HARD TIME MOVING SHIFTER HELP!!!

[jimmmmay]

1971 40 HP EVINRUDE. Hard time moving freely from neutral to forward or reverse. Took the barrell off thought it was that but tried switching gears out of water and it seems like forward wont go all the way? Pops into nuetral and reverse and it does go forward but just doesnt click all the way into that slot?

 

[hammer250v8]

Re: HARD TIME MOVING SHIFTER HELP!!!

the prop needs to spin for it to go into gear. yo are probally getting lucky and reverse is lined up. how old is your shift cable? my shifting got hard also.i tried everything! finally replaced cable and it shifts like new! HTH..james

 

[jimmmmay]

Re: HARD TIME MOVING SHIFTER HELP!!!

We are spinning the prop and it wont go all the way into the slot for drive. We are not using the cables here i am talking about moving the shift arm by hand. One person spins the prop while another tries to shift. It just doesnt slide all the way into the notch for drive. It clicks like it switched gears but it wasnt a very far move from nuetral.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: HARD TIME MOVING SHIFTER HELP!!!

When was the last time grease was pumped into the fitting just underneath the shift lever? That stuff turns hard as rocks when old, and can make the shifter very hard to move. <br />Does this describe your problem, or does it feel more 'mechanical'?<br />More information on your problem could be obtained by disconnecting the shift linkage under the shroud (if you have one) and the exahust leg window. Then you could see if the problem is with the shift handle & bellcrank, or the lower unit.

 

[jimmmmay]

Re: HARD TIME MOVING SHIFTER HELP!!!

It just feels like its stuck, like something is holding it back from sliding all the way into the drive slot on that guide. I mean it goes into drive and reverse, although it does seem like we dont get alot of power out of this 40 hp on a 13 foot whaler? On full throttle it just seems like we should be able to go more but it is all the way.?

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: HARD TIME MOVING SHIFTER HELP!!!

That brass guide that drops down from the powerhead doesn't really do much. Try pulling it away from the pin and jamming it open. Then try operating the shifter. Is your neutral 'click' off on the brass guide, the shift rod is most likely bent, or something is wrong with the bellcrank (the connection between the shift rod and the shift handle shaft). Another posibility is that the shift rod coupler is put together wrong. It's behind an access window on the exahust leg.<br /><br />All this probably has little to do with your performance problem. If the gear was slipping, your lower unit would be making horrible noises and most likely 'clunking'.

 

[jimmmmay]

Re: HARD TIME MOVING SHIFTER HELP!!!

Thanks so much Paul, i think i will take it into a shop, i have no clue on how to work on these motors. I now have 3 of them laying around!!! I did shoot grease into the fitting with no change. I will play with it more on the water to see if that helps engage better while running. I guess i just invisioned us going around 40 mph on our 13 foot whaler, a few people in the whaler community said it should go that fast. It seems more like were only doing like 25. Man all these motor problems are getting to me.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: HARD TIME MOVING SHIFTER HELP!!!

If your handy with a wrench, order yourself a service manual. It will pay it's way, either in mechanic's or psychiatrist's bills. <br />I'd expect you to be going faster than you'd like too. Perhaps one clyinder isn't firing?

 

[jimmmmay]

Re: HARD TIME MOVING SHIFTER HELP!!!

Last time i messed around on one of these all hell broke loose!! No way, you know what they say:<br />BOAT= Break O ut A nother T housand!!!!It just seems like jammed up, but i havnt really tried alot while running and in the water. As far as the top spped maybe your right, we seem to have a slight misfire on low idle and as you put it in gear or raise the idle it goes away. But full throttle just seems like its not full throttle but yet we checked and it is all the way open. This has a tiller arm on it too but it seems to open all the way up too when throttle is moved.

 

[jimmmmay]

Re: HARD TIME MOVING SHIFTER HELP!!!

Well now it wont go int forward at all. I try spinning prop as i change gears and it wont go into forward. I here it click when i go into nuetrul and into reverse but no shaft noise when i put it in forward? The other day it would go into forward but it was tough to get to reverse? Almost seems like when i put it into forward its not engaging? Can i somehow open lower unit to make sure a linkage is connected? Or up by the shifter arm?

 

[jimmmmay]

Re: HARD TIME MOVING SHIFTER HELP!!!

Well now it wont go int forward at all. I try spinning prop as i change gears and it wont go into forward. I here it click when i go into nuetrul and into reverse but no shaft noise when i put it in forward? The other day it would go into forward but it was tough to get to reverse? Almost seems like when i put it into forward its not engaging? Can i somehow open lower unit to make sure a linkage is connected? Or up by the shifter arm?

 

[jimmmmay]

Re: HARD TIME MOVING SHIFTER HELP!!!

Anymore help on this one? Almost got caught out on the lake tonight with a nasty storm, thank god for minn kota!! We would have had to go in reverse had we been on the lake about 5 more minutes. Man i hope its just the shifter linkage or something simply, dont wanna deal with a lower unit problem. The more i think about it we may have bent the shift rod trying to engage into all gears???!! Is that something a novice could handle?

 

[Pannet]

Re: HARD TIME MOVING SHIFTER HELP!!!

I had almost the same problem on my 1978 Johnson 35hp and finally I'd found that the shift rod connector that connect the upper and lower shift rod was loose because the groove at the end of the shift rod was damage. Open a small metal cover plate on the side of the exhuast housing to check the connection.