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volvo penta out drive shift linkage adjustment is barley getting into gear

bobo411

bobo411

New member
Hey, Any one have an issue with the Volvo Penta 280 or similar out drives being fully adjusted at the control box as well as the gear yoke, and you are just barely getting into gear? I have spent a bunch of time messing with the Morse MT-2 single control box, the gear yoke on the out drive as well as the eccentric assembly. I pulled the eccentric assembly and tried shimming it out and in, adjust the cables, and now I am at the point of asking for some advice. I will let you know that the shift yoke has about 1/6" of play in the movement. I was tossing around the idea of threading a set screw into it or punching a dent in the yoke to tighten it up. Maybe I just need to replace it altogether. Help please!:confused:
 
Sounds like worn shift cable or some oblong holes either at the shifter or outdrive linkage.
I had the same setup.
When mine was acting like that i replaced the cable and it was WAY better but still a little sloppy due to a worn shifter and slightly large holes in the outdrive linkage
 
I originally thought that the cable may be the issue as well. But then I started thinking about it and how could the cable be the issue if the throw for the forward gear and the reverse gear are both missing be the same margin. Fyi, if the adjustment is made for the reverse then the forward gear will miss by about 1/8" and vice versa for the reverse. I can see the shift fork has an oval connection so that the cable works it like a cam, pushing the fork further in the up position and also the down direction. Thanks for the input. I still want to see if the slop in the shift fork can be taken out or if I can find a new one. Or maybe I should replace the MT-2 with the MT-3, it has an adjustment for the throw that the MT2 dose not.
 
Just a few days ago I posted this for another member.
Perhaps you'll find it useful!

Baring that the shift control unit is OK, and that the cable is OK, and that the cable clamps at either end are OK....
give this a try:

Start at the transmission.
Disconnect the shift cable from the gear yoke.
Disconnect the vertical linkage from the gear yoke (leave clevis connected to eccentric piston).

Place the eccentric piston in the neutral position.

Make a full FWD shift..... (the cable will extend at the gear yoke)
Bring the cable barrel fitting around to the gear yoke and temporarily connect it.
Make sure that the gear yoke is pushed AFT but is not touching the intermediate housing.

Now make a full REV shift..... (the cable will retract at the gear yoke)
Again.... bring the cable barrel fitting around to the gear yoke and temporarily connect it.
Make sure that the gear yoke is pulled FWD but is not touching the intermediate housing.

If all is OK... connect the cable barrel fitting to the gear yoke..... SS washer in place.... and brass or SS cotter pin in place!

Now put the shift lever into Neutral.
Adjust the vertical linkage "clevis" so that the lower end fits nicely into the NOW neutral gear yoke and with the NOW neutral Eccentric Piston.

Now repeat the FWD and REV shift unit engagement.
At the full end of travel, remove the vertical linkage piece, and check for any gear yoke over-travel (which you should see).
Make final clevis adjustments as to divide any over-travel equally.

But again.... make sure that the gear yoke does not contact the intermediate housing.

With the shift unit in absolute neutral, and the eccentric piston in absolute neutral, the vertical linkage piece should feel relaxed.

If single lever control, full gear selection should occur long before any throttle action.

Keep in mind that the cone clutch "sliding sleeve" must first undergo "gear cup" friction prior to complete lock-up.
(engine running, of course)




.
 
To add a few comments to Rick's post:
I've found it helpful to have someone slowly and deliberatly shift into gear ( engine off) while closely watching the linkage at the drive. The vertical link and the horizontal lever should move rather directly with the motion (extension or retraction) of the shift cable. On my unit I found there was "lost motion" in the system that was mostly due to "slop" where the shift cable attached to the arm. I fixed this by adding a small thin S/S washer at this attachment point to eliminate the "wobble" I saw. Your's may be different, however, with age and use, these parts wear... slop ijncreases, shifts get imprecise and then start to not happen as expected. A word of caution, if the OD of the washer is too big, it will prevent shifting into forward ( limits downward motion).
 
Ricardo, thanks for the tutorial, I will give that a try. I have reservations about changing the cable yet. I will get back to this on the weekend, just no time during the week. What do you think about the yoke being tuned up to take the slop out between the pin and yoke? I am just not sure if I should try to press in a bushing on each side or weld it and redrill or even use a set screw to attach it to the shaft and let the shaft do the rotation. Maybe just reaching, but with old boats some times you have to be creative. lol

Sandkicker, Thanks also, and funny thing, but the washer being too big thing, I found that out by trying the same thing. I did catch it before I closed up the cover and had to take it back off.
 
........................

bobo411 said:
Ricardo, thanks for the tutorial, I will give that a try.
You are welcome!

I have reservations about changing the cable yet. I will get back to this on the weekend, just no time during the week.

What do you think about the yoke being tuned up to take the slop out between the pin and yoke? I am just not sure if I should try to press in a bushing on each side or weld it and redrill or even use a set screw to attach it to the shaft and let the shaft do the rotation. Maybe just reaching, but with old boats some times you have to be creative. lol
Well short of the shift cable itself......, I just don't see these parts wearing out.... at least not often.
With a good or new shift cable, and with all else being in good condition and secured properly......., we don't have problems.


Sandkicker, Thanks also, and funny thing, but the washer being too big thing, I found that out by trying the same thing. I did catch it before I closed up the cover and had to take it back off.
I do recommend the small SS wahers just prior to the cotter pin being installed.
But as Sandkicker said, don't allow the washer ID to restrict the yoke's travel.
And be sure to equally divide any "Over-Travel" !
Click to expand...
 
RicardoMarine said:
Just a few days ago I posted this for another member.
Perhaps you'll find it useful!

Baring that the shift control unit is OK, and that the cable is OK, and that the cable clamps at either end are OK....
give this a try:

Start at the transmission.
Disconnect the shift cable from the gear yoke.
Disconnect the vertical linkage from the gear yoke (leave clevis connected to eccentric piston).

Place the eccentric piston in the neutral position.

Make a full FWD shift..... (the cable will extend at the gear yoke)
Bring the cable barrel fitting around to the gear yoke and temporarily connect it.
Make sure that the gear yoke is pushed AFT but is not touching the intermediate housing.

Now make a full REV shift..... (the cable will retract at the gear yoke)
Again.... bring the cable barrel fitting around to the gear yoke and temporarily connect it.
Make sure that the gear yoke is pulled FWD but is not touching the intermediate housing.

If all is OK... connect the cable barrel fitting to the gear yoke..... SS washer in place.... and brass or SS cotter pin in place!

Now put the shift lever into Neutral.
Adjust the vertical linkage "clevis" so that the lower end fits nicely into the NOW neutral gear yoke and with the NOW neutral Eccentric Piston.

Now repeat the FWD and REV shift unit engagement.
At the full end of travel, remove the vertical linkage piece, and check for any gear yoke over-travel (which you should see).
Make final clevis adjustments as to divide any over-travel equally.

But again.... make sure that the gear yoke does not contact the intermediate housing.

With the shift unit in absolute neutral, and the eccentric piston in absolute neutral, the vertical linkage piece should feel relaxed.

If single lever control, full gear selection should occur long before any throttle action.

Keep in mind that the cone clutch "sliding sleeve" must first undergo "gear cup" friction prior to complete lock-up.
(engine running, of course)




.
Click to expand...
I have a1985 bay liner 1950 cuddy w/ aq125b w/ Volvo 270. I removed driver side (starboard?) side panel to update a couple of wires in the wiring harness. Took the throttle/shift controller off. Put things back together and now neutral is about 2 o'clock position. Reverse about 5 oclock, forward at about 10 oclock. What could have changed? I marked spines before disassembly. If this is not the correct forum for my question please let me know. Help!! Thank you, Tom Ray. Portland, OR
 
Likely did not properly reinstall the cables. There is an annular groove in the cable that is supposed to be retained by either a clip or a clamp at each end.
 
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