Getting tranmission into drive

[vtomgardner]

Well, getting to the Serial # was a LOT harder than I though it'd be, and with dozens of photos and video of the plate, I can tell you -- I can't read a damn thing. ‍

But going to the dock behind my boat, I can say with a high degree of certainty that I've an Alpha I Gen II outboard. It's got the square/rectangular portion on the top of the drive, and not the curves of the Bravo 3. That said, it's probably a good idea to have the local SeaRay service guys give it a once-over before the season really gets started.

 

[CJM]

If it's an Alpha 1, it's probably a bad shift cable or has to be adjusted. The shift cable attaches to a bracket that's bolted to the exhaust riser. There is a switch on that bracket that interrupts the ignition, so that the dog-clutch in the outdrive can engage/dis-engage. The same cable also moves a lever inside the bell housing that connects to a shaft in the outdrive that changes the gears.

 

[BillK2632]

Like mentioned before, if you have a single propeller, I am certain that is an Alpha I Gen II outdrive. The only drive options on a 2001 240 SunDeck were the Alpha I Gen II or Bravo III. So -- your shifting problem is in the lower shift cable or the shift interrupt switch, it either needs adjusting or replaced. Adjusting is not hard (see attached video), replacing is a little more involved. I would check the adjustment first.

I found this YouTube video to be very good:
It covers removing the old and installing the new cable, you can skip to around the 8min mark where he is adjusting the new cable.

From the 2001 SeaRay 240 SunDeck spec sheet:
Options/Accessories OPTIONAL PROPULSION Gasoline Stern Drives
5.7L EFI Alpha I MCM* (260 hp - 194 kW)
5.7L EFI Bravo® III MCM* (260 hp - 194 kW)
7.4L MPI Bravo® III MCM* (310 hp - 231 kW)
MX 6.2L Bravo® III MCM* (Available January 2001) (320 hp - 239 kW)
*Fuel-Injected Engines Std. w/Stainless Steel Propeller(s) & Remote Oil Filter

 

[vtomgardner]

All, here's a late follow-up. I finally got my boat back from the mechanic after dealing with re-starting issues (impeller AND ignition coil) But for this thread, the shift cable needed to be adjusted. It now shifts quickly and easily there's no delay or thunk. Absolutely needed to be done.

Thank you to everyone who commented and shared your knowledge. I'm learning, and it's nice to have such a great information-base of experience to lean on.