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I have a new to me 2003 262 w/ a 8.1 GXi. We took it on our first trial yesterday and it went great overall. One odd thing though was the point at which forward and reverse engaged. Let's say fully forward is 0°, fully upright (neutral) is 90°, and full reverse is 180°. Forward gear didn't seem to engage until 45°, and reverse didn't engage until 135°. That seemed late to me, like each would engage sooner. Is this normal for that era VP or do I have some play in the transmission linkage?

Also, bonus question, the throttle doesn't have a lockout (I've heard that's a yacht certified thing) but does have a little rocker switch on the underside. Any idea what that switch is for?

Thanks in advance! As a new boater, I really appreciate all the knowledge in this forum.

The delay going into gear is most likely the shift cable needing adjustment or less likely wear on the cone clutch causing it to start slipping - I would check the cable first.

On the lockout are you talking about a kill switch / lanyard? Most boats have that and it is a requirement to have / use on boats under 26ft I believe.

billk2632 wrote: Sun May 04, 2025 1:50 pm The delay going into gear is most likely the shift cable needing adjustment or less likely wear on the cone clutch causing it to start slipping - I would check the cable first.

On the lockout are you talking about a kill switch / lanyard? Most boats have that and it is a requirement to have / use on boats under 26ft I believe.

Thanks, Billk. I think you're right on the shift cable. I'll take a look at that. I agree the cone clutch is less likely, since it does distinctly "clunk" into gear and immediately spins the props when in gear.

On the throttle, there isn't actually a lockout at all. The previous owner thought it was a yacht certified thing, which I guess exempts the boat from some federal laws. Instead, where the lockout would be there is a little rocker switch that presumably can be wired up to something (maybe trim tabs). Attached is a picture I found online (boat is down at the lake so I can't take a picture of mine).

Oh, so you are talking about the "lockout" or button you have to pull/push to shift out of neutral? That's strange if he removed that -- and probably what is contributing to your shifting problem.

The angles you are talking about seem perfectly normal. They are also equal for both forward and reverse relative to neutral. As long as throttle isn't being introduced before it fully shifts, you are fine.

As far as the lockout, it should have one. Is there one on the forward part of the control? More pictures?

Your dps drive shouldn't clunk going into a gear. Mine is smooth as silk and someone can't even tell it went into gear. Make sure you change the drive lube and only use volvo drive lube also make sure the impeller gets changed if this is a new to you boat.

I would have your clutch and cables inspected. Something is amiss there and it should shift as smooth as silk like BBP mentioned.
That switch is used to raise the outdrive further to the trailer position.