Re: Johnson Model CD-20R?
Actually, the shock absorber was a troublesome part and even more so now that they are old and the metal is getting fatigued. As the diagram shows, when the spring breaks, the broken ends ramp up on each other and force the upper and lower sections apart. That makes the whole assembly too long to fit in the space that it goes in. It usually results in being hard to turn at first and then if you keep dogging it, it will burn or break the bearing plate just below the water pump.
To see it you have to remove the lower unit and water pump, and the bearing plate under the pump. If it frees up as soon as you take it apart, you found the trouble. P.S. you have to remove the powerhead before you can get the lower unit off. As soon as you get the powerhead off, you will know which is bound up--the powerhead or lower unit.
