Tight shifter

Engines, Drive trains, Propellers, Steering, Ground Tackle and other mechanical system
casagf66
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2015 8:02 pm
Location: Northport Long Island

Tight shifter

Post by casagf66 »

Hey everyone,

Found out today that my new 84 f32's neutral and drive control knob is frozen. It is extremely difficult to transfer from neutral to drive. The knob that you pull and push gets stuck and it's extremely difficult to pull out into neutral. Does anyone have experience with this? I attached some pictures.
Last edited by casagf66 on Mon Apr 06, 2015 10:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

casagf66
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2015 8:02 pm
Location: Northport Long Island

Re: Tight engine controls

Post by casagf66 »

Some pictures.
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peaceandfreedom
Posts: 258
Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:51 pm
Location: F33 CK & F38 CK Milford ct

Re: Tight engine controls

Post by peaceandfreedom »

If you are still in CT I could loan you my spare unit.
These units can be serviced but it does become a little complicated. The faded red knob and stem pull straight out. the black knob can be spun off the rod.On the bottom of the decorative ring there is a set screw. If you loosen it you should be able to wiggle the ring off.
From here on it becomes easier. Remove the two cables in the back, and spin off the nut in the front. Now you can remove the entire unit. Now you can open up the unit, it should be pretty straight forward. Make sure you do not lose any of the pieces, clean lubricate and re-assemble.
Before you do all this you might want to try spraying penetrating lubricant along the shaft from both sides.

Happy sailing.

Jim D.

casagf66
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2015 8:02 pm
Location: Northport Long Island

Re: Tight shifter

Post by casagf66 »

So I am taking the shifter apart to see is it can be greased and I found this white switch.? It was disconnected, didn't see anything too hook it up too ... Any ideas what it may be for and or if I should be concerned with re-connecting?

Thanks , cheers
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tnltracy
Posts: 117
Joined: Fri Oct 10, 2014 10:45 pm

Re: Tight shifter

Post by tnltracy »

I'm guessing it may be a neutral shut off to disable starting in gear?

On a side note, now I know what the glassed over hole is above the panel on my F32. I have all controls at the wheel, I guess that's not the original config.
1984 Freedom 32 #28
Warwick Cove, Greenwich Bay, RI

dwight
Posts: 68
Joined: Sun Dec 07, 2008 3:41 pm
Location: Newport, RI
Contact:

Re: Tight shifter

Post by dwight »

Sounds like the neutral safety switch. This is required to insure the transmission is in neutral before you can crank over the engine. It is a standard component on many shifters but is not required on sailboats.
Dwight Escalera
Accredited Marine Surveyor, SAMS #1024
former engineer at Freedom Yachts
former owner F36-71
Wakefield, RI

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Rick Simonds
Posts: 144
Joined: Fri Dec 05, 2008 8:49 pm
Location: Tallahassee, FL

Re: Tight shifter

Post by Rick Simonds »

Yes, it is a neutral safety switch and, at least on my 32, it was never hooked up. About 3 years ago I went through the same process as you're doing and I thought about it but made a definite choice NOT to hook it up. I normally sail with the transmission in reverse to keep the shaft from spinning. If I'm sailing fast with the engine stopped it can be very difficult/ almost impossible to shift out of reverse to start the engine. Quite a few times instead of slowing down I have just started the engine in gear, in reverse, and then the transmission will shift very easily. I can't imagine doing that hurts anything and it does make the engine more instantly available, if needed.

You should be able to lube the shifter and get it working right again. You may want to change out the control cables, too. They're not expensive and new ones will smooth everything out quite a bit. Hook them end to end and 2 people can easily use the old ones to pull the new ones in. The throttle one is very easy, the transmission one is a bit of hanging upside down under the sink, but still doable. A bit of fiddly adjustment and you're good for another 30 years.
___________________________

Rick
Tallahassee

casagf66
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2015 8:02 pm
Location: Northport Long Island

Re: Tight shifter

Post by casagf66 »

Thanks all,

I wound up swaping out the shifter with one that did not have a seized neutral knob and I installed a new throttle cable.

Working well now. I plan on changing the shifter cable soon also.

rbpfyo
Posts: 82
Joined: Sat Nov 15, 2014 7:58 am

Re: Tight shifter

Post by rbpfyo »

I have a similar sitch on my f39 - sticky shifter - hard to move red knob when black knob is engaged - also hard to disengage black knob (pull it out) in certain positions

I am a newbie owner, boat is in drydock, and I haven't motored or sailed her yet - still working on engine, have not even fired her up yet - can someone explain to me how it's supposed to work?
seems that:
- black knob pushed in enables the shifter - allows red knob to move FWD, NEUTRAL, and REVERSE (on my boat, this is difficult)
- black knob pulled out allows red knob to move easily between 3 positions, but shift cable does nothing - so I'm guessing this is the 'pull-kill' for the tranny - instantly takes you out of any gear - does it also kill the engine??
- red knob pushed past FWD or REV is the throttle, correct?

on the injection pump I see 2 control cables - one is clearly the throttle (governor), and another (smaller wire) I am guessing is kill switch
but I am not sure what actuates that kill switch - there is a red button on the engine panel, but seems unlikely that an electrical signal would be able to pull a cable - so is it the black knob of the shifter that pulls the kill toggle on the IP? or something else?

thanks!
Rolf in MA

peaceandfreedom
Posts: 258
Joined: Wed Jul 29, 2009 8:51 pm
Location: F33 CK & F38 CK Milford ct

Re: Tight shifter

Post by peaceandfreedom »

With the black knob pulled out, the transmission will not engage so you can rev the engine in FWD or Reverse. The thin cable on the IP is to kill the engine. There should be a knob or T-handle near the wheel. Pulling this knob will kill the engine. (Don't forget to push it back or the engine will not start the next time you try). Check all cables to ensure they are able to freely operate.

Happy sailing
Jim D

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