into gear

S

SeaRay Eddy

New Member
Jun 6, 2018
17
Gatineau Quebec
Boat Info
2002 SeaRay 182
Engines
190-hp MerCruiser 4.3L
Hi,

I had my throttle and shifter cable replaced when I bought my boat and ever since, it still seems that it’s a bit of force to throw it into drive. You can also hear it make a clunk. It’s not overly difficult, but required some force. Is this normal? 2002 SeaRay 182br 4.3L. I have a Stainless steel prop. Perhaps my RPMS are running too high? (I'm not exactly sure what its set at)

Thanks!
 
Alpha's are not the smoothest shifters - they use dog style gears and do not have a cone clutch like Bravo's. They make a definitive "clunk" when shifting and can also "chatter" if you do not make deliberate shifts. A couple of things to check:

1. Idle RPMs need to be set to spec - 650rpm in gear or lower. I keep mine about 50rpm lower at 650rpm in neutral - seems to shift smoother at that idle speed.
2. Lower shift cable adjustment (the cable that runs to the outdrive) is critical - in order to shift from F > N or R > N there is a switch that momentarily kills the engine so the dog style gears will disengage. When working properly you will hear the engine stumble when shifting from F or R to N. The cable must be adjusted correctly to so it activates the switch the right time. It's called the "Shift Interrupt Switch". If your boat is hard to shift or the engine stalls while shifting this is the problem.
 
BillK2632 said:
Alpha's are not the smoothest shifters - they use dog style gears and do not have a cone clutch like Bravo's. They make a definitive "clunk" when shifting and can also "chatter" if you do not make deliberate shifts. A couple of things to check:

1. Idle RPMs need to be set to spec - 650rpm in gear or lower. I keep mine about 50rpm lower at 650rpm in neutral - seems to shift smoother at that idle speed.
2. Lower shift cable adjustment (the cable that runs to the outdrive) is critical - in order to shift from F > N or R > N there is a switch that momentarily kills the engine so the dog style gears will disengage. When working properly you will hear the engine stumble when shifting from F or R to N. The cable must be adjusted correctly to so it activates the switch the right time. It's called the "Shift Interrupt Switch". If your boat is hard to shift or the engine stalls while shifting this is the problem.
Click to expand...


Wow, thank you very much for this! makes sense. It's not alarming, but I just notice a clunk. I'll check my rpms. Thanks for the tips!
 
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