engine off? Link to a video on how to do that. Let us know results of that test.

Was any work done recently? Could be ESA or shift cable adjustment. Could be damaged dog or forward gear. Best start with looking into proper adjustment and function of ESA system and shift cable. You likely need to buy a special tool for adjusting the shift cable. Also, highly recommend picking up the repair manual if you don't have one yet. Totally worth having.

Click to expand...
Click to expand...

The gears work with the engine off like in the video (thank you for that btw). However the shift linkage seems to be stretched, and also set too short. Could that wear it out? E.G. when I measure the linkage it comes out to 7 3/8, rather 7 5/8 which makes me think it put a lot of stress on the cable as it was too tight, causing it to stretch and snap.

Another reason I think the shift cable may have snapped is that when I’m shifting from forward/reverse to neutral, the ESA engages to neutral about a 1/4 rotation too soon.

Thanks for all the help.
 
If you have control in one direction but not the other I doubt it snapped. Did you try adjusting it?

The cable only runs to just outside the transom shield. From there it connects to a lever and a then through the outdrive and down into the dog clutch via a shifting rod in the forward bearing assembly of the lower unit.
 
theydrewa31 said:
And I agree with everything Lou said. Probably stretched cable. It sounds like this boat is new to you?
Click to expand...
I haven’t tried adjusting as of yet, i am pulling it out of the water tomorrow and will take the lower unit apart to get at the shift cable. I ordered a new kit so was planning on doing the whole cable anyway.

The kit comes with the adjustment tools so I will just try adjusting it first. I believe I can test weather it will work or not if I hook up a hose to the water intake.

Also, yes the boat is new to me. First boat I’ve owned but been around them and fiddled with them for 10* years. I’ve never worked on a stern drive before let alone a OMC.
theydrewa31 said:
And I agree with everything Lou said. Probably stretched cable. It sounds like this boat is new to you?
Click to expand...
 
What I suggest is getting a factory shop manual and the special tools needed to do the adjustment. I use an outdrive jack to R&R the drive to save my back. The adjustment starts with pulling the drive and measuring the shift rod height. This is the basis for all other adjustments. Then you disconnect the transom shift cable at both ends and measure the drag with a fish scale; must not exceed 2.5 lbs. If it does you need a new cable.
Clean out the recess where the shifter bellcrank lives and pack that area with triple guard grease. Then use the 2 special tools to set up the transom shift cable.
Next install the drive and with the assistance of a helper adjust the remote control cable. Lastly verify proper operation of the ESA system & set the idle speed with the boat in the water to not more than 600 rpm in gear in the water.
If you get all this right it will shift very well, two finger pressure to go in and out of gear…
I last set mine up in 2013 and it’s been fine since then.
 
TPaquette said:
The kit comes with the adjustment tools so I will just try adjusting it first. I believe I can test weather it will work or not if I hook up a hose to the water intake.
Click to expand...
Out of curiosity, is this one of the kits off Amazon? I have heard mixed reviews on those, so if you got one off Amazon keep an eye on the quality. I personally have no experience with the kits that come together but I have been very curious. Please let us know how it looks! If it's good I may try it out, so please share.

TPaquette said:
Also, yes the boat is new to me. First boat I’ve owned but been around them and fiddled with them for 10* years. I’ve never worked on a stern drive before let alone a OMC.
Click to expand...
Congratulations on your first boat!! It feels great doesn't it?

Lou is giving you gold by the way. To back up what he said, outdrive jack is nice. You couldn't pay me to do this without some way to lift the outdrive. Its not that it is heavy, its just nice to move it exactly where you need it with ease. The manual says you can install an eyebolt in the top oil plug but I prefer to use a jack like Lou mentioned. Either way you lift the outdrive it will make removal and installation much easier. Aside from saving your back it might also save you from a bent prop shaft! If you don't have a jack at least wear your steel toe boots that day! ;)

Only thing I could add to what Lou said is that you could remove the propeller before you pull the outdrive. Saves potential damage to the propeller & prop shaft. But that is just what I do because it makes me feel like I have less of a chance of doing damage. I'm sure other people don't start with the propeller, that is simply what makes sense to me. You get the added benefit of keeping the propeller from becoming "frozen" on the prop shaft. The manual recommends regular removal of the propeller as it will help to keep it from becoming stuck. Unless you know how she was maintained, it might be a good time to clear the question mark as to when the last time the propeller was removed anyhow. Again; just how I do things so you can decide if that's important to you. The argument for not removing the propeller is that if it is very stuck you may damage the propeller trying to get it off. Because the propeller can be damaged some guys consider that to be a can of worms, so they don't remove the propeller unless they need to for service of the lower unit.


I dropped a video below so you could see an outdrive jack another guy made. I am not advising that you do this but I just thought I'd point out that you can get creative with what you have in your shop to make something that can lift the outdrive. If you do something like this guy did I recommend you put some sandbags or weights on the back of the jack. When the load is suspended out away from the base of the jack you need counterbalance on the back side. Best be safe with stuff like that! Keep in mind its not a ton of weight like a car would be, so you don't need a crazy amount of payload. If you make a jack for your outdrive it may also double as your work stand while it is off of the boat which is very nice to have.

 
Yes I always pull the prop every season & coat the prop shaft with Evinrude triple guard grease same stuff I use on the drive shaft splines.
When you check the adjustment of the remote control cable it’s good to have the prop on. Reason being what you want to do is check for complete engagement of the clutch dogs in fwd & rev after setting up the transom shift cable. Or else you can get grinding going into one gear or another.
The way I did it was have an assistant up in the boat (KEY OUT ENGINE OFF) then you’re back at the lower unit/prop. Start in neutral. Spin prop & tell assistant to shift to fwd; it should lock in both ways no ratcheting. Do the same for rev. If it ratchets in either gear your remote cable needs adjusting.
 
I started the replacement of the lower cable last night. What a pain in the arse!!

DO NOT order the amazon kit, the cables not the right length and the threads for the lower end are too large in diameter. Fought with it for 2 hours only to figure that out. I ordered a sierra marina one instead, it was $215 but has 5 star reviews so fingers crossed.
 
Sorry for the troubles but its par for the course. Just remember to be patient.

Just trying to save you some trouble and some time, were you planning on using the tool that came in the kit? Did you check that to make sure its the right size? If the other cable was wrong that tool could be wrong too. You may need to order another tool as well.
 
The tools fit and seem to be correct. I wish I had of spent the money the first go around and bought the better cable. Learning the hard way lol😂
 
theydrewa31 said:
Paquette, Thanks for moving the thread!

Did you check to see if the gears are engaging with the engine off? Link to a video on how to do that. Let us know results of that test.

Was any work done recently? Could be ESA or shift cable adjustment. Could be damaged dog or forward gear. Best start with looking into proper adjustment and function of ESA system and shift cable. You likely need to buy a special tool for adjusting the shift cable. Also, highly recommend picking up the repair manual if you don't have one yet. Totally worth having.

Click to expand...
my shift bracket does not look like that one in the video
 
theydrewa31 said:
Sorry for the troubles but its par for the course. Just remember to be patient.

Just trying to save you some trouble and some time, were you planning on using the tool that came in the kit? Did you check that to make sure its the right size? If the other cable was wrong that tool could be wrong too. You may need to order another tool as well.
Click to expand...
I finally have everything back together! Shift cable is set properly. The OEM one went like a dream (as it should).

It seems to be working as it should, I’ve seen different videos and forms as to what the ESA should be doing when it’s in for/rev.
Here is a video of what mine is currently doing.

Thanks everyone for the help!
 
OK saw the vid, the thing is to really tell your engine should be running, or someone should be spinning the prop while you shift, (KEY OUT ENGINE OFF!)
A Dog Clutch engagement system doesn't shift the way it would normally unless the driveshaft is turning, so you can either have the engine running on the water hose, or have someone spin the prop with the engine off, that way you can feel if it locks into each gear without ratcheting, that is what you are really looking for. If you do it with the engine running, it should shift with a good solid CLANG not a grrrr.....CLUNK! That means it isn't fully engaging which will wear both the gear that is engaging, and the sliding dog clutch itself.
You want equal engagement on both sides of neutral and full engagement in both FWD and REV.
Then you test it on the water, and make sure it doesn't grind going into gear or jump out of gear.
 
Tylerritter said:
my shift bracket does not look like that one in the video
Click to expand...
Tyler I was just showing how to check shifting with the engine off. Did you get your question answered? What is the model number? You may need to start a new thread; however, it does look like TPaquette is probably done with the thread so it probably wouldn't be considered "hijacking the thread".
 
Back
Top