early morse shifters ???????

[mattyboy]

did the morse shifters in the early donzi's ( mid 60's early 70's) have a nuetral safety switch??? if not when when was it incorporated into the shifter????

[MOP]

Matty there is a retro fit kit, I looked it up it is at the top of the page below.

http://www.prestomart.com/product.php?pd=85299&search=Morse/Teleflex%20Neutral%20Safety%20Switch%20Kit%20-%20for%20Twin%20S

[mattyboy]

so they didn't come with one??? when did they add it???
were the early shifters seachoice or twin s ??????

[mrfixxall]

did the morse shifters in the early donzi's ( mid 60's early 70's) have a nuetral safety switch??? if not when when was it incorporated into the shifter????

Matty,mines a 1977 and does not have one...

[FlatRacer, aka BarrelBack]

I just discovered this weekend that my '67 with the Morse shifter has a neutral safety switch. As to whether it's original or not, I'm not sure, but my guess would be that it is.

Eric

[boldts]

Matty,

My 1969 H/M 18' Classic had a neutral safty switch built into it. Pull out, rev no go anywhere, push in, rev you better be hanging on to the steering wheel and not tied up at the dock. It appeared to be original equip as best I know.

[Bobby D]

Matty,

My 1970 H/M 16 Ski Sporter Morse shifter has a neutral safety switch that I believe to be the original setup. It woks exactly like Scott explained with one exception my boat will start up in gear.

Bobby

[boldts]

just a thought here and then I'll go back to sleep cause I'm still trying to find that hidden forum of ospreys....thought it might be that contributor forum, but mine shows nothing in there. Maybe I got passed over as a contributor. Anyway, doesn't really matter.....

any chance the difference between having a lock out and not might be determined by the drive on the boat? just a thought because the 77 does not yet we see up to 70 so far that does. Volvo being obviously before the 77 year and Mercruiser having come along by 77? Volvo was running a cone clutch where I believe the merc used a mesh something or other hence the gears clicking into gear to engage when those drives were put in gear.

[mattyboy]

yes as Madpoodle says lockout is different allowing you to advance the throttle while not in gear, a nuetral safety switch to put it simply will not let the juice flow to the starter unless the lock out is engaged! on some shifters it disengages after the throttle is placed in nuetral on others you need to disengage the lock out manually
My boat has a lockout but with start in gear, kenny's cig has a safety switch the starter will not crank if the lockout is not engaged

[fastcat]

My '68 V-Drive has a neutral safety switch. We just recently had to replace it and it took several tries to find the right one. We needed one "normally open" ...or was it "normally closed"??? Can't remember.
Whichever, it was opposite of what most vendors thought it should be.

[mattyboy]

I would believe it would be normally open which means when the switch is not activated the circuit is not closed then when the switch is activated it closes and then closes the circuit letting juice flow so I would also figure the leads from the start post of the ign switch would run to the safety switch then out of the other side of the safety switch to the starter
where a safety laynard would be just the opposite closed when not activated letting juice flow and when pulled opening up the circuit which would run from the on position of the ign switch thru the laynard to the coil
Sparky

[FlatRacer, aka BarrelBack]

My boat has a lockout but with start in gear, kenny's cig has a safety switch the starter will not crank if the lockout is not engaged

Now I'm really confused. My boat's starter motor circuit will close with the shifter in neutral (with or without the plunger pulled out) and with the shifter disengaged (plunger pulled out) with the throttle lever foward. This is the warmup feature.
With the shifter engaged (plunger pushed in) and the throttle anywhere other than absolutely vertical (neutral), the starter motor circuit is broken and the starter will not crank. This is the neutral safety feature.

Are you saying that the Cig's starter will not crank if the plunger's pushed in?

Here's a question:
Does the the circuit interupt happen at the shifter end, or the transmission end of the shift cable?

Eric

[mattyboy]

Eric , you have a nuetral safety switch as does the cig the starter will only get juice and crank if
A) the lock out is engaged on his morse shifter it is pulled out and automatically returns in when the shifter is placed back in nuetral
B) the shifter is in nuetral

mine will start wot in fwd reverse or locked out

the switch is in the shifter and on Kenny's shifter there are two switch closures one operated by the lockout( the warmup give gas on cold start when it is pushed in or pulled out depending on model) and the other is activated when the shifter is in nuetral

[FlatRacer, aka BarrelBack]

mine will start wot in fwd reverse or locked out


Ah! You've got the old Flatbottom system, huh? "Paddle, point, push, and pray" (pray your rudder is straight, and there's enough water under the prop when she jumps out of the hole!). LOL!:wink:

Eric

[FlatRacer, aka BarrelBack]

it is pulled out and automatically returns in when the shifter is placed back in nuetral


My plunger doesn't automatically suck back in. I have to push it in. Now I'm jealous! Maybe Pearson can locate the proper spring for all of us suffering from this malady. The "non-sucking shifter plunger fix" kit.:bonk:

[Moody Blu']

mine stays in as well, and starts in gear..

71 here

[Bobby D]

Matt,
My setup is different from yours because I have a foot throttle.
When the Morse shifter (lock out) is pushed in it provides forward, neutral and reverse functions only and the foot petal controls the throttle.
When the (lock out) button is pulled out I am in neutral no matter what position the handle is in.
Bobby

[mattyboy]

let me clear things up here
my shifter works the same as Bobby's
mine is not a morse shifter it is a replacement put in by holman moody when they removed the 289 eaton combo I have seen this shifter on a few h/m replacement boats you pull the lock out out to disable the shifting of gears but allow throttle and it will stay there until you push it in with one exception you can only push it in if the shifter is returned to nuetral

mine does not have a nuetral safety so the starter will crank anytime the key is turned regardless of where the shifter is

Kenny's Morse shifter is the bigger SS one with the big housing not a flush mount like the standard donzi shifter and it works the same way with two exceptions
when in the lock out mode if you return the shifter to nuetral after letting the engine warm up the lock out is automatically removed
and it will not crank over with out the boat being in nuetral or if you have the lock out engaged
and Poodle if ya ever make your way back north I can show ya the shifter in the cig

[mattyboy]

let me clear things up here
my shifter works the same as Bobby's
mine is not a morse shifter it is a replacement put in by holman moody when they removed the 289 eaton combo I have seen this shifter on a few h/m replacement boats you pull the lock out out to disable the shifting of gears but allow throttle and it will stay there until you push it in with one exception you can only push it in if the shifter is returned to nuetral

mine does not have a nuetral safety so the starter will crank anytime the key is turned regardless of where the shifter is

Kenny's Morse shifter is the bigger SS one with the big housing not a flush mount like the standard donzi shifter and it works the same way with two exceptions
when in the lock out mode if you return the shifter to nuetral after letting the engine warm up the lock out is automatically removed
and it will not crank over with out the boat being in nuetral or if you have the lock out engaged

[Shredhed]

I have a 74 sweet 16 and I am looking for the original morse shifter are there any around ? I want to buy the knob from scott(I believe ) as well ! Trying to get back to as close as possible to original!

[mattyboy]

I have a 74 sweet 16 and I am looking for the original morse shifter are there any around ? I want to buy the knob from scott(I believe ) as well ! Trying to get back to as close as possible to original!


Scott also has some shifters around drop him a line about that and the knobs

whtdobe@aol.com

[Shredhed]

Thanks I sent an email I'll wait to hear! I have other questions on other parts for both boats but I will wait to hear on these first!

[mattyboy]

he may be a little slow getting to his email i know he is on the road with work and then will be going out to AOTH this weekend so he will have no email access

[The Hedgehog]

I have a 74 sweet 16 and I am looking for the original morse shifter are there any around ? I want to buy the knob from scott(I believe ) as well ! Trying to get back to as close as possible to original!

I have an original Morse Shifter I will sell you.

[BigGrizzly]

All that style shifter did not have the neutral start safty switch so they cane out with a kit to keep the feds happy. Most ou the units that has neutral start safty switches , were on the engine and shift linkage there.

[Shredhed]

griz do you have pics of it ? It would be for my 74 sweet 16 so left hand shifter

[Speed Racer]

I am thinking that the whole neutral safety switch really did not come into being until that whole 'safety patrol' thing, brought on by insurance claims started, in say, the mid to late 80's.. I had a 1980 Howard with nearly 600 horsepower, using a standard morse controller and a turbo 400 hitting the V-drive.. No safety switch.
The little Donzi V-drive uses a period typical 1967 morse control, which is smaller but looks the same. No 'lectronics' in there!

Fun stuff to start in gear, and just fast idle up to on plane..

Who actually needs a neutral safety switch??
You are either %$$#@ coherent enough to know what gear you are in when your start your boat, nor not.. Right??
Don't see a lot of neutral safety switches on cars with manual transmissions..? or do you?? Would they be on the clutch pedal?

Inquiring minds, want to know..

Oh yea, btw....
I really love my Donzi..
( Can you tell I went out this weekend)
:)
GG

[BigGrizzly]

I do not have any pictures and had only put one on but that was sooo long ago I don't remember what I did. I do remember it was not an easy job since it is tough to get at the shifter. I don't ecen know if they are still available.

[Shredhed]

hedge just saw your post missed it do you have pictures of the shifter and it's a side mount left hand drive? how much?

[The Hedgehog]

hedge just saw your post missed it do you have pictures of the shifter and it's a side mount left hand drive? how much?

It is a left (not that I think it matters). I will get a pic today. I just want out what I paid. I will take a look and see. It works great.

[Conquistador_del_mar]

I am thinking that the whole neutral safety switch really did not come into being until that whole 'safety patrol' thing, brought on by insurance claims started, in say, the mid to late 80's.. I had a 1980 Howard with nearly 600 horsepower, using a standard morse controller and a turbo 400 hitting the V-drive.. No safety switch.
The little Donzi V-drive uses a period typical 1967 morse control, which is smaller but looks the same. No 'lectronics' in there!

Fun stuff to start in gear, and just fast idle up to on plane..

Who actually needs a neutral safety switch??
You are either %$$#@ coherent enough to know what gear you are in when your start your boat, nor not.. Right??
Don't see a lot of neutral safety switches on cars with manual transmissions..? or do you?? Would they be on the clutch pedal?

Inquiring minds, want to know..

Oh yea, btw....
I really love my Donzi..
( Can you tell I went out this weekend)
:)
GG

I agree that neutral safety switches are not necessary, but if another inexperienced driver takes the wheel - watch out.
Even my 1991 Chevy 5 speed Silverado had the neutral lockout feature for starting - you had to have the clutch pedal depressed before it would start. I think most manual transmission vehicles require the tranny to be in neutral, though. I would also guess the 80s is when it all got enacted.


I do not have any pictures and had only put one on but that was sooo long ago I don't remember what I did. I do remember it was not an easy job since it is tough to get at the shifter. I don't ecen know if they are still available.

The old chrome plated Morse shifter/throttles are not available. I had my old 1971 Morse rechromed after I disassembled it. Bill

[Shredhed]

thanks hedge I'll wait for pics!!