Volvo Penta SP drive no reverse

[Bragg Brothers]

We currently have a Volvo Penta SP drive which is just like a 280 or 290 drive, the problem we are having is the reverse gear only engages about half the time of coarse never when when you really need it like at the boat ramp. We have checked all of the linkage from the controls and it seems to be working fine. Has any one out there ever had this problem before? There does seem to be some slack where the shifting shoe goes into the eccentric but we don't know if that is how it is supposed to be. Any help on this matter will be greatly appreciated.

[gonzo]

The volvo drive has a cone clutch. It engages inside the gears. In neutral position it is equidistant from both gears. If there is play in the shift shoe it would be out of adjustment. However, the reverse gear and the shoe may worn too. Can you adjust it so it goes in reverse at all?

[Bragg Brothers]

Gonzo, thanks for the reply. We can remove the shift cover mechanism and manually push on the sliding sleeve and it does engage that way of coarse doing it this way the only way we can check if it is engaged is by spinning the prop. The sliding sleeve and the reverse gear seem to show very little wear but I am not a expert on gear wear so I could be mistaking.

[gonzo]

There is an adjutment procedure for the shift shoe. It is done with shims. Your local library may have a manual.

[Bragg Brothers]

Thanks for the info, I will start at the libary, we have a Clymer manual but it doesn't go into much detail. I will tell you South Texas is not Volvo Penta country, for us to get it worked on by a dealer we will have to haul the boat about 120 miles and we live in Corpus Christi city by the bay, go figure. well, thanks again and if you brain storm any thing new, please reply.

[ibdaveisme]

I have a 1996 Four Winns 225 sundowner with a Volvo Penta drive. The problem im having is that when I shift into reverse it goes forward and when I shift into netural it goes forward. Forward works fine. Any help would be appreciated greatly..