Transmission Slippage

[brianm132]

Hello All,

at the beginning of the season i replaced my ignition system, (coil, cap, plugs, etc.) to address problems with no/little power in forward and fine in reverse. i also replaced the carburetor and added a secondary fuel filter. i adusted the timing and was able to get up to about 4.5 - 5 knots max. whenever i would push the rpms to go faster the transmission would slip and rev very high. i would have to throttle down and then up in order for it to catch again. in mid july i let the boat sit for about 2 to 2.5 weeks and when i returned the max i was able to get was maybe 2.5 to 3 knots in forward. again reverse was/is fine. i took the boat out and reset the timing again but she still will give me very little power in forward and slips. a friend told me i may have stripped something in the transmission since i have had the boat for 3 years and have always sailed with the engine in neutral. i don't think there is anything on the prop. just before the season started i did a short haul had the bottom washed and new zincs installed.

Can anyone help with this issue.

Thanks.

BTW - i sent this question to Don Moyer earlier today.

[NickL]

The pitch could be too great on the prop.

[mike dryver]

brian sounds like you have a fluid problem in the tranny. what you did at start of season was irrelevent. if you have no problem in reverse then there should not be an ignition problem in forward. the ig. works the same in both directions. any way have you checked the level of your fluid or to see if there is h2o in the fluid. what kind of tranny is it. ect. if the fluid is ok then you could have warped clutch plates, or if the plates had fibre contact surfaces which borg-warner changed to for awhile in the early 80s the contact surfaces could have fallen off if any moisture got into the tranny. these plates were replacement for the sintered bronze plates i believe because they engaged softer and because they were cheaper to make. the problem with was that water would cause them fail and fall off the clutch disc. if this the case with your tranny you have either lost the friction surface or there is debris in the fluid passages for forward causing a restriction of fluid flow which will also cause slippage
regards mike

[brianm132]

I guess I should have added that this is an atomic 4 engine

[cardiacpaul]

The transmission lube is common to the engine oil, no separate supply.

sounds like forward needs adjustment. heres the instructions.

http://www.geocities.com/atomfour/A4Tips.html#IND%20S

[owlmtn]

On the Atomic 4 the transmission can be adjusted easily. It's a bit complicated to explain here but if you own one of these engines you need (really really need) the Atomic 4 manual from Moyer Marine. you can order it on their website. Their manual has the only clear explanation of how to do it. when you adjust it, take it a little at a time. If you need any further help i'd be glad to offer what I can. Jim L

[tenders]

I completely agree with Cardiacpaul. Textbook case of loose clutch adjustment -- and when you hear hooves, think horses before zebras.