shift cables..
 

Hello all.. I have a Cobra drive that I beleive is the dog clutch.. and as I hear these had some issues with the shift cables and adjustments...

How do I know if mine is ok or I should adjust it..

I think it is fine..:hitfan:

If a Cobra 800 is going in and out of gear it is adjusted.

If you have the black cable it is the original cobra cable and was recalled for safety because it stretches too much. The replacement is a reddish orange jacket. Make sure you have this jacket.

When the drive starts to clunk excessively, or stops going into gear easily (usually one direction or the other, for me it was reverse....) have your cable adjusted. The way that the book says to do it is at the drive end with the drive off. NOT at the turnbuckle style connecting bracket on the block where the upper meets the lower. It is tempting though.

Remember to have a back up shift assist module. It works by suppressing every other cylinder when you go to shift, effectively dropping the revs without stalling, so that it is easier on the clutch and lower gear set. These modules cost about 100 bucks. They can be swapped out at sea.

I am having issues with it going into reverse.. doesn't seem to catch.. you can hear the gears not meshing..:(:(:(

Sounds like it needs to be adjusted. Did you confirm the reddish orange cable?

My cobra drives were notorius for coming out of adjustment.
On the other side of the coin, they never failed completely.

It is bad to try to shift when they aren't meshing.

When I was in a pinch for time once, and had "lost" reverse...I had it done for me and it wasn't very expensive or time consuming. It cost me a hundred bucks and was done in a day while I was working.

The sound that you hear when they aren't meshing is the gradual destruction of the gear. I believe that losing reverse is a sign that the cable is too slack at the drive end. This will happen over time because of forces at work on the cable (trimming drive, "hard" shifting, etc.)

I would bet that as soon as the cable is tightened slightly at the drive end, that you are good for a while.