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Neutral cut off switch

C

Commando

New member
Everything has been fine when running my '83 Eluder with the 485 Engine until last weekend.

The boat starts and idles great but the engine cuts off when put in forward or reverse. I checked the switch in the stern and when it is making contact "closed" the engine cuts off. I disconnected the wire from switch to the coil and lowered the idle and it works fine bypassing the switch. This isnt the way I want to run the boat.

Is the switch supposed to be open or closed while in gear?

Thanks for any help with this.
 
If I remember Alphas, there is supposed to a 1/8" gap between the wheel of the cutoff switch and the detent of the shifter. Just bend the end of the switch wheer the wheel is with a pair of needle nose pliers to get the gap set. Of course, that is providing the switch is good. DONT run that boat around without that switch working, your drive will fail real soon if you do.
 
that switch is normally open.. and should briefly close when shifting gears.. (grounding out the ign system) this allows the clutch dogs to break and the drive go into neutral.. when not operating correctly you may switch gears, and stay in forward, or in reverse... if this should happen, shut the engine off and restart. this switch has nothing to do with a neutral saftey switch.. the most common issue when this happens is your shift cable is getting stiff.. and normally is the culprit..
 
Thanks for the replies. Maybe the switch is bad or something needs an adjustment. I will check this weekend and let you all know what I find out.
 
I'm not sure what drive unit you have it has been a long time. If it is an R/MR drive, there was a service bulletin about adjusting the cables properly. I believe it was 84-24. Your dealer should be able to help you if you give him the serial number off your drive unit. Just remember he doesn't have a crystal ball and can't gaurantee you his guess is right without working on it. as well some dealers are reluctant to hand out info and want you to bring it in, that is how they stay in business.

If I remember correctly there were also issues with some of these units and I believe early alpha's, with having to overshift to get the units back into neutral. (years affected - Mid 80's?) This was due to the jam nut on the spool wearing if I remember correctly. Can also be the cable, as happy said, getting stiff.

If you don't have the tools, factory service manual, and familiarity with sevicing these units I would strongly advise having a competent dealer look after it.

Good luck...
 
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