Heavy duty shift cable??
 

Need to replace the lower shift cables. Seems like I saw a post a while back that said all the newer shift cables from Merc were the "Heavy Duty" design and to stay away from the Quicksilver (or was it Sierra?) brand. I tried searching for the old post but had no luck.

Is the Merc# 865437A02 considered to be the heavy duty cable?

the Teleflex Extreme cables from Sierra are heavy duty and you can almost tie it in a knot - still moves like butter.

Forgot to mention the Merc part # you posted is the bravo shift cable kit but is just a newer superseded part # that replaced the older part number of 815471A6.

I finally found the old thread referring to Sierra cables:
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...ift-cable.html
Anyone know if this issue with the drive end breaking off was resolved by Sierra?

I had prev installed the the Teleflex 3300 cables (made by Sierra) from the helm to the shift plate and I'm happy with them.

I had found another post from 2005 referring to a teflon coated inner cable available from Merc. Maybe that was considered "heavy duty"??.
I'm assuming the teflon coated cable is all Merc sells now.
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/g...ift-cable.html

Again the Sierra - Teleflex EXTREME cable is the heavy duty cable as it is even thicker in diameter. They offer the standard one (non coated) and the Extreme version. Their part # for the EXTREME version - complete kit including shift cable bellows is 18-2604E the standard complete kit is 18-2604 without the E.

The OEM Merc shift cable added the Teflon coating for smoothness / less friction / ease of shifting and better corrosion resistance. So basically it is a better cable and tad bit stronger than the older one (non coated).

The Teleflex Extreme cable has only been out maybe 4 or 5 years now MAX. Good luck.

Picked-up the Merc cable today (that's all they carried).
It had the teflon coated inner cable like you mentioned.

The part that goes thru the bell housing is also larger.
The cable kit includes directions telling you to compare the old cable with the new cable. If you currently have the old style (skinnier) it says to drill out the hole (in bell housing) to 7/16". It also says to use a special dowel to align the special jig to align the drill bit and the drill bit needs to be in good shape or the sealing surface for the gasket may be compromised. Called the marine tech and told him what I had. He rented me the jig, alignment dowel and the drill bit for $20. He says the kit sells for $100, but since I would probably never use it again, I just rented it. 3 round trips across town today..

I tried a trick I saw on the forum abt using the old inner cable as a guide for the new outer cable housing.
Pushed the new outer housing in from the back, climbed into the bilge expecting to see the housing at the shift plate, but no. Followed the old inner cable down behind the eng/drive coupler but no sign of the housing. Started pulling the outer cable out to try again. Got most of it out, then it got stuck,, really stuck. I didn't want to damage the $100+ cable so I tried going back and forth gently while twisting it around, still no luck.
Climbed back in the bilge to see what was going on but the visibility is not so good. Got a mirror back in there and it appeared that it made a sharp turn up between the coupler and the eng. Tried wedging a long screwdriver to hold the cable at a slightly different position then climb back out and try to extract the cable. Did this abt 20 times, but still no luck. Working by yourself sucks sometimes but if there's a will, there's a way. Hooked a bungee cord to the outside end of cable and attached it to my motorcycle. Climbed back in the bilge and wiggled the cable with the long screwdriver. Heard a "bing". After a brief search, I found the cable on the other side of the shop.

Round 2: Scraped the "inner cable as a guide" technique, and just tried installing using dead reckoning. Since the cable had a curve to it from being coiled-up in the box, I used the curve to my advantage. Inserted the cable housing back thru the gimble plate while twisting the cable so it would curve to the right and slightly upwards. It slipped right in between the starboard Y-pipe and the eng, just where it supposed to be. Ran it up behind the steering mechanism and up to the shift plate with no further drama.

Luckily, the starboard drive went smooth. If I hadn't had to drive 90 miles back and forth across town and if the port eng had been more cooperative, I think I might have been able to finished the 4 hr job in one day.

The one good thing is; I can now get in and out of the bilge in abt 5 seconds without drawing any blood.:thankyouthankyou:

There is an old boat mechanics trick on installing these cables whether its for a bravo or a alpha that has been around for at least 20 years - you make a special fish out of an old inner core wire and cut the threaded core about 3 / 8 of inch. Screw that in to the your cable that needs to come out on the motor side as this makes the fish for your new cable being installed when you have pulled the old one completely out. You now screw that 3/8 threaded core in your new outer cable and pull it back thru from the motor side.

Anyways this is the short jist of how to do it. It makes installing these cables so much easier that you can really do it with your eyes close. I never install a cable on a boat without doing this procedure plus it is now correctly installed just like the old cable was and its path..

That's a great idea! I'll make one with the old parts and throw it in the toolbox for next time.

If that Merc cable doesn't live a long health life, I'll be sure to try the Extreme cable you mentioned. Thx for all the input BUP.

Bringing this thread back to the top, because I have to replace my lower cable as well. My outer cable sheath was damaged when it rubbed against the coupler. Pretty sure my cable was routed wrong to cause this. Does anyone have a diagram to show the correct cable routing with the exhaust Y-pipe in place?

Also, it was mentioned that at some point they went to a larger diameter cable, and that older bell housings would need to be modified. Can anyone provide me with the year that this change was made? I think my transom assembly is around a 1999 / 2000 vintage.

OK, I'll hit this old thread again before starting a new one. Has anyone else used the new Sierra / Teleflex Extreme cable that BUP mentioned? Anyone else had problems with the drive end of the Sierra cables breaking off as someone described in another thread? Trying to decide between this and the Merc cable.

BUP, is there a picture or a video floating around out there that illustrates your idea of using the old inner core as a fish? I think I understand what you are saying, but I want to be sure.

Lastly, I need a diagram showing the lower shift cable routing so I can be sure my routing is correct in the first place. I suspect it is not since the coupler has worn through the outer sheath. Thanks!

IMO I like the Mercruiser OEM Teflon coated cable better. Also merc shift cable bellows is a tad better to. If you buy the extreme cable from Sierra there should be a small page of directions in it. I do not have any left at this timeframe, sold my last extreme cable last week to another dealer.

IMO the OEM service manuals would be a great investment if you are working on your boat and continue to do so. it is also wise to buy some of the OEM service tools to make the job easier and done properly. I already gave out, how to make an easy free shift cable fish tool to make things a lot easier for installing the new cable as well.

No offense, Not saying this in a bad way. I do not watch internet public video's for any boat related repairs and installs so I have no idea where to find shift cable installs or any of that.. Sorry I am no help on that end.

Thanks for the advice, BUP. I think I understand what you are saying in regards to the shift cable as a fish, but sometimes a picture's worth a thousand words. I'll poke around and see if I can find a diagram of the cable routing. Bound to be out there somewhere. Have a good one.

Budman I asked this last fall and what I came up with worked easily if you want to search that out.