'77 johnson 140hp outboard - neutral to forward/reverse problems

[texasatm2011]

I have a '77 johnson 140hp outboard that starts and runs great, the only problem that I have been having is when switching from neutral to forward/reverse. Let me see if I can explain it well enough!

When in idle position, I move the throttle just out of the neutral position I hear what sounds like the gears in the lower unit grinding. If I move the throttle a little more forward they seem to catch with a thud and then i'm crusing with no problems.

The same phenomenon happens when switching from neutral to reverse, except that the thud is so severe it shakes the whole motor! This usually occurs when I'm coasting up to the dock and I put it in reverse to slow down or back off the trailor.

I've tried to adjust the throttle cables but it doesn't seem to have helped much.

I just had the gears in the lower unit replaced last year so I don't want to screw them up again!

Any ideas as to what is going on?

Thanks for your help!

 

[xraydude]

Re: '77 johnson 140hp outboard - neutral to forward/reverse problems

What are your idle RPM's? Too high and it will shift hard into gear. You don't want to baby it into gear when shifting, should be a quick, decisive movement. If you try to ease it into gear, you are going to hear chatter before it engages.

 

[boobie]

Re: '77 johnson 140hp outboard - neutral to forward/reverse problems

Take the shift cable off of the mtr and manually shift it at mtr and see what happens and how hard it works.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: '77 johnson 140hp outboard - neutral to forward/reverse problems

might be a problem with the hydraulic assist