GoCiggie31

ever since I purchased my 1990 cig my shifters have been very stiff to operate, like it was dragging. Sometimes it would have so much DRAG that it would be hard to go into gear. Well, today, my port side gear shift stuck in reverse and it feels like if I push any harder, it would bend/break the controls (gaffrig I think) even to try to get it to neutral.
What is the best way to identify the problem? .Could this be shift cables and how difficult is it to replace the cables? Is there one continous cable per drive?
Thank in advance for your help

hillbilly24

do you have TRS drives or Bravos. If you have Bravos there is one cable from the shifter to the shift bracket that i ussualy mounted on the engine but sometime on the transom and then another from the bracket to the drive. If you have TRS drives there is just one cable to the trans. If you have Bravos the first thing you want to do is disconect the cable from the shifters to the shift bracket, if it shifts easily then you have narrowed it to either the cable or the shifter, probably the cable but you never know. The engine will have to be runing to shift smoothly if at all. If it is still stiff at the shift bracket then the drive needs to come off. If you find water in the shift cavity of the belhousing or drive you need to change the lower shift cable and probably the shift link in the drive. If the lower cable is clean and dry and moves freely with the drive off then it's in the shift linkage in the drive or the shift adjustment was way off. Shift adjustment is checked and asjusted with the drive off on Bravo models. Ther are a couple merc tools you will need to do it but they are pretty cheap. If the shift adjustment checks out then you need to pull the back cap off the drive and see whats going on with the shift link and yoke.

GOODT

alot of times if you shut the motor off while in gear bravos will stick !!!!to get it out have someone jump the slave soliniod while someone shifts it .....

note: do not turn the key on !!!!!!!!

GoCiggie31

thanks guys, sorry for the lack of details.

It is a Bravo 1 setup. When I put it into reverse while running I could not get it out of gear so I had to shut down the engine while still in gear and there it sits.
I have been thinking that since it was a salt water boat and the shifters were stiff eversince I purchased the boat, then cables will probably need to be changed and no better time than late fall and winter.

Additionally, maybe this is the time to pull the drives/ replace the cables and also swap the drives to facilitate inboard prop rotation.

GOODT

you dont need swap the drive to change rotation on bravo, the rotation is controled at the shifter!!!! hard to shift on a bravo could be the cables or the shift fork in the drive merc had problems with them several years ago

GoCiggie31

GoodT,
regarding drive rotation, what I am understanding is that reverse can be forward and just swap the prop? So the drive doesn't care which way it rotates-cool! Would I swap the cable at the helm?

Hillbilly and GoodT,
Thanks and I will pull cables to isolate problem-

Another question, should the shifters be as smooth as throttle levers/efforts.
My prior boat was zero efforts on an alpha drive and it was way smooth and less effort. Do Bravo set ups have much more drag.
Thanks

GOODT

depends on the shifter but for the most part yes. as for bravos they shift smoother then alphas but only like to shift while running

yes, bravos dont care what direction they spin

hillbilly24

If you want to swap rotation just switch props and switch the cables to the opposite throw of the shifter, it has two to facilitate this. The only thing you want to do is add billet top caps, the drive that runs counter rotation will put al of the thrust on the op cap when in foward instead of the housing this makes the counter rotater a little weaker but can be fixed with a beefy top cap.

GoCiggie31

Guys,

great info

thanks

bulova1997

my bravo one out drive was shifting normal and when i came back from the lake i put it in reverse while pulling up to my slip in the marina when i pushed my shifter forward it would stay in neutral and i kept pumping it from forward to neutral and now it stays stuck in reverse completly, out drive cable moves back and forth freely but doesnt take the boat out of reverse