dogturd21

I splashed my 2000 Sea Ray with a Bravo 3 today- and got about 200 yards to the fuel dock. When I shifted into reverse it got stuck there. I was able to get it back into neutral but could never get it into forward, which made quite a mess at the docks- good thing there were no other boats around. I eventually called for a tow back to my slip.

I disconnected the cable that runs to the drive and tested it manually, and could not get forward, and it frequently gets stuck in reverse. The drive sounds fine. I did change the drive oil before the launch, and the oil level seems fine. It has been suggested to me that the shift cable is frayed or otherwise stuck at the drive, which sucks because this is a big boat and it would have to be hauled out to change the shift cable.

Any advice would be great. Can the shift cable be replaced with the drive still mounted, or does the drive have to be removed? it looks like the shift mechanisim can be accessed by taking off a front plate from the upper gearcase. Thoughts ? I know the boat has to be out of the water but I would rather not have to remove the drive itself if it does not need it.

47EXCALIBUR

if you didnt put enough oil back into the drive...you may have got the clutch stuck into the gear.....pull the boat and take the back cap off to see what is bindind

mr3dman

My Bet is your shift cable is toast. Probably shredded at the coupler. Forward is achieved by pushing on the shift cable, if it got shredded by the coupler it is popping out of the outer cable. Look at the back of the engine with a flashlight and see if you can move the shift cable around to get a look at it. It enters the transom on the stbd side of the drive shaft .

dogturd21

I am not sure how it could have been shredded by the coupler- the engine has never been removed and the cable never rerouted, but I will certainly check on that.

dogturd21

If this occured, would it be just a matter of freeing up the clutch / unbinding things, making sure the level is ok and closing back up ? The level bottle is not going down- worst case it might be low by about 1/4 quart.

47EXCALIBUR

the drive needs to be full ...the resevior will bleed down after a run bc your trading air for fluid,,,,, thats why you fill a drive from the bottom up.....if you take the back cap off you may be able to get the shifting fork to move the clutch up and down

dogturd21

I had a mechanic highly experience in outdrives look at it today- due to lack of time he only played with the cables in the engine compartment, and I explained to him how I filled it. He thinks my fill method was fine and that something is messed up with the shift cable, or the shift mechanisim in the drive. I had it pulled out today and it will be torn down early next week. The cables are original from 2000 so they do have 11 years on them, although only 300 hours. He quoted me 4 hours of labor to replace the shift cable and related work, but since the boat had to be towed (Boat US tow insurance) and hauled out, that added another $300 to the bill.

firehawkcat

Mine is a 2000 and my shift cabel broke last year so that is a good place to start

dogturd21

Where exactly did your shift cable break ?

dogturd21

Just a followup that the issue is now fixed. The shift cable broke in the outdrive. I had the boat pulled out, removed the drive, and found that the cable and metal sheath were damaged at the bellhousing. Boat is now back in the water and running fine.