www.iFourWinns.com

I purchased this 2005 with about 300 hours on it last year... now has 340 hours on it.

Shifting is starting to get harder... mainly going into neutral from the forward position.

from my research sounds like I need a new shift cable... how long do those normally last?

while in forward or reverse it feels normal.

more recently I just noticed shifting from neutral to forward is tends to taken an extra few steps to engage drive which wasn't normal.

again is all this related to just replacing shift cable as it is too old and I am not sure if it has ever been replaced.

I'd say you're at the point of needing to change it. Stiffness is usually the sign. My boat still has the same cables on it that it had when I bought it (2002) but that is unusual, for them to last that long. The last time I adjusted the shift linkage at the transom shift cable I measured the drag on the cable (supposed to be less than 2 lbs measured with a fish scale) and it was 1.5 lbs. So I'm still using them, at over 15 years old. If you can keep the drive down, it helps because then the casing is not stressed where is passes through the transom mount and that helps prevent cracks from forming which lets water in and can corrode the cable.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Changed mine on an 04 with similar hours.

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2004 - 288 Vista
Twin - 5.0 Volvo Penta GXi DP

Every 5 years isn't uncommon, but there's no rule of thumb.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic