Gear controls reversed (reversed is forward - forward is reverse )

[elcojo2]

Hi all,

Got boat out to do bottom paint and cutless replacement. This is a fairly new boat with no much use yet. Still getting the used to it.
Since I got back the boat, I noticed the edson control gear is reverse. When I put the control back is supposed to be reversed and label reversed and goes forward. And when I go forward it goes reversed. Question the boatyard had to re install a pyii max prop lite. Could this prop has been installed wrong rotation and this is what is making the controls in reverse. This is a new boat I don't remember is this was the case. I am a very paranoid individual, I feel I would have notice this, would have bug me. First thing I would have notice.

On the documentation says is right rotation:
X = K
Y =1E
2T

 

[twalker H260]

On our boat the controls at the pedestal can only be connected one way.
Edson does make their labels so that the controls actions are indicated accurately.

Engine Control Decal

A red decal on your engine controls provides you and your guests with instructions at a glance. It is supplied with all new controls. Order a replacement if yours has become unreadable. Works for all engine controls.

edsonmarine.com

Controls direction of action can sometimes be reversed by changing connection at the motor. - ie. made to pullrather than push or vice versa.

 

[dlochner]

Oh, I just know too much about this and not enough about your boat.

Can you send a photo of the shift lever at the pedestal and the lever on the transmission? That will help the diagnosis a lot. Specifically there are 4 photos that would be helpful if clearly labeled. The photos would be:

• Gearshift in "forward position"
• Shift Lever on transmission when gearshift is in forward position
• Gearshift in "reverse position"
• Shift lever on transmission when gearshift is in reverse position

The Max prop has flat blades which means it can be either a left hand or right hand prop depending on how you set the props gearing.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

It may be fairly common with Edson pedestal and Yanmar/Kanzaki transmission. My Starwind 27 had the same issue. The builder simply reversed the linkage at the transmission to set it right. When I re-powered with a new Yanmar, the installer set the linkage as the installation instructions dictated and my controls were reversed as you have it. I learned to just live with it.

You can't change the linkage in the pedestal, but when you look at the linkage on the transmission, you will probably see that you can remove the transmission linkage and install it upside down to get the desired results.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

On our boat the controls at the pedestal can only be connected one way.

Controls direction of action can sometimes be reversed by changing connection at the motor. - ie. made to pullrather than push or vice versa.

Yes, that was my experience. When the linkage lever on the transmission is installed upside-down pull becomes push and push becomes pull. There should be room to install the lever upside down.

 

[Ward H]

Question the boatyard had to re install a pyii max prop lite. Could this prop has been installed wrong rotation and this is what is making the controls in reverse.

The Max prop has flat blades which means it can be either a left hand or right hand prop depending on how you set the props gearing.

Sure sounds like the yard installed the prop wrong if that was the only mechanic part of the drive train they worked on.

Since the shift lever is marked intelligently, forward boat goes forward, reverse boat goes reverse, and operation required you to operate it opposite to how it was marked, you probably would have remembered that. I know I would, if only by all the dock and boat damage I caused by going in the wrong direction.

@Scott T-Bird asked me to move his boat for him once. I said OK. He said "remember the shifter is backwards". I changed my answer.

 

[SVConfianza]

We had a boatyard do this to us once. They took off the shifter lever arm to get it out of the way while working on something else, and then reinstalled it flipped to the other side. Essentially the reversed forward and reverse.

Maybe they did something similar. I don't think the max prop could be the culprit, but I also have yet to find a boat yard that reinstalls my max prop properly, and I have had to take it back apart 100% of the time to put it on the right settings. The components are all numbered because the prop is balanced at the factory in that arrangement. If they're put on out of order, it will cause pre-mature wear to the parts. Boatyards usually don't seem to note the pitch first, and get the pitch wrong all the time.

 

[dlochner]

I also have yet to find a boat yard that reinstalls my max prop properly

Marathon Boatyard in Marathon Florida. The yard manager knows how to assemble a Max Prop and can do it quickly. Rather than rely on the boatyard to remember the settings, it is best to write them down for the yard and give them the settings.

 

[elcojo2]

Thanks for all the responses. I have talked with boatyard and we will haul out again. He said is possible they put it wrong. In the meantime, I will go to boat today and make sure when I push the lever in forward on the edson pedestal I want to confirm that the cable would get pull and transmission will engage in forward which per manual I believe is towards stern and reverse is towards bow. Hurth transmission hbw 50.
I just want to make sure was not like this before, which knowing myself would be the first thing trying to fix. I am still confused about the shifter lever arm. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures and I can not find online a way to install that reversed. I don't think they touch nothing on that area but I read a lot about this, not sure how on this transmission could be install reverse. If someone wants to educate me on this I would appreciated.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experiences.

 

[Ward H]

when I push the lever in forward on the edson pedestal I want to confirm that the cable would get pull and transmission will engage in forward which per manual I believe is towards stern and reverse is towards bow. Hurth transmission hbw 50.

I had a HBW 50 on my Catalina 30. The transmission lever is on the starboard side.
When I moved the shift lever to "forward" it pulled the cable at the transmission and the lever moved aft.
When I moved the shift lever to "reverse" it pushed the cable pushing the transmission lever forward.

In other words, just like you believe it to work.

The only way for that to be changed on the transmission is to swing the transmission lever neutral position so it points down. I suppose some boats could have a bell crank assembly to reverse the push/pull direction.

Other transmissions have the shift lever on the port side. I believe that's the case with Kanzaki transmissions and is on my new Twin Disc TMC 40 transmissions. I simply turned the shift lever on the transmission from pointing up to pointing down and made a new lower bracket to hold the shift cable.

That is not such an easy change to make by accident so I still l think it is the prop.

 

[elcojo2]

Ward,

Perfect explanation that is exactly the way I thought would have to be done, but of course you need to do new bracket to align cable an all that jazz. Totally makes sense.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[dlochner]

The shift lever on the transmission is a simple cam. If you release the cable from the shift lever and then move the lever you can feel it. Once the lever is moved from neutral the lever can continue to move, but it does nothing to the transmission. It is not like a clutch on an automobile.

The standard way to install the lever is with the lever pointing up. There is a clamping bolt on the lever that attaches it to the transmission. If that bolt is loosened the orientation of the shift lever can be changed. At leats on my transmission, putting the gears in forward is a clockwise rotation, reverse is a counter clockwise rotation.

Because the reverse and forward gears have different ratios if the prop is reversed you will see different performance with the engine rpm and forward speed from normal.

It is a long convoluted story, so I won't bore with the details. We had our transmission replaced and the shop put the lever in the up position when it should have been in the down position. We initially thought the prop had been reversed, we changed that, but that didn't help. Eventually we realized the shop had reversed the lever, so we had to haul the boat for the third time to put the prop back correctly (for RH rotation) and we changed the single handle shift/throtle control. Learned more about transmissions in those few weeks than ever I thought I would know.