Forward adjustment in the reverse gear is maxed out?

[olindaboat]

Adjusting the forward mode on a used bought-off-the-internet A-4 with reverse gear, does not give the result I am looking for.
Turning the cogged adjustment wheel clockwise the wheel stops, backing off to the last accessible slot in the wheel and securing it, there is complete slippage. Servicing this gear on the bench it did engage. Since reassembling it to the engine and installing it in the boat, complete failure. Is this a sign of worn clutch plates?
Has anyone been succesful removing the gear from the engine without pulling the engine from the engine compartment? This is a Catalina 30 or 32.
Any advice is very much appreciated.

[Marian Claire]

First off welcome to the forum. I am not a reversing gear guru but could the issue be with the linkage? The issue came to light after installing on the boat. So the age old question, "What has changed". Dan S/V Marian Claire

[olindaboat]

Reverse adjustment

Thank you for your reply.
Adjusting the gear I disconnected the linkage at the handle in the cockpit. Adjusting the reverse action I discovered that the lever on the port side of the gearbox was hitting the epoxied stringer that the engine is mounted on and did not allow engaging reverse completely. Chipping away about 1/2" off the stringer
Took care of that. Adjusting the forward turning the cogged adjustment wheel to its maxed-out stop proved insufficient. The gear has no grip. I must conclude that the the friction plates are worn to the extent that they do not work any longer. My question is is it possible to remove the gear from the engine with the engine in the boat? This is a Catalina 30 or 32. The engine is beneath the galley counter/settee. Things are a little cramped with this closed cooling setup,that has been added. By the way she is not my boat. Doing this for a friend.
Looking forward to any input.
Thank you very much.

[Dave Neptune]

Cluthes doubtfull

olindaboat, forget about reverse for the moment! You say you have the "adjuster" all the way tight which leads me to the detent question. Is the "detent" still being felt with your adjustment? I think you may have gone to tight and the "fingers" are riding on the "cone" and not the detent, not to uncommon of a mistake. The detent "locks" the trans into forward and there is nothing that holds it in reverse but you applying pressure on the linkage when adjusted properly!!!!

If your "fingers" are riding on the cone and not in the "detents grove" you will need to readjust. First disconnect the linkeage and move the shifting on the engine forward and look at the "fingers on the cone" if the "tips" are not in the "groove" your to tight. The adjustment is correct when it takes a bit of force to shift and "click" onto the "detent" with the "fingers". Hopefully this is your issue.

Once you have this done it is time to hook up the control linkage and look to reverse.

Dave Neptune

[Mark Millbauer]

Olindaboat,

The C30 has amazing access once the galley is removed. That operation normally takes less than hour. With it removed you should easily be able to remove the upper gear housing and remove the gear once the shaft and flange are disconnected and removed.

Mark

[yeahjohn]

Good advice from Dave. I would say also make sure to watch a few video clips, and check out the diagrams. I pulled my reversing gear assembly out of my Catalina 30 and replaced it while in the water, but this should be much easier than that.

[olindaboat]

Success!!

Dave, thank you so much for your input.
I followed your instructions, made shure the fingers were in the groove and all was well!
All the other replies are very much appreciated.

Best regards, Hendrik

[Dave Neptune]

Nice

Henrick, glad to be of assistance. Now perhaps ypu can enjoy the boat for the weekend. I will be aboard for a few days now myself.

Dave Neptune

[tgmayer]

Hello A4 users. I am having a similar problem with my gear box. In my case the reverse gear is working fine after multiple stepwise walks along the adjusting collar for the forward adjust. still, I see the pressure plate fingers ( claws) sitting nicely in the groove of teh operating cone, indicating the ideal indent for forward gear. alas, the forward gear is a dribble in speed and there is no detente felt was on the water. reverse is great. please advise....and also what is the remedy for partially broken casing for the retaining pin that inserts into the adjusting collar? ted

[tgmayer]

A4 reversing gear issue I have - similar

hello reversing gear thread people,
I am having trouble with the reversing gear. the forward detente was not obtained with the cockpit lever and we had to move the gear box lever by hand. so I opened the box by removing the access plate and moved the adjusting collar counterclockwise. now the reverse direction poer and engagement is fine but I still cannot find the detente in forward gear ...and I get no speed at all. Yet the pressure plate fingers were in the groove in the operating cone when I closed the box. I did not budge the lever when reattaching the cable.
any ideas for a solution? ted
p.s. why is the gear box called a reversing gear when it is in fact forward, neutral and reverse. very confusing terminology.

[edwardc]

....and also what is the remedy for partially broken casing for the retaining pin that inserts into the adjusting collar? ted

With care it is possible to drill and tap one of the remaining two ears on the casting. There are other posts here that cover this in detail.

hello reversing gear thread people,
I am having trouble with the reversing gear. the forward detente was not obtained with the cockpit lever and we had to move the gear box lever by hand. so I opened the box by removing the access plate and moved the adjusting collar counterclockwise. now the reverse direction poer and engagement is fine but I still cannot find the detente in forward gear ...and I get no speed at all. Yet the pressure plate fingers were in the groove in the operating cone when I closed the box. I did not budge the lever when reattaching the cable.
any ideas for a solution? ...

If your casting is broken, I suspect that your fwd adjustment is not staying in place without the locking screw to engage the notches on the collar.

...p.s. why is the gear box called a reversing gear when it is in fact forward, neutral and reverse. very confusing terminology.

The gears are only engaged in reverse. In fwd, the fwd clutch plates lock the whole assembly together as one solid mass, and it turns 1:1 with the crankshaft. In reverse, the fwd clutch is released, and a friction band around the outer shell of the reversing gear assembly immobilizes it, allowing the gears to operate and reverse the direction of rotation. This also provides about a 1.2:1 reduction

Neutral is just the point in-between, where neither the fwd clutch nor the reversing band are grabbing. It's a very "soft" spot, and hard to find exactly.