Engine Bracket & ESA Troubleshooting Part 4 - OMC Cobra Volvo Penta SX

[@davidjessee7701]

I believe the interrupt switch is the one you have the tester hooked to… the whole reason for the interrupt switch is to momentarily kill the motor to let the pressure off the gears ⚙️ coming out of forward to neutral and reverse to neutral…. Never interrupting going into forward or going into reverse..

[@Luigi-pk8mk]

Switch with the little lever is the interrupt, switch with the little button is the overstroke. The interrupt drops the idle when shifting from in-gear to neutral from 600 to 450 to allow the clutch dogs to release. Once that happens the idle will rise back to 600 and all this should only take a few seconds. The overstroke keeps the ESA turned off essentially when in gear, because if the shift cable gets sticky or the switch is over tightened it can stick on which would make the engine run very poorly when in gear.

[@KM-gf8oy]

This is a Great video and it does help to understand the ESA system. ESA stands for Electronic Shift Assist. It drops the idle while you shift from neutral to reverse to put less load on the gears. There are a couple of mistakes: 1) The Overstroke Switch is the one that is more visible. It has the arm that rides on the "W". That switch is Normally Open (no continuity) You can tell that because when Mike activates it the multi-meter beeps showing continuity. This switch only activates for a second AS you shift. 2) The interupter switch in normally closed. If you activate it, it opens and kills the signal to the EAS. If the interupter is open, activating the Overstroke will will not do anything. In the video this switch is activated when you are in forward. (Mike had the normally open VS normally closed incorrect) My engine is like the one Mike is working on and only activate the ESA going into reverse but some are different.

[@michaelromer2016]

Thanks for your comments. I got the terms mixed up. Others mentioned the same thing in the comments below. Thanks so much. Please hit that subscribe button!

[@Luigi-pk8mk]

The reason for the overstroke switch is, in case the interrupt switch sticks after the shift to in gear has been made, the idle will not be lowered as it should be when shifting form FWD or REV to neutral. The interrupt switch can stick if the shift cable gets sticky, or if the retaining screws are overtightened.

[@graemewood1216]

Thanks Michael! So glad you made these vids for everyone to have a go for themselves

[@michaelromer2016]

Thanks so much!

[@HeyLanny]

Very good with great video close up and repeat emphasis on things you may forget. Will watch 2 or 3 times to make sure the brain retains as the 1992 OMC 4.3 has had shade tree mechanics working on this boat. Cut wires. Different color wires and just plain stupids. Thanks. Great video

[@gregoffenback6910]

I did not realize the ESA doesn't work in forward. There are times I have a difficult time getting it out of forward into neutral. I thought the ESA was intended to cause the engine to stumble to make it easy to get out of gear.

[@levidrumm5413]

I believe ESA doesn't activate when going into or while in forward gear, but you are correct that as you go from forward to neutral it should momentarily engage to release the load and let the gears separate. Same for going from reverse to neutral.

[@kurtmes1469]

very good explanation thank you for your time posting this but I would like to make one correction you are showing this with engine not running. Ill bet when in forward the esa is disengaged as you stated but when you go back to neutral and there is more psi on shift cable. When running the esa will engage for a split second due to psi on shift cable to allow the gears to come apart as control moves back toward neutral position. any more than a split second will cause a stall condition. this is why it is disengaged in forward. Imagine with more psi on that cable and the esa switch engaged the very moment the overthrow switch becomes disengaged the interrupt switch will make its contact and engage the esa this will instantly remove psi from gears allowing them to come apart only for the split second that is needed. this is needed in forward and rev on all boats to disengage gears.

[@Luigi-pk8mk]

One last thing, when shifting a dog clutch drive into gear and out of gear with the engine OFF, someone should be spinning the prop while you work the gearshift lever. Shifting it without either the driveshaft or the prop shaft turning can damage the clutch dogs and it may not go into gear.

[@1hussamann]

Super erklärt, wieder ein gutes Video!!!!

[@michaelromer2016]

Thanks!

[@longjayrod55]

I have a omc 3.0 he explains perfect ..

[@michaelromer2016]

Thanks so much. Please hit that subscribe button!

[@CrazyCanuckFitness]

Super helpful!!

[@donzi32boats80]

Great video, easy to understand, easy to follow. Thanks for sharing..

[@michaelromer2016]

Thanks so much! Stay tuned more to come!

[@christyjones9071]

Michael Romer I just bought an 88 horizon 200 5.7. I took out test run yesterday. Issue is it stalls out at any speed like you shut it off. Starts right back up. Previous owner stuck car electronic distributor in it. Could this ESA system be causing it or car distributor ? Thanks in advance.

[@markmccoy8304]

Michael, You talk about the shift cable alignment tool around the 5 minute mark of your video. You explain the dimension "its 6 1/2" from the trunnion all the way to....to right there". My question is: Is it from the center if the Barrel nut mounted in the trunnion to the center of the pin that the cable mounts to? If not, can you explain the exact points where the dimension is measured from? I don't have a special cable tool. Thank you. Great video series, by the way.

[@jliggett7491]

Hi Michael, great job on the videos. I have and 88' 4.3 cobra with shifting problems for the 8 years I have had it. I am going through it with your videos and seeing what may be issues caused by service centers I paid to fix it.. 1/ starting at the micro switches, they were not functioning at 100% so I replaced them. I have the wire diagram and notes from your videos. The rubber connection plug from the micro switches has 4 pins, 2 from each micro switch, all testing good now. 2/ The large rubber plug to the recently replaced ESA has only 2 pins in the plug.. The two pins are from the switch with the roller. None for the interrupt switch. There is no jumper to tie the micro switches together (as depicted on #35 in the wire diagram). new ESA.. PN 18-5889..OEM PN 987739. Did the mechanic install the wrong ESA? or has the unit been updated to eliminate the interrupt switch? None of the adjustments have matched yours yet, and I did buy the alignment tools you suggested. Thanks..

[@badbuffalogaming8294]

So why does Esa work in reverse and not forward!? Mine has two tabs for both forward and reverse

[@peterkurtin9039]

You're calling the interrupt switch the overstroke switch, and vice versa. The interrupt switch is activated by the "w" load lever. Refer to OMC documentation.

[@troysouthworth9016]

I Have a 1986 and have the exact same problem as J Liggett that posted a problem a month ago, 4 female terminals in plug from interrupt switch and overstroke switch. Tested with Ohm meter, both switches worked as designed B U T ??? only 2 male terminals coming from ESA and plug into the interrupt switch only the females to overstroke are not used ??? now although 4 wires do come out of the ESA two go up to interrupt switch and the other two go into a rubber plug union and are then routed into a wire harness headed down under the motor to who no"s were which I will try to chase ? PLEASE HELP SUMMERS GONE IN A MONTH HERE !!!! THANKS

[@alain4111]

Hello Michael. In your video part 4 on shifter switch, you say that the over stroke sw is normally closed!

[@michaelromer2016]

Check out some of the earlier comments. I made some corrections there. Thanks!

[@jakelowe3526]

My esa is stuck on even with switch unplugged.. any tips?

[@jungleboyshd5996]

You’re a good man

[@Connortheexpressengine]

Awesome knowledge thanks

[@michaelromer2016]

My pleasure

[@brucejohnson1586]

Mike, I have a 1987 Bayliner Contessa with twin 5.0 L 230 hp OMC Cobrajet stern drives. It has the old style shift arm with the slot on the bottom part of the arm instead of above as in all your videos. Should I replace it or is mine adjustable. Seems I could benefit from the extra throw to get full engagement in both forward and reverse. If I need the new one do you have a part number for twin engines? It has a control cable on each side. I bought one but unless my old control cable attachment presses out of the arm and slides into the new one, I have the wrong part.

[@michaelromer2016]

Twin setups gets tricky. Can you show in a video how your setup is configured?

[@brucejohnson1586]

I can send a video in a week or so. I did discover the starboard engine ESA is. Not working. I ordered both a new overstroke. Switch and an interrupt switch. I will need to figure out which switch is bad. Shifting. Has no nterrupt. The port engine is working better and the ESA system is working. Nice thing about twin engines is you have one to look at. Additionally I bought Morse single lever controls to replace the old uflex shift w separate throttles. It’s too difficult to grab all those levers while backing into a slip at a busy marina..

[@michaelromer2016]

Bruce Johnson so very true!

[@ricklangdon5450]

Nice video. Could this bracket stop the engine from cranking at startup? My engine won't even start cranking unless I pull the throttle level back to reverse, then push it forward until I hit a spot where it would feel like it's back to neutral. Then, and only then, will the engine attempt to crank and actually fire up. Could it be that the bracket is not adjusted properly any more? Thank you.

[@jeffross2639]

How do I know or check what my modal and application is designed to do? 1988 Bluewater OMC Cobra 5.7L

[@jeffwalton6493]

Okay Mike I found the part it's a 123 9800 it's an ESA to control the voltage really unsure when it comes to electronics on how to hook up do you have a video on how to hook up

[@michaelromer2016]

What’s going on with your current setup?

[@alviomantecon5951]

Michael please any recommendation I don’t know what to do

[@michaelromer2016]

Start with part one of the series

[@troysouthworth9016]

To add to my last question when going into forward or reverse the "W" part on linkage engages interrupt switch as designed as it goes into gear and stays interrupted as I throttle up then overstroke switch is activated which is connected to nothing leaving interrupt switch on of course making engine not run and eventually stalling ???

[@sallucido852]

I am working on a OMC that has a non adjustable ESA shift bracket . Should I get a bracket that has a adjustable top hole?

[@michaelromer2016]

What year and model boat do you have to include the engine size

[@sallucido852]

1992 Cobra , Seaswirl w/ 5.8 v8

[@craigstevens5791]

Hello, I am trying trouble shoot a shifting problem on my 1990 OMC it shifts fine going in to forward or reverse while engine off buy when engine is on and in gear it will not come out of gear. I have to quickly turn engine of put into neutral then start engine again to move in and out of gear. Please if you could advise?

[@emilyromer9949]

Hey Craig. Take you boat and tie it to a dock or a safe location. Discount the cotter pin and nut that holds the shifter cable in place. Manually try to push and pull the lower unit into gear. You will be able to feel forward, neutral, and reverse. If you feel resistance you have a bad shifter cable which is very common and likely the cause of your issue. Otherwise, you might need to service the lower unit.

[@randywinchester5131]

You mention a detent as the reason the W moves. Where exactly is the detent, ball and spring? Is this in the outdrive itself or somewhere itself?

[@michaelromer2016]

It is in the lower unit. Take a look here: Engine Shift Detent Upgrade - OMC Cobra - Evinrude - Johnson - Volvo kzbin.info/www/bejne/hWjCapdtrriUn8U

[@dad311]

Great videos, nice work! I have an 93 OMC 5.0. I recently had the shifter cable replaced. Although the boat shifts great, the ESA stays engaged but 50% of the time when going from neutral to forward. I only have one switch (interrupter) The work around is the bring the throttle lever back about an inch then go forward again. Would you know what I could adjust to fix this issue?? Is the switch adjustable? Can I give the switch a little tweak? Thx for any advice.

[@michaelromer2016]

Does you switch work 100% of the time with a continuity tester?

[@dad311]

@@michaelromer2016 My boat is about 5 hours away and I did not have a continuity tester last weekend. However, I did trip the switch manually with my finger and it worked (slowing the engine) each time so I believe the switch is good. If anything, the switch maybe sticking causing it not to release sometimes. Next time the ESA stays on ill try pushing down on the switch to see if its stuck or not in the middle of the "w". thx!

[@SeaDooEric]

Thanks for making this video

[@BrummyShow]

Hi I have omc 5.8l and I have 2 separate tabs on my engine bracket does that mean esa should engage both in forward and reverse ? Thanks for the answer.

[@BrummyShow]

Or it does mean it shouldn’t work at all cause tabs engages in both forward and reverse gear with the interrupter but why would they put a esa system then ? Any answer would be a lot appreciated..

[@alviomantecon5951]

Any recommendations I have 1989 5.7L OMC Cobra. When it runs for couple of minutes it shots up and hard to start I noticed no spark on the coil and replaced the but no start. If I let cool it then crank right up. Can it be the ESA module.

[@alviomantecon5951]

Please respond I don’t know what to do

[@kendrouse9160]

Great video, When shifting into reverse my W pops up but doesn't go back, keeping the esa on. Any suggestions?

[@michaelromer2016]

Ken the W can stay like that. You need a multi-meter to test to see if ESA is engaging. You can get one from Walmart for less than $20. Follow the same steps I mentioned and if it is engaging when it isn't suppose to, you need to adjust a few things. Thanks so much. Please hit that subscribe button!

[@alsbro1234]

Same

[@danhammel4279]

Ken. I faced with the same problem. Did you ever figure out why your "W" doesn't spring back?

[@atanner88]

Hey michael, I had an issue today when i was putting it in gear, the engine stumbled and the suddenly there was a pop and plume of white smoke. I can’t work out what it was that went pop however I just did your test on the interuptor and it’s not working (ie continuity continues to beep in forward and reverse gear). What do you suggest my next steps are? Replace the interuptor or is there also something potentially wrong with the ESA module? Is that what could have gone pop? Happy to take this offline over email if that’s easier. I have a few pics and videos. Thanks in advance! 🙌

[@michaelromer2016]

Try unplugging ESA. Did it start back up? Loud pops and white smoke could also be something else-maybe timing is a little off or it needs a little maintenance with the cap/rotor, plugs. When the motor stumbles, it shouldn’t emit any smoke.

[@atanner88]

So I just actually realized that the male connector is 4-pin as well but they’re only connecting it to the overstroke switch. The interuptor is working fine but whatever the wiring looks like from the 4pin female to 2pin male, this isn’t right. I restarted the engine after this happened earlier today (I can’t now bc it’s too late), I tried to shift gears again and it just kept stumbling at low revs but never went into gear. The ESA was still connected

[@michaelromer2016]

@@atanner88 with it running, trigger the ESA by hand and see how the motor behaves. You can grab that metal arm and test it’s functionality. Going forward, don’t try to actually shift it into gear until you determine if ESA is causing this or the lower unit is, or even something else.

[@atanner88]

Ok so here’s the update: I just started the engine and triggered the ESA. While the engine was cold, this stalled it out. Once the engine was warm, it dropped the RPM so that it was stumbling, but it appears that the ESA times out after about 10s and the RPM’s then increase. I was therefore able to get it in both forward and reverse with this period of low RPM stumbling. Yay! I’ve ordered a replacement ESA cable off eBay that hopefully integrates the interrupter switch so I don’t have this 10s of stinking before it goes into gear. My concern is still what exactly happened when there was a pop and small plume of white smoke “event”? I bought this boat a few months back and haven’t ever had it in gear. The fuel pump had failed (actually resulting in gas in the oil) and I don’t believe they had run the motor in gear for over 6months. So this “event” was when it was first engaged into gear after a very long period and after this 10s of stumbling through the ESA reduction in RPM. I lost sleep last night that there may have been catastrophic damage done to the engine or an issue with the lower unit. To see it run in gear today brought a bucket load of relief. I still want to dot my i’s and cross my t’s so any thoughts you have on things to check for good measure or explanation for what it was would be awesome. Thanks Michael… your channel rocks by the way!

[@michaelromer2016]

@@atanner88 thanks! Have you drained the oil in the lower unit? Metal on the drain plug (it’s magnetic) will tell you a lot about over health. I have two videos on the channel that go over how-to. Also look at greasing your gimbal bearing. These motors are pretty resilient. I have a video of me trying to start it up backwards-it’ll be uploaded this weekend. Thanks for watching!

[@larsebbert4670]

Guten Tag wir haben das Problem das unsere Esa System ok ist aber die Grundeinstellung wenn wir Rückwärtsgang oder Vorwärtsgang einlegen der Mikroschalter nicht wieder in das v Rutscht hoffe sie können uns da recht schnell helfen mfg Ebbert

[@maximusbavarius]

Vllt die Feder kaputt ?

[@michaelgemaly9496]

Where the hell was that de tent located again

[@michaelromer2016]

There is a detent like device on the engine bracket. It's used to cancel out the ESA system.

[@steveandresen9467]

@@michaelromer2016 My bracket is different than yours and I only have the overstroke switch without the interrupt switch. Should I adjust cables so overstroke is in center groove when in reverse or forward gear?

[@thebokkao]

When shifting mine back to neutral after going in reverse or neutral, it slows down but never stops. Could this bracket be my issue, or the switch?

[@Luigi-pk8mk]

The ESA system should reduce the idle from about 600 to 450 rpm, the engine should not stall.

[@jandjmca]

Question What activates the "W" cam to move, mine kinda varies as it moves ??

[@tomlawler2437]

Torq from shift resistance...

[@richardeisner1926]

What is esa

[@πάτερΑνδρέας]

An mas egrafes liga elinika tha mas voithouse para pol poli oreo viteo❤

[@craigsmith4131]

Nice video. Only comment is that you have normally open and normally closed switch contact terminology reversed.

[@emmanuelsefah1365]

I bought 1987 fishing boat to send it back home I need. mechanic to to fix it for me.

[@michaelromer2016]

I hope you got this fixed! Please subscribe!

[@shawnbrown2535]

Hello Mike i have a omc 3.0 cobra I'm having a issue when I shift into reverse it will shift but will stall most of yhe time. Forward works well but not reverse any ideas where to start. Ty shawn brown

[@michaelromer2016]

Sounds like ESA is shutting down the motor. Try disconnecting the ESA module and see if it still kills the motor in reverse.