1959 Johnson Seahorse 35 screw up

[1958woodboat]

Good evening, New to this type of engine, it’s model rd 21e. I did a impeller on it and went to change the gear oil and accidentally pulled the gear selector screw instead of the drain plug, what do I do?

 

[oldboat1]

Pivot pin. Lay the gearcase on its side, and see if you can move the shifter lever back in place with a finishing nail and a lot of patience. When the hole lines up, put the pin/screw back in.

 

[1958woodboat]

Thank you I’ll give it a shot

 

[1958woodboat]

I tried doing this and I can get pin in, but it seems it shifts into reverse when in neutral and neutral when in forward.

 

[oldboat1]

If you have reattached the lower unit, the link for the upper and lower shift rods is probably not adjusted/assembled correctly. If the lower unit is still not attached, play with the lower shift rod a little (raise and lower) to get a sense of the close tolerances between gears.

 

[racerone]

There is no ADJUSTMENT at the brass connecter.-----Notches on both upper and lower shift rod must line up with the hole when the bolt is put in.

 

[1958woodboat]

I’ll have to take a look in the morning, thank you guys for answering. My pap built this boat in 1958 and I’m trying to get it restored for him. I’ve done many resto projects but this is my first boat!

 

[oldboat1]

Nice rig!

You might want to use a bladed screwdriver to open the brass connector a bit so the shift rods fully slip in. Shift tolerance is close. If the rods are not fully inserted, shifting will not work properly. The overall length of the shift rod is properly adjusted (i.e., fixed in place) when the upper and lower rods are fully inserted in the connector. Have you worked on the ignition yet? (Replace coils if coating is cracked, even if spark is currently produced.)

 

[1958woodboat]

Got it figured out, it was a combination of the linkage and the screw, it just took a lot of patience. Thank you guys for the help! Now I can hopefully hit the water this weekend

 

[1958woodboat]

One more quick question, what type of gear oil do you recommend? I have quicksilver gear lube SAE 90, and it says safe for use in all outboard lower units, but the motor says hypoid. What do you guys recommend?

 

[F_R]

Your 90 weight is just fine. "Hypoid Oil" is an obsolete term.

 

[1958woodboat]

Okay thank you