Cutt off swicth failure on my boat?

Question

I have an 87 bayliner capri inboard 5.0. whenever i put it in gear it kills the engine instantly. we thought it might be thecut off switch thats near the carb. is that a possibilty?

Answer 1

It probably is not getting enough fuel. You may want to have your carburetors looked at.

Answer 2

I am presuming that you have an alpha drive.  If it's a Bravo, disreguard everything that follows, and take it to a tech.  A couple of things to check:  Is the shift interupter switch staying up on the cam when you shift? This may indicate a faulty or stretched intermediate shift cable.  Does the motor also stall in reverse?  A quick check...  does the propeller spin freely while the boat is in nuetral?  If not, remove the propeller and look for fishing line.  If no fishing line, You have a serious gearcase problem, and needs to be addressed by a proffessional. Drive problems are hard to diagnose second-hand.  Good luck.

Answer 3

Frank M has it right, but I think you have an OMC Cobra drive.  Same problem and solution!

Answer 4

I think that the lower shift cable has binded and couses the shift interrupt switch to stall the engine when you try to shift in to gear.

This switch is located on the shift linkage plate on the back of the engine or transom plate (where both shift cables are attached)  and it normally operates when you switch out of gear. You can check this by watching the switch and lever when some one shifts the boat in to gear while on the water with the engine running. (be care full !) If it moves it activates the switch and so shuts down the ignition.

The only good solution to fix this is to replace the lower shift cable. This is a common issue on some older MerCruisers.

Here is how to http://www.sterndrives.com/supplies/mdti...

Frank

Answer 5

Never heard of cut off switch by the carb? They do have them by the ignition switch. Also have them in the shifter handle so as not to start in gear I/Os have them on the shift cable by the carb. That is Inboard/outboard. Is it a Mecruiser I/O then the shift cable is bad and needs replaced. Once in gear Merc. kills the ignition with that switch so that it will come out of gear easily. OMC have 3 switches to adjust but they are hooked to a black box that only staggers the engine; runs rough. Neither is needed on a Volvo Penta. If i9t is a true inboard and stalls when you put it in gear check the transmission, burnt fluid. The trans. is probably seized up!

Answer 6

Bypass the switch to see if that solves the problem. If not, check your fuel supply line for any restriction that could cause the engine to fail under "load".