Motor tries to kick up going forward

[golbrick7]

I have a 70hp Johnson on my 21' pontoon. Why does the engine try to kick up when going forward? Plenty of water depth.

 

[Seahawk170]

My guess is that the propellor is either on backwards, (it has a wrong direction prop on it), or the throttle cable at control box is reversed.
A propellor's forward thrust under load cannot lift up lower unit.. however if motor is unlocked while in reverse then outdrive lift can easily occur.
Good luck, and hopefully it'll be an easy remedy.

 

[ondarvr]

I think a bit more detailed description of the problem is needed.

 

[golbrick7]

When moving forward the engine runs fine but it will kick as though it wants to come out of the water. The faster I go the more frequent it will kick. The prop turns in a clockwise direction and is installed correctly and has no play. The motor is completely down and is slightly angled forward. Any suggestions on why I have this problem or is this normal?

.

 

[River Rover]

Well- sure not normal- physics tells me its impossible but I don't know physics very well...

 

[ondarvr]

I'm thinking the problem is that it's bouncing in and out of gear, this can be from a worn out lower unit, or from the shift cable being out of adjustment. If it's the shift cable adjustment it will soon turn into a damaged lower unit if you don't fix it.

 

[flyingscott]

Sounds like a clutch dog going out definitely need to check out the cable adjustment or have it fixed before you really wreck something. The gears are available aftermarket as a set and reasonably priced if it is a 2 strk.

 

[HotTommy]

I'm thinking the problem is that it's bouncing in and out of gear, this can be from a worn out lower unit, or from the shift cable being out of adjustment. If it's the shift cable adjustment it will soon turn into a damaged lower unit if you don't fix it.

That sounds like a reasonable explanation to me. When the propeller is properly engaged and pushing forward, the motor is firmly down. If it abruptly slips out of gear while the boat is moving forward, the force of the water will push it up until the propeller engages again. Sounds like a problem that need immediate attention.

 

[BatDaddy1887]

+1 for worn forward gear, not so much on the clutch dog as they are way more hardy than those toothy gears. Also, check cable connections in the control box as a start, they could be loose or worn. Best of luck.