Shifting Leverl Hard to Move

[Nathan Clark]

The shifting lever is very hard to get into forward. Fairly easy for reverse. How does one fix this poblem?Thanks for any help,Nathan ClarkBrothers' Dream

[Paul Akers]

To start, try to isolate the problem to the cable or the trans. Disconnect the shift cable and manually shift the trans forward and reverse (not running). Also, use the lever to check for any resistence in the cable run. If you encounter resistence in either of these then this may be where the problem originates. If it's in the cable, it should be replaced because it will eventually snap at the most inconvient time.

[Jim Haynie]

Changing the shift cable when it becomes stiff to move is a wise idea. It will certainly break in the worst place (such as down inside the binnacle) right at the worst time (just as you try to stop while docking--Ouch!!). So, change it before it breaks and keep the old one. Clean it well and soak it in some solvent to free it up. If you are smart enough to do this before it breaks then you can keep it onboard as an emergency fix part for jury rigging if you get caught with a broken one. Same one will usually work for both throttle and shift--since as a "band aid" fix its length doesn't really matter. You can easily connect the business end to the eng or trans and then snake the other end out through a hatch to the helm. This will work in an emergency and can be rigged in about 10 minutes whereas fully replacing the whole deal inside the binnacle will take a couple of hours, some help, and a lot of cussing.