1985 4hp Yachtwin longshaft..won't shift into gear.

[miketheut]

I had a little problem today and I hope somewhat can help point me in the right direction. My little 4hp has been great. I was in a busy channel today and I loaded up with weeds. I shut the motor off, cleared the weeds and placed her back down. I had drifted a bit and was in a bad spot. I got a little anxious. I started the motor and threw it into gear very quickly. So quickly that I didn't back down the throttle. You guessed it. Something must have broken because she wouldn't go into gear from that point on. Once I got home, I pulled the prop and the pin is still in tact and looks good. I suspect I caused some damage somewhere in the lower unit. Any idea where I should start?
Thanks

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1985 4hp Yachtwin longshaft..won't shift into gear.

welcome, you could have dislodged the coupling, at the top of the shift rod, where it connect to the shift lever.

 

[miketheut]

Re: 1985 4hp Yachtwin longshaft..won't shift into gear.

Thanks, for the reply. Will this require the powerhead to be removed? Any idea where I can get a diagram of the breakdown.
BTW: Tashasdaddy...I had husky that looks just like your avitar. Her name was Tasha. I had her for 14 years. Healthy and lovely dog until last days.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Xcusme]

Re: 1985 4hp Yachtwin longshaft..won't shift into gear.

Mike,
No, you don't have to remove the power head. Remove the 2 bolts holding the lower unit to the midsection, the lower should drop a bit to see the connector. Remove the bottom bolt from the connector and the lower unit with drive shaft should drop free.

Here a link to find views for your motor. Just drill down with year, hp etc.Part #34 are the bolts you'll need to remove to drop lower unit...

http://shop2.evinrude.com/ext/index.aspx?s1=4f76ddb5db91185fdbe9e919aa8784de

edit: Whoops, just looked, seems you don't have the conventional shift rod connector. I don't have your motor's manual, but it looks like you may have to release the shift rod from the end of the shift handle bellcrank (remove the cotter pin etc) Look at Midsection , part # 37.

Others with a bit more experience with your model will be along shortly with more info, i'm sure.

 

[miketheut]

Re: 1985 4hp Yachtwin longshaft..won't shift into gear.

Thanks for the quick reply. As the shift rod simply slips into a hole in the lower unit? I'm going to pull the lower until tonight to take a peek. Would you happen to know if the prop for this model is a slip prop. In short, would it have a pin and a prop that could be spun. The inside of the prop has a nylon insert and I don't see any rubber so I assume the answer is no.
Thanks again.

 

[miketheut]

Update: 1985 4hp Yachtwin longshaft..won't shift into gear.

Update: 1985 4hp Yachtwin longshaft..won't shift into gear.

Thanks to those of you who have helped thus far. Ok. I pulled the lower unit. I then moved the shift lever. I could see the shift rod move up and down. I rulled out the linkage in the upper area. I noticed that the shift lever had a slight bend that I had not noticed when I previously removed the lower unit. I bent it slightly to straighten. I reassembled and tested in a garbage can. When i shifted to forward, the prop turned slightly but not with any force. When I shifted back to neutral the prop spun a little faster but still not at any force. Shifted back to forward and prop stopped moving.
From the pictures I have seen online. I think the clutch is just a spring. the spring is actuated with the shift rod. I guess I need to take apart the gearcase and have a look. Am I making the right decision? I've never worked on a gearcase. Any tips?

 

[Xcusme]

Re: 1985 4hp Yachtwin longshaft..won't shift into gear.

MIke,

Your prop does have a rubber clutch and a drive pin that engages the prop to the prop shaft. The rubber hub is behind the nylon you can see. Check the condition of that drive pin. If that drive pin is OK, I suspect a spun prop. I would investigate the prop before I started pulling the lower unit apart.

Did you follow the link I posted earlier and looked at the exploded view of your gear case? You'll see the parts I described.

 

[miketheut]

Re: 1985 4hp Yachtwin longshaft..won't shift into gear.

Thanks for the reply. I did look at the exploded view from the link you sent. It was very helpful. I ended up taking apart the gearcase. I found that the clutch spring had broken into two parts. The exploded view shows one. I ordered a new one. I've been studying the diagram and the gearcase and cannot figure out how the spring, shift rod and prop shaft function. It appears to me the when the shift rod is in neutral, the rod end comes in contact with a raised part of the spring clutch. When in forward, the shift rod is raised above the spring to allow it to spin. I'm just not sure how the prop shaft can get enough torque to spin the prop with a load. I hope it makes more sense when the new part arrives. If anyone is familiar with this type of drive, I'd appreciate a little explanation. Thanks again for the responses. This sight has been a great help.

 

[miketheut]

Resolution: 1985 4hp Yachtwin longshaft..won't shift into gear.

Resolution: 1985 4hp Yachtwin longshaft..won't shift into gear.

The issue was caused by a broken spring clutch in the gearcase. $25 and an hour and she was operating just fine. For those of you how own a similar motor, the spring clutch is an interesting setup. The spring connects the prop shaft and the drive shaft. When in neutral, the shift rod drops and connects with a *** on the spring. The spring looses its grip and the prop stops spinning. Place it in gear and the spring grabs again and off you go.