reverse not cooperating

[x44+]

My SE116 has been fine for the last two seasons. It recently got sluggish going into reverse then finally wouldn’t reverse at all. I checked around and found a loose anchor bolt for the lower shift cable on the shift assembly at the engine.

I have gone through the cable adjustment procedure to no avail. I have taken the lower shift cable off and had my wife spin the prop while I set the cable manually. The cable moves freely and goes right into forward then back to neutral. But when I put the cable in reverse by hand the prop just ratchets either direction and doesn’t go into gear.

I have now pulled the unit to check the shift cable, shift slide, shift arm roller, and intermediate shaft and they all look good. They were all engaged correctly. If I manually turn the shift lever the outdrive goes into forward or reverse easily and locks correctly so I do not think there is a problem with my 116.

It appears that the shift slide ‘bottoms’ against the housing before it rotates the shifter around enough to put into reverse. Could this be from shift cable wear or did the shift shaft / shafts get bent when the cable came loose?

Just not sure which item could be the culprit. Thanks in advance for your help.

-jon

[Tech Support]

Please email tech@sterndrive.cc and ask for a document on adjusting the shift. This document will talk about making sure the drive does not have too much slop in it, and also how to check if your remote control box is outputting the proper amount of throw.

Thanks,

Tech Support

[Island]

Have you thought about posting the shift adjustment document at http://www.sterndrive.cc/techspace.htm

[Tech Support]

The author would prefer that we not post it.

Tech Support

[Island]

OK, just thought I'd ask. I've been looking at the threads here for a little while now trying to decide if I should go for a new pair of SEI drives or put the money into redoing my existihng drives, and just reding through the threads to get a handle on what to expect, and it seems like shift adjustment has to be the most common issue, or at lesat in the top three.

[x44+]

Next steps....

Received the PDF for the cable adjustment / testing (Thanks Justin!) and since I have 16 years of service out of the factory shift cables I went ahead and bought replacement parts. The old 'while I am in there' reasoning.

The install of the new shift cable / etc went as well as expected and it all looks good. What does not look good is the test for excessive endplay in the gear case shift spool assembly. (pp 8 - 9 of the service bulletin)

When I test this ( lock the prop in gear then counter rotate the shift shaft while holding the prop ) I get around 16 to 17° of play. The published spec is 12° maximum. The service bulletin says to refer to the sterndrive service manual for repair instructions. Is there anything else I can do / check before I open a claim for warranty repair?

Thanks in advance!

-Jon Stephan

[Tech Support]

It looks like you found the problem. If the slop is to high, you will not be able to get reverse. Unfortunately you will need to open a warranty claim to get it resolved. Give them a call on Monday with the serial number for the lower unit (found on the lower inbetween the halves). 813-925-7127

Tech Support

[x44+]

Thanks, I will get with them. I at least have a much better understanding of the shift assemblies! :D