Omc shifting issue

[tadzap]

Hey all,

I've been reading trying to get some more I info on a shifting issue... Not an expert just picked up a1990 sweet 16 at the end of last season, and ran into some issues.
The boat had an omc cobra outdrive. It will go into forward and reverse, but sometimes it will sit and spin for a second before catching. I shift, it spins, sometimes for longer, sometimes for less, then it catches and goes. Does this have to do with the cable, or do I have a different problem.
Can I still take it out, our should it go straight to the shop?
Thanks.

[mrfixxall]

Hey all,

I've been reading trying to get some more I info on a shifting issue... Not an expert just picked up a1990 sweet 16 at the end of last season, and ran into some issues.
The boat had an omc cobra outdrive. It will go into forward and reverse, but sometimes it will sit and spin for a second before catching. I shift, it spins, sometimes for longer, sometimes for less, then it catches and goes. Does this have to do with the cable, or do I have a different problem.
Can I still take it out, our should it go straight to the shop?
Thanks.

it probably needs a shift cable,,take it in,,ome needs special tools to adjust the shift cable and make sure the tech is omc certified..

[LKSD]

It could be a shift cable, corroded levers or potentially an issue in the drive it self.. I would have it checked & remedied..

[Eplebnista]

Google is your friend:

http://www.hastings.org/~stuart/cobra/

[MOP]

Being a 90 it has the 5 degree cut gears, does it have a "RED" cable going to the drive? There is also an upgraded ignition pack! The Cobra is actually a stronger drive than the Alpha but decent mechanics are getting scarce, all clutch dog shifter drives have similar adjustments. The OMC has one more thing that should be checked, that is the shift cavity in the gimbal. Many times water gets into the making shifting a pain, cable pull is critical it is measure in Oz"'s with a fish scale to make sure the cable drag is within spec.

Phil

[Lowflyn]

Had the same issue with my 22C OMC King Cobra - there is a switch on the linkage that kills 1/2 the engine ignition in order to allow the drive time to engage with less force applied from the engine - check it out