Shift Lockout - How does it work?

[Phil Layer]

I'm having problems that I think may be related to the shift lockout system on my OMC sterndrive. The engine runs fine when the outdrive is not engaged but (sometimes), the engine tries to stall when I shift it into gear. Giving it more gas does nothing but putting it back into neautral allows me to rev it up and the engine runs fine.

Can someone share with me how this lockout works? Is it supposed to cut off power to the ignition only? Is it tied into the fuel pump somehow?

All help is greatly appreciated. Thanks much!

[Seahare]

Don't know what happened but first post didn't take. Here it is again.

The OMC shift has been a major pain for OMC owners and techs. Here's a pretty concise explanation for how it works and how to get working again.

http://www.funkopolis.com:8080/~stuart/cobra/

Of particular importance is the shift cable, gear set, ESA module, and effort at the bellcrank. It's more of a process to go through the whole thing rather than simply turn a screw or adjust a cable barrel. Starting with the hydromechanical shift of 78', OMC has been plagued with troubles. The Cobra, however, was mostly troubled by its shift cable and early gearsets.