A couple issues with my j30elerm

[naplesbackwater]

I picked up a j30elerm really cheap and started by cleaning the carb and getting it running nice in idle. Two issues I can't figue out, as I am new to boating and outboards.
First, the motor doesn't turn off when I turn the ignition to the off position. It doesn't even shut off if I pull the lanyard. The controls are OEM.
Second, the motor is stuck in forward. Shift controls move smoothly as I have brand new cables. If I disconnect the cable, the lever moves freely, and I can see the linkage down on the lower unit moving up and down. When I removed the lower unit to change the water pump, I figured I might solve the issue. Once disconnected from the driveshaft, the prop could turn freely, but when reconnected it is still stuck in forward regardless of the position of the lever, and can't be turned. Any help is appreciated. Thanks,
-Jake

 

[Bosunsmate]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

Jake
first, sounds like a disconnection in the kill circuit. The previous owner may of disconnected it as it had a fault. Check your control box is getting a neutral continuity to it.
second, try dropping the unit again and see if you can shift it into Neurtral and reverse by hand. Try spinning the driveshaft clockwise to help. You may need to adjust the linkage up or down if its not still selecting correct

 

[Bosunsmate]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

If your control box is getting neutral (ie its grounded by a wire to the motor) then find inside the control the black wire with yellow stripe and check that for continuity back to the engine..

 

[naplesbackwater]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

Bosunmate, thanks for the reply. The problem with it being stuck in forward fixed itself by the time I finished reinstalling the lower unit after the water pump change. Not sure what I did. I jiggled the linkage around and spun the drive shaft a bit as you recommended. I think it may have been shifted when idling fast before and that's why it got stuck.
I still haven't got to fixing the problem with the ignition yet, but am confident that what you posted will help.
Next problem: The motor is not pissing with the new water pump installed. I have double checked that the pump is properly inserted in the tube that runs up to the motor. I guess I will have to disassemble the pump and double check my work.

 

[jasper60103]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

Regarding your water pump problem. When testing make sure the motor is in a deep tub, and water level up to the shock mounts.
Did you change the entire water pump or just the impeller?

jasper

 

[Will Bark]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

Have you tried to run a piece of weedeater line up the pee hole while the engine is running? May have an insect clogging it up.

 

[naplesbackwater]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

Thanks for the replies. Water pump working great now. The little plastic key that holds the impeller to the driveshaft was shot. Didn't notice that the kit came with a new one and I had tried to reuse the old one.

I am now back to a similar problem I had to begin with. I attempted to shift from neutral to forward, but the prop didn't respond. When I returned the lever to the neutral position, the prop started spinning in reverse. Now the shift lever will only move from the forward to neutral position even when disconnected from the control cable, but the lower unit is in reverse. I tried dropping the lower unit and jiggling the linkage and moving the driveshaft around, but with no success. Any ideas?

I am not really sure how I got it unstuck before when it was stuck in forward. I was actually kind of surprised when I reattached the lower unit after the water pump change and it was back in neutral.

 

[jasper60103]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

A couple common mistakes can mess up the shifting:

1) Accidentally removing the pivot pin (#13) when draining the lower unit oil.
Johnson Gearcase Parts for 1994 30hp J30ELERM Outboard Motor

2) Accidentally adjusting the shift rod height when disconnecting (or reconnecting) the shift rod linkage when dropping the lower unit.

I suspect you did number 2.

jasper

 

[naplesbackwater]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

How do I readjust the shift rod height? The shift rod runs through the water pump and the linkage is accessible inside the water inlet(see pic). To remove the lower unit you have to remove the top half of the linkage nut by sliding it up and removing a little plastic sleeve. This allows you to remove the nut and lets the rod slide through the pump so the lower unit will come off. It took me a while to figure this out since mine is nothing like anything I saw in any videos. Every video I saw they just removed the bolts holding the lower unit on and disconnected a linkage that did not run through the water pump like mine.

 

[naplesbackwater]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

Jasper, I had dismissed the pivot pin theory since I had not changed the lower unit oil yet, but when I went back out to fiddle with the shift rod again, I noticed that the pivot pin is missing from my unit. I guess the PO removed it. Is it just a matter of replacing it, or does something need to be done internally now?

 

[jasper60103]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

Jasper, I had dismissed the pivot pin theory since I had not changed the lower unit oil yet, but when I went back out to fiddle with the shift rod again, I noticed that the pivot pin is missing from my unit. I guess the PO removed it. Is it just a matter of replacing it, or does something need to be done internally now?

I would first try replacing it. If that doesn't work then you will have to open the gearcase to correct.
The pivot pin inserts through the shift lever inside the gearcase. You may need something pointy to align the hole.

edit: Also, I would drain the gearcase and add some fresh gear oil if this works out.

jasper

 

[naplesbackwater]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

Ok, I am ordering the pivot pin and washer. Hopefully that will solve the shifting issue.

I still haven't figured out why my kill circuit doesn't work. There is continuity in the black/yellow stripe wire from the ignition all the way to the neg battery cable. There is also continuity in the ground(black)wire from the ignition to the ground on the block. Any ideas?

 

[jasper60103]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

Ok, I am ordering the pivot pin and washer. Hopefully that will solve the shifting issue.

I still haven't figured out why my kill circuit doesn't work. There is continuity in the black/yellow stripe wire from the ignition all the way to the neg battery cable. There is also continuity in the ground(black)wire from the ignition to the ground on the block. Any ideas?

Well, I'm not familiar with remote setups, but you should be able to jumper the black/yellow wire to the engine block and kill the motor.
If that works, then you know somethings broken in the circuit somewhere.
Else, I would suspect the black/yellow wire or the power pack is the problem.

jasper

 

[naplesbackwater]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

I got a pivot pin and put it in today, making sure it lined up with the hole in the shift lever inside the lower unit. I can't seem to get it unstuck from reverse now though. Gearcase is stuck in reverse, but to get the linkage to align, the lever on the motor must be between forward and neutral. Not sure where to go from here. Any help appreciated.

 

[nwcove]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

are you 100% sure that the pivot pin actually went through the shift lever? if so, the cradle may have fallen out of the clutch dog while shifting without the pivot pin in place.

 

[naplesbackwater]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

If that is the case, I take it I would have to open up the lower unit to fix it? The motor sounds so good after cleaning the carb and replacing the primer solenoid valve(was cracked). Really looking forward to getting this thing going, but I have never opened a lower unit before, heck I just replaced my first water pump.

 

[nwcove]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

wait for more thoughts/opinions on it before opening up the gearcase...... it may be something else simple thats being overlooked.

 

[naplesbackwater]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

I got it shifting! Thanks to all who posted and got me on the right track. Best part is there is still a week of snook season left and my kids are looking forward to doing some fishing over the holiday. All I have left to do is rig up some kind of kill switch since I haven't figured out why the kill circuit doesn't work. Is it possible to run a jumper from one of the terminals on the ignition to ground and put a simple switch on it? Thanks again for all the help, and I'll try to post some pics of the first catch.

 

[Cofe]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

Check the brown yellow striped wire on the motor. There is what looks like an inline fuse holder, but it isn't. I don't know what it is called, but I bypassed it on my motor and the stop switch started working.

 

[naplesbackwater]

Re: A couple issues with my j30elerm

I think I know where the problem lies with my kill circuit. The 5 pin plug that connects to the powerpack has a black/yellow stripe wire on the powerpack side of the plug, but the other half of the plug only has four wires connected to it. The pin where the black/yellow stripe wire is supposed to be has no wire. Does anyone know what route that wire is supposed to take between the big red plug to the controls and the plug to the powerpack? Does it go anywhere between? If not, then I should be able to just add a wire between. I already know there is continuity with the black/yellow wire between the controls and the red plug as well as from the controls to ground.