Stringer outdrive question

[depty933]

OK first let me apologize if I am re-asking a question that allready has a post, I could not find it. I am brand new to CSR. I have a 1978 Sea Ray 260 express with a 260 OMC and a stringer outdrive. I have just recently acquired this boat and got it going. The previous owner swore it had a new or remanufactured outdrive but I am beginning to doubt that. The last time I had it in the water, It had a lot of trouble going in reverse and it shuttered when backing up. I loaded it on the trailer and was having to back it up and go forward several times and the last time I tried to go backwards it just revved up.
I asked a friend of mine who is a self proclaimed expert on all things boating. He thought I had just gotten the "hydrolics" hot and that is why it did not go into reverse the last time I tried and thought it would be fine the next time I put it in the water. Tommorrow, I am going to hook it up to a pair of muffs and try to see what happens. I have researched and I believe it is a mechanical shift stringer outdrive. Anyone here have any suggestions or thoughts?

 

[mikesouthwick]

having had one of these outdrives i became really familir with them . what you have is a hydro-mechanil shift. firs thing i would do is pop the cover off the shift control box it should be right behind the engine and ck the cables. ck the fluids to make sure there is no water in the lower unit. when the boat was in the water and you put it in reverse did the lower unit want to move up . are you having any problems moving forward. i rebuilt my lower unit last year and found a new upper unit. the biggest problem i found with these outdrives was the shaft that goes through the water pump and connects the upper and lower drive and turns the water pump are weak . the splines like to strip . that would cause a shudder or sliping feeling . i sold the boat last fall . but still have a service book.

mike

 

[chris41483]

It sounds like a shift linkage adjustment. Is there any problem finding neutral? The driveshafts mentioned above do sometimes wear on the splines, but if there is no problem with going forward, this is not the problem. The driveshafts always spin the same way because the transmission is in the lower unit. The other thing that could be wrong is a monster to check. Where the shift cables connect on top of the lower unit there is a device that turns a small gear, and moves the shift rod up and down. if this was installed wrong (very common) then the unit can appear to be connected properly in the shift box behind the motor, and yet only have the ability to move the shift rod in the lower unit into one gear because it lacks the full range of motion. It is very likely that if the drive appears to be reman, as you said it should be, and the shift box behind the motor is correctly adjusted, that this is the issue. I would not discredit the idea that the drive was rebuilt unless it looks that way, because it is very likely the person who rebuilt it reassebled this piece wrong.

This can only be the issue if you have always had this problem since you bought it, though. This is not something that can work flawlessly, and just "happen"

 

[depty933]

Hey wick and Chris,
Thanks for your advice on this. First, the boat has no problem going in forward and yes it has a lot of problems finding neutral. Also, the tilt motor is well weak to say the least. I have to help the foot up and down when rsising or lowering the outdrive. Could this cause the outdrive to want to try to raise up and give me the shuttering I am experiencing in reverse? Also the nuckle on the outdrive appears to be worn. How hard is that to replace?

 

[jitts3]

the tilt motor is well weak to say the least. I have to help the foot up and down when rsising or lowering the outdrive. Could this cause the outdrive to want to try to raise up and give me the shuttering I am experiencing in reverse? Also the nuckle on the outdrive appears to be worn. How hard is that to replace?

Knuckel? You mean this

These are the ball gears. They are not the hardest thing to do, but you must get a kit to replace the seals and if you damage the plastic shims in the drive you must get new ones. They are not pricey.
The shuddering could be the drive trying to raise in reverse, but it could also not be going in reverse gear all the way. Put it in reverse, and look. If it is not going in gear it should also gibe you the same on the muffs out of the water.

I just resealed and replaced ball gears on my OMC but I have a pre 1977 Electric shift. Some parts are the same and others are way off.

 

[chris41483]

the drive should not move up or down without touching the switch. there is a worm gear in the diff to high tilt the drive that should not allow movement from that end (I assume you are talking about the hight tilt, and not the trim) If your motor is weak, I actually have a brand new one that I do not need if you are interested. these are not hard to change.

 

[mikesouthwick]

there is a small cutch pack that keeps pressure on the out drive . this keeps it from comming up when you go in reverse. but you said you have troube finding reverse. this sounds ike a cable out of adjustment. i will look in the book tomorow on how to adjust cable . its easy and a good place to start. i just cant remember right now how it goes. .

wick

 

[chris41483]

adjusting the cable is a piece of cake, if you think this is what it is, just loosten the clamp on the housing where it goes across the shifter box, and turn the mount around the housing until it is where you want it.