My new (to me) Eliminator has Merc's Zero effort controls and the drive is so hard to get in gear that it needs a piece of sink pipe stuck on the lever! Anybody come across this? I have removed the cable connection at the shift junction and the control lever and cable work smoothly. This led me to belive the problem is in the drive. At first I thought that maybe Imco mismachined the detent ball pocket cause the drive has thier rear cover for the dual ram steering. The pocket for the detent ball looks fine? Just for kicks I removed the "inner" spring from behind the detent ball and tried that... shifts super smooth now! Why what gives?? Is it save to leave the inner spring out? I have run the boat all day with the spring out and it dont seem to cause any problems.
PS never had a problem getting it out of gear just in gear!
You should never, NEVER, shift a Bravo One Drive in or out of gear, without it running or cranking over. It stretches the shift cable and ruins it, which leads to other drive problems. BlewByYou
Yes I know that, this problem is with the motor running. Never had a problem comming out of gear just going into gear.
It sounds like the detent ball/sleeve is hanging up in the rear cap bore. Check to see that the spring is seated in the register at the bottom of the bore. Also if there is too much grease below the ball assy it will "hydaulic" & not allow the ball to push into the bore easily. From neutral to fwd or rev the ball must come out of the hole it rests in. From fwd or rev into neutral it does not sit in a hole so it will move easier initially. Check the shift arm for play/binding at the pivot where it ataches to the link which goes towards the front of the boat and attaches to the cable. Hope this is explained clear enough.
You should never, NEVER, shift a Bravo One Drive in or out of gear, without it running or cranking over. It stretches the shift cable and ruins it, which leads to other drive problems. BlewByYou
Let me ask a stupid question then. How do you change your prop. I had to put it in gear to replace the the prop nut with a prop lock. I hope I didn't hurt anything.
Let me ask a stupid question then. How do you change your prop. I had to put it in gear to replace the the prop nut with a prop lock. I hope I didn't hurt anything. You can use a wedge shaped block of wood between the prop and leg . That's how you change props on V-drives too.
You can use a wedge shaped block of wood between the prop and leg . That's how you change props on V-drives too.
Thanks. I'll do that next time. Is there any damage done doing it once or twice though?
At first I thought that maybe Imco mismachined the detent ball pocket cause the drive has thier rear cover for the dual ram steering. The pocket for the detent ball looks fine? Just for kicks I removed the "inner" spring from behind the detent ball and tried that... shifts super smooth now! Why what gives?? Is it save to leave the inner spring out? I have run the boat all day with the spring out and it dont seem to cause any problems.
PS never had a problem getting it out of gear just in gear!
Sounds like your Imco casting might be binding or not properly aligned. Additionally, look at the ball detent and see if there are any burrs or gashes in it. If there is, that is probably a good place to start. To test if it is the cap, install a stock mercury cap on the drive instead of the Imco. If the cap makes a difference, there you go. If it doesn,t check the dimple in the shifting mechanism to make sure that it is freeing up.
Personally I would not run the boat without the spring installed. That is what insures that the boat hits neutral (locks it in) and adds additional tension to keep the boat from jumping from Neutral to Forward.
Thanks. I'll do that next time. Is there any damage done doing it once or twice though?
Probably not. I wouldn't be worried about it.
Probably not. I wouldn't be worried about it.
Thanks. I would be $hitting bricks if I messed up anything on the boat. Especially that much of an expensive part.
Personally I would not run the boat without the spring installed. That is what insures that the boat hits neutral (locks it in) and adds additional tension to keep the boat from jumping from Neutral to Forward.
The detent has (2) springs one inside the other, I only removed the inner. The detent locks good into neutral cause theres a detent on the lever as well. I dont have the stock cap to try but I think thats the problem, kinda looks like the detent ball is up too high and not riding in the proper place on the linkage. Think IMCO would give me a new cap :notam:
Think IMCO would give me a new cap :notam:
Read the "You don't always get what you pay for thread" for an answer to that question.
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