J/30 Class Association Forums J/30 Forum The Boat, Sails and Equipment Adjusting Throttle & Transmission Controls

Rob - when they replaced the transmission, did the cables get replaced too? You'll notice that the transmission shift lever has a spring loaded dashpot as shown in the link Al referenced above. The dashpot helps maintain positive positioning of the shift lever for both ahead and astern. It is important that it is setup correctly. If the cable does not have the dashpot, you may have a problem insuring the transmission is engaged fully (e.g. shift lever out of transmission may not be in the correct position).

It is highly unlikely that the shift lever needs to be replaced. The lever should have a spring loaded detent ball that you can feel engage for the ahead and astern positions. As the lever is rotated further, the throttle cable starts to get pulled. This should be symmetrical for ahead and astern.