30 HP Johnson now won't shift or start

[PSMike]

I just bought a boat (new to boating) with a 1989 Johnson 30 HP electric start tiller. Had it out a couple of times and it seemed to work OK but as of yesterday boat would not shift into neutral and therefore won't turn over and start. Basically it would hard shift from forward to reverse but no neutral.

Situation before thiswas I was at very low speed/ idle by the shore when I shifted from forward to reverse (or opposite can't remember) relatively quickly to avoid tangling a tub tow rope line. Could this type of shifting have messed things up?

Also, this may not be related but my son and I noticed days prior that the motor seemed to be making a ticking noise that increased with engine speed and seemed to be coming from the engine, not the driveshaft, but I wasn't entirely sure. Wonder if these two things are related.

Any thoughts to what is wrong? Thanks.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 30 HP Johnson now won't shift or start

sounds like shift linkage adjustment.

 

[PSMike]

Re: 30 HP Johnson now won't shift or start

Took the boat to a mechanic and it was a cable that got stuck and prevented the shifting. The ticking problem is another matter. They took the gear case apart and there are broken teeth. So my choice was $500 CDN for a used (5 year newer) unit or $1000 CDN for a new one, plus install. I went with the used unit.

Question: this all seemed to start after pulling single kids on a tube. I was told small kids would be OK with a motor this size. I guess they were wrong. The motor is on a 16 ft Sylvan Super Snapper with floor. Is the a problem pulling kids on a tube with this set up? Perhaps the age of the motor ('89)puts it at risk.