Gen 1 Alpha 1 Shifter adjustment

[VetteLT193]

When I bought my Minx the shifter/throttle handle was loose and it was a real PITA to find F-N-R. I tightened it up, and tested on the trailer. All was fine, dropped in to F, back to N, to R and back to N no problem.

Took the boat out and all was fine when the boat was cold. Backed out of the dock no problem, to N no problem, to F no problem.

After a 30 minute ride we headed to lunch, and the shifter was all over the place. The shifter itself drops right into Neutral, but the boat will stay in Forward... pull it back a bit more to reverse and you might find Neutral, or it might just drop into Reverse. Coming out of reverse is kind of the same thing, might go into Forward, might go to Neutral.

I've searched around for shifting adjustment, but haven't seen anything where the shifting works fine cold / on the trailer, but screws up after it gets warm. Any thoughts?? Could it be off just enough to where the heat throws it off (or other)?

If so, does anyone have a link to the 'proper' shift adjustment? If not, ideas??

THANKS!!

[gcarter]

You might try a new cable...they do stretch. The adjustment is done on the shift bracket. On my Minx, there were two set screws on the cable end which could be loosened and fwd & rev adjustments could be made in relation to the detents.
A couple of years ago Poodle posted a Mercruiser Alpha adjustment paper....it was a PDF file.

[Greg]

I also have a mid-80's Alpha1 Gen.1. I had a similar problem and after trying many times I called my mech. He said there Merc. had an upgrade and replaced a part inside the drive and a new cable. Works like a million bucks now. Hope this helps. BTW. they are a pain in the ass to adjust.

[VetteLT193]

... BTW. they are a pain in the ass to adjust.

awwww crap :boggled:

On another note, do you know the part that was upgraded? I have the lower off now to inspect the water pump (it's fine), and could potentially change anything while that's off... heck, even if it's in the upper it can't be harder with the bottom off!

[DONZI]

This article should provide some info for you.

They are a real P.I.T.A..
http://www.outdriveshop.com/replace_alpha_shiftcable.html












.....

[VetteLT193]

I finally got into it... the shifter itself has play in it. The bracket that has the shift cable bolted to it has about a 1/4 inch of play, so when I go from F to N, Neutral winds up about a 1/4 different Vs. if I go from R - N. Everything else checked out ok, all the way to the lower unit.

I don't see what is causing the play in the bracket... any ideas?

Is there a diagram of this shift/throttle unit somewhere? The shift bracket is the deepest one in the unit (of course)... The first two screws I tried to loosen are not cooperating (of course) so I'm hoping there is an easy adjustment that doesn't require the whole unit to be taken apart and put back together.

[BUIZILLA]

I tried to do mine today on the 18, started it up and first time I shifted into gear to check the POS interrupter the cable broke... oh well, it's 20 years old so... off to cable land...

[gcarter]

The shifter cable (the one with the two set screws) is attached to the shifter arm on the bracket with a slot and a Tee nut that is adjustable up and down so that it can be adjusted for cable stretch i.e., when the cable stretches with age, the screw (or stud) can be moved up the slot to give longer travel to the cable.
This screw and nut can come loose so that it will ride up the slot when moved one way and down the slot when moved the other way. While it's loose, it will be impossable to adjust properly. You might start with it in the middle of the slot and adjust from there.
MOP saved my skin w/this piece of info once.

[VetteLT193]

Here's what I'm looking at so far...

In the picture with the shaft sticking out, you can see the arm that holds connects the shift cable... Where should I look for the adjustment?

The other pic is of the other side, just in case:)

[gcarter]

Oooops!
Not there. On the shifter plate assembly on the engine. Usually on the stbd side on the exhaust riser. You'll have one cable coming from the throttle you're holding in the picture, and another from the outdrive. They both end up on an arm mounted on the plate.

[VetteLT193]

Oooops!
Not there. On the shifter plate assembly on the engine. Usually on the stbd side on the exhaust riser. You'll have one cable coming from the throttle you're holding in the picture, and another from the outdrive. They both end up on an arm mounted on the plate.

Ok... so I'm thinking I might need a new shifter...

The arm that is attached to the shift cable has play in it... some of the play is from the gears (where the handle shaft connects to the gear change arm), and some of it is in the shaft that the handle attaches to. Both of them combined gives me enough play back and forth so I don't get a consistent Neutral.

I can literally go to the gear shift arm in the engine compartment and move it back and forth just enough to mess everything up, and the slack is entirely in the gear shift area:(


So, unless anyone has any other ideas, is it an easy switch to a dual lever control? There is a Gaffrig unit on eBay for under $400 that looks nice... I won't get it if I need a bunch of other parts though.

[gcarter]

I always wanted one of those, just couldn't justify it.
However, on eBay, there are frequently shifters like you have for $50.00 or so.

[VetteLT193]

I always wanted one of those, just couldn't justify it.
However, on eBay, there are frequently shifters like you have for $50.00 or so.

Do you know if it's an easy swap? I'd assume all I would have to do is redo the trim and N safety switch wiring and bolt the cables up...

[gcarter]

I would assume that if all the cable end hardware is complete, then that would be true. I would make sure it is complete, otherwise you're shopping for a hand full of odd and ends. The switches, both neutral and trim, are available on eBay frequently.

[Pismo]

This is no big deal. Twirl the barrells on the shifter bracket back near the distributor to adjust it in about 5 minutes your done. If that doesnt work, new cable, if that doesnt work, new shifter as RARE last resort.

[VetteLT193]

This is no big deal. Twirl the barrells on the shifter bracket back near the distributor to adjust it in about 5 minutes your done. If that doesnt work, new cable, if that doesnt work, new shifter as RARE last resort.

I'm in the last resort section:boggled:

cable is fine, adjustment is correct other than play in the shifter handle.

I've been taking gcarter's advice and looking for a used unit on eBay, but no luck yet.

I'm about to tell my wife I 'need' the $400 gaffrig unit:wink:

[BUIZILLA]

u can get a Uflex for a lot cheaper than the Gaffrig or Livorsi.... I believe (99% sure) Uflex makes the units for Livorsi.. i'm doing a Uflex and new cables in my 18 today, so i'll advise it's results soon.. if your after bling, get the Livorsi, if you want the same function and period correct appearance for 1/2 price get the Uflex..

[VetteLT193]

u can get a Uflex for a lot cheaper than the Gaffrig or Livorsi.... I believe (99% sure) Uflex makes the units for Livorsi.. i'm doing a Uflex and new cables in my 18 today, so i'll advise it's results soon.. if your after bling, get the Livorsi, if you want the same function and period correct appearance for 1/2 price get the Uflex..


I priced the UFlex out already, the one I found was $299 + shipping. The Gaffrig unit is $375+shipping. The Livorsi, which looks almost identical to the Gaffrig, was around $600.

Some of the Minx boats came from the factory with Kiekaffer controls, which look just like the Gaffrig unit, so I don't think I'm getting away from the factory look.:wink:

Also, I've had Kiekaffer controls before, and they are hands down my favorite control I've had on any boat. I hope the gaffrig unit is similar:)