Not locking in reverse, GT150 Johnson

kbranden

Cadet
Joined
Aug 24, 2010
Messages
11
A friend of mine has a 1989 GT150 Johnson and he is having problems getting it in reverse when it is in the water. It seems to catch out of the water, but in the water it just grinds and the shift cable rattles back and forth at the motor. He said he changed out the shift cable last year but he had the old one still around and we examined it. The old one he took off was longer at the linkage end (about 1 inch). We thought that was probably the problem because then it wouldn't allow it to fully engage so we switched it back out with the old cable. But, we got the same result. He says that even with the new one, it WAS working after he installed it.

Any Ideas?
 

emdsapmgr

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 9, 2005
Messages
11,551
Re: Not locking in reverse, GT150 Johnson

Did you try adjusting the shift cable at the engine end?
 

James R

Commander
Joined
Feb 1, 2007
Messages
2,679
Re: Not locking in reverse, GT150 Johnson

Disconnect the shift cable and try moving the shifter by hand. If it engages correctly the cable adjustment is at fault.
 
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