No drive on maiden voyage

I just took my new (to me) '69 Cc Barracuda with Chrysler 318 and Warner velvet drive out for it's maiden voyage Sunday. It was a very mixed result.

I think I'll love the boat, but it would be easier to live with if I could top 30 mph. The previous owner promised 50. But he hasn't driven it much for the last 10 years. And the transmission quit on me in the middle of the lake. Another boat towed me to shore.

It also would not rev over 3000-3500 rpm. I had the shift lever pushed well past horizontal at the front, and closer to vertical upside down. I actually got some tubing done before the transmission quit completely. The motor was running, but the tranny would not spin the prop.

Is this low tranny fluid, or a bad clutch? Or poorly adjusted linkage. If it's the latter, how do I decide that, and/or adjust it properly.

Needless to say it was really sluggish on takeoff.

Also, the bottom seemed to leak water in pretty fast. Thankfully, the bilge pump worked fine. How difficult is it and how much does it cost to put a new seal in around the driveshaft?

That's all for now. I'm sure I'll have other questions in the future while we're still cozying up to each other.

Thomas

tleed:

Maybe a bit more detail will help you out. As 882001 suggested, the first thing you shoudl do is change all fluids and make sure they are topped off. Hopefully the only problem with both the engine and the tranny are shift/throttle cable problems. After 10 years, it is very possible that they are binding up and you broke something eventually.

First thing to do is make sure the button on the throttle control is pushed in. then with the engine off, apply forward throttle while at the same time observing the shift lever on the top port side of the tranny. Does the lever move? If not, then you found your problem. Also, check that your carb butterflys are opening fully. If not, then you found your power problem. Given that both problems you suggest can be caused by the throttle control, I suggest you start here.

You should also change the sea/raw water pump impeller...after 10 years, it as surely taken a "set" if not lost several "fingers".

If water is coming in around the drive shaft packing collar, then it is a simple mater of replacing the wax rope packing. Simply back off the large locking nut then unscrew the packing cap. Remove the old packing rope and replace with two new pieces cut to fit around the driveshaft. The cut ends should be opposing each other when installed. You could even try tightening the packing collar first to see if the leak stops. A slow drip of water while underway is normal to keep the packing cool. Do NOT tighten the packing collar so tight that no water drips in as you will burn something up or wear a groove in your driveshaft.

Also, you might want to rebuild the carburetor if the idle is poor or it stumbles on acceleration.

Good luck and feel free to ask more questions.

Thanks for the replies!

The previous owner rebuilt the carb within the last two years, so it should be right. He has run it some, and he was fanatical about maintenance, so I was trusting that he did not give me a boat with 10-year-old fluids. Nevertheless, I agree. It is a good idea to change them all before I run it too much. In fact, I already bought some crankcase cleaner to run in the motor before I change the oil.

More detail:

The throttle lever does move the shift lever on transmission. Hence my question. I'mwondering how far it should be moving it. I had a friend with me who is a little more knowledgeable about boats, and he was sure it was a cable adjustment problem. Likewise, I didn't know how to check the fluid level until I got back home and read the manual. Haven't actually had a chance to do that yet.

I'm suspecting a leaking seal that the fluid all exited out of. When I ran the bilge, a huge oil slick formed around the boat every time.

Thanks for the info on the driveshaft packing issue. I'm so ignorant about boats I don't even know where to get the rope packing. Is that like buying an oil filter (just different sizes for different vehicles that you get at a local marina/boat supply store) or do I have to go to Correct Craft for that?

Incidentally, I bent the dipstick tube while putting the engine cover back down. Anybody know if that's a marine-specific part, or the same on all 318's (auto included)?

Thomas

The shift lever should have three detents for the spring loaded ball to "click" into. Take the cotter pin out along with the shift cable. move the shift lever backwards and forwards. Listen and feel for the click. Notice where forward, neutral, and reverse are. There should be a R,a N, and a F cast in the rear housing. Put the shifter cable back on and check position. Your throttle should not move before the trans. goes into gear!

I put about 2 quarts of fluid in the transmission and got reverse back, but still no forward. And it seemed like it was still leaking at the tranny somewhere.

I have a manual and compared the pictures and watched the little detent ball, and as far as I can tell, the throttle/shifter cable(s) are doing what they're supposed to be doing.

I took it to a marina, but they don't give me much confidence: been a long time since they've worked on a boat like that...don't know if they can get parts...he only works Saturdays and Sundays and doesn't have any idea how long it will take to get to it.

I know auto trannies for cars can be difficult for the amateur to handle if you're trying to do more than change the fluid. But what about this tranny? I'm wondering about yanking it out of the shop and trying to fix it myself. How hard is it to get these trannies out? The boating season will be over soon...

Should I be intimidated, or is this probably just a matter of changing some clutch plates?

Any other tips, now that we know reverse works without forward?

Thomas