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YoAnthony
06-29-2005, 10:13 PM
We took the GT21 out on its maiden voyage tonight.
Good news: it did float. The motor did run fairly well.
Top speed (speedo, not GPS) 45MPH at 4,500 RPM
The boat handled well, I love it.
Bad news: The gear shifting is not smooth. In fact it bangs loudly when shifting into forward. Even worse in reverse. I thought the Volvo 250 would shift smoothly. Has anyone heard of this?
Additionally, she stalled out just as we returned to the dock. Sounds like a fuel starvation problem, clogged filter or carb jet. Probably understandable since the boat has not been run in a couple of years.

MOP
06-29-2005, 10:43 PM
Take a look at where your carb linkage is hooked to the carb, the cables end should run in a sliding block on the pivot where it attach's to the carb. Many times they are not setup right or people have replaced the carb and did not adapt the slide to the new carb. I have posted on this many times, it is important part of proper setup on all Volvo's to allow the drive to shift smoothly into gear before any engine power is applied, set up properly the shift is pretty silky which I am sure not only feels better but adds to their longevity of the drive. If you have the slider it is not adjusted right or locked in place. Look at post below.

http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=1523&highlight=volvo+shifting

Phil

mattyboy
06-30-2005, 05:55 AM
I had a similar problem and I adjusted the cable at the drive end, you'll need a second hand , disconnect the cable from the linkage under the shift cover on the drive then move by hand to find when it locks up in gear sometimes it can be the linkage that connects to the shifting flange you can get alot of play there, then adjust the cable as such with someone just putting into gear fwd and reverse once adjusted mine goes into gear once it comes out of the nuetral lock so the shifter handle bearly moves and it is in gear smooth as a babby's butt
drop me a line if you have questions


good luck

YoAnthony
06-30-2005, 06:01 AM
Phil, I will check the carb linkage but I am certain that the RPMs remained at 600 before, during and after the shift.

Matty, I will also check the cable. It bangs hard into both fwd and rev even if I push the ****er slowly. Wierd thing, I've had outboards, an alpha one, and a volvo years ago. Never had one bang like this. Maybe I have slop in the coupler or something?

Thanks

YoAnthony
06-30-2005, 06:03 AM
Could the shifting cone / clutch be bad? What is the failure mode of the cone / clutch?

MOP
06-30-2005, 06:45 AM
Could the shifting cone / clutch be bad? What is the failure mode of the cone / clutch?

The cone could be going bad, you can get a pretty good idea of condition by removing the shift converter on the back of the drive. The cone floats on a spring to keep pressure of the pawl while in neutral, with the cover off you can move it up and down to inspect the surfaces. The cone is cut with labyrinth groves to hold oil on its face, if the cone is worn it will shift very abruptly. If your cone is bad I have a new (a bit tarnished maybe 25-30 years old but new) one out in my shop. A new cone needs to be lapped in to be seated properly for good operation, the floater spring should be changed at the same time.

Phil

YoAnthony
06-30-2005, 06:59 AM
Phil,

My guess is that you are right on about the cone. You explanation is excellent, thanks. Is the shift converter you are referring to the stainless plate with pivot shaft coming out of it that the shift linkage connects to?

Is the cone used for both fwd and rev? Can it be changed easily, I am an ol' mechanic bt do not have the tools to rebuild a drive.

Thank you

MOP
06-30-2005, 08:32 AM
Yes on the back/top of the drive, when you look in there move the cone up & down with a small screw driver and slowly rotate the prop, look for even color and that the grooves have not worn away. I have seen some that actualy had a shoulder or lip from wear, these drives normaly go for ever if the get regular maintainence. If the cone is bad a new one goes for about $250 you can have the one I have for $50 with 25% going to the board.

Phil

Morgan's Cloud
06-30-2005, 01:25 PM
Anthony,

I can't comment on Phil's cone theory or the throttle linkage either as I have never experienced those problems.
What I did experience ... albiet a long time back.. was nasty banging shifting , but mainly in reverse. I turned out to be misadjusted reverse lock brackets . They are simple enough to adjust and you can eliminate much of the free play in the unit so when you shift into reverse there's not much of a bang.
Don't know if any of this applies to you .. it should'nt .. in forward anyway.. but I thought I'd add it to the list of things to look at .

Steve

YoAnthony
06-30-2005, 07:00 PM
Thank you everyone!:yes:

Thank you Steve, you hit it right on the nose. Got home today, lowered the drive and there is a ton of play in the lock linkage. I can grab the drive and move it in both the forward direction and reverse direction. It probably moves over an inch. Not sure why the drive would move forward, you would think that the weight of the drive would send it all the way forward but I will delve into the problem deeper next week! I never would have thought to check this as my last boat with an outdrive was a mercruiser which does not have the locking linkage.

One last question, While shaking the drive I noticed excessive play in the shaft at the top of the drive, the pivot point for the steering. YOu know, the shaft that the steering arm attaches to. Anybody know if there is a bushing that can be replaced to solve this?



Yo, Thanks!
Anthony