Bravo 3 stern drive stuck in forward

unsalted

unsalted

Active Member
Jan 21, 2022
264
Grand Haven, MI
Boat Info
2001 Sundancer 310
Engines
Twin MX 6.2L MPI w/Bravo III Drives
Well, had my first high pucker factor adventure with my new to me 2001 310DA. I was pulling up to my slip and dropped into neutral and she wasn’t stopping. I’m pretty new to this whole thing so I didn’t figure out what was happening until after I hit a floating dock and then I got the engines shut down. Now I need to diagnose my issue and see if it’s something I can fix or not.

After tying it up I restarted the engines and confirmed my Port engine was stuck in forward. Opened the hatch and see that the throttle pivot point is actuating with input and I checked the intermediate cable and could detect movement. I tried shifting to neutral and raising the RPMs slightly to see if I could get it to release, but no joy. I then removed the intermediate cable from the shift plate and tried manually moving the cable between gears to see if it was an adjustment issue.

So it seems likely that either the cable came off the stern drive and is just free playing in and out (not likely as this would be just too much luck) or my cone clutch is damaged and needs replacing (more expensive option, so almost assuredly more likely).

The marina says they may be able to squeeze me into the schedule in 2 to 3 weeks but of course I want to be boating now. I know I’ll need to haul the boat out but I’m not familiar with the degree of difficulty involved in pulling the stern and replacing the cone clutch.

I have Mercury service manual #28 (Bravo Sterndrives) and youtube. Looking for opinions on the degree of difficulty involved or if I’ve overlooked any other diagnostics or potential issues.

TIA
 
Straight forward repair with basic hand tools with the exception of the large spanner wrench which is cheap to remove the input shaft. I'd replace the cable first.
 
If the jaws are warn out on the shift linkage, the cable can slip out of it causing your problem. A broken lower cable would do the same thing but you would be able to pull the cable itself out once disconnected at the shift plate.
 
Thornton69 said:
If the jaws are warn out on the shift linkage, the cable can slip out of it causing your problem. A broken lower cable would do the same thing but you would be able to pull the cable itself out once disconnected at the shift plate.
Click to expand...

Good to know. I didn’t try to see how far I could pull the lower cable out. I’ll give that a try but I’m assuming that replacing the lower cable still needs the boat hauled out and the stern drive removed. That said, a broken cable or latch would be less costly.
 
Did the outdrive require “a lot” of force or effort to shift prior to the malfunction?
 
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If it's the same as the Alpha series (pretty sure it is), the outdrive will stay in gear if/when the cable separates. Since the cable "pushes" to engage forward, that's where it'll stay once engaging forward. Usually (again, with the Alpha series), the cable pulls loose from the outdrive thimble, allowing one to pull the guts out through the topside. Yes, the outdrive has to come off.
 
Wanderer 290 said:
Did the outdrive require “a lot” of force or effort to shift prior to the malfunction?
Click to expand...

No, I never noticed anything until I realized the damn boat wasn’t slowing when I dropped it into neutral.

Nater Potater said:
If it's the same as the Alpha series (pretty sure it is), the outdrive will stay in gear if/when the cable separates. Since the cable "pushes" to engage forward, that's where it'll stay once engaging forward. Usually (again, with the Alpha series), the cable pulls loose from the outdrive thimble, allowing one to pull the guts out through the topside. Yes, the outdrive has to come off.
Click to expand...

Yes, the bravo shift into forward when the cable pushes into the stern. So it often becomes stuck in forward as a result of the cable breaking or coming loose.


Here is an update. I had the boat hauled out this afternoon and I pulled the stern drive off the gimbal housing and found the shift cable was detached. It started to rain so I didn’t spend much more time but I’m hopeful that I may get away with simply reconnecting or possibly replacing the latch. I have hopes of getting it all together and still making Memorial Day weekend.
 
unsalted said:
No, I never noticed anything until I realized the damn boat wasn’t slowing when I dropped it into neutral.
I recommend investigating the latch and cable thoroughly while the outdrive is off. The condition you describe is quite unusual.



Yes, the bravo shift into forward when the cable pushes into the stern. So it often becomes stuck in forward as a result of the cable breaking or coming loose.


Here is an update. I had the boat hauled out this afternoon and I pulled the stern drive off the gimbal housing and found the shift cable was detached. It started to rain so I didn’t spend much more time but I’m hopeful that I may get away with simply reconnecting or possibly replacing the latch. I have hopes of getting it all together and still making Memorial Day weekend.
Click to expand...
 
Update. Pulled the shifter arm off and gave it a close inspection. The part of the arm where the cable drops into the arm is worn/broken. The cable goes in and latch drops but the cable is too easily dislodged. Replaced the arm, I’m hopeful that will fully resolve the issue.
 
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