Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

[chazswint]

My 83 Johnson motor has been running just fine. There is no problems with the fuel pump or the motor getting gas but when we were on it the other day, after the boat would start and I would put it in gear to go, you can push all the way down on the throttle and the engine rev's loud but it doesnt move and the prop doesnt spin so I thought it was maybe the lower unit oil but...

I drained the lower unit oil it feels and looks new. No problem. I did notice that the prop had a lot of movement in it so I took out the pin and took off the prop and turned the shaft and could not hear any grinding noise in the lower unit. It all moved easily. Could it have been the prop being loose?? I put it back on much tighter and now it has NO movement.

Can someone please be more specific to the cable that might be bad that I need to remove? Is it the cable from the throttle to the motor? Please continue to help! THANKS!

Again, in the beginning the motor will run and when you accelerate the motor accelerates but there is no shifting into gear from the prop. The motor works great, just not going into gear? PLEASE HELP IT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED! MY WIFE AND KIDS WANT THIS BOAT WORKING HAHA

 

[David Greer]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

If there's no shifting, it's a lower unit rebuild in order; probably a stripped shift dog. If you get a little prop spin at low speed it may be a badly wrung prop.

 

[jonesg]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

yes, the shifter cable to the motor, disconnect it at the motor end and try shifting into gear manually, turn prop slowly as you move the shifter lever.
Sounds like an old cable?
they're cheap to buy.

www.outboardbooks.com

But get the genuine factory service manual.!

 

[ezeke]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

Have someone move the control arm forward and back while you watch the engine shift linkage. The shift rod is under the carburetors in the center, so you should see it being pushed up and down.

If there is no movement, you may need to repair or replace the cable - that's easy to do.

 

[chazswint]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

Thanks guys! The cable seems to be fine. It moves freely and everything on the motor moves well with it too. Nothing sticks or stalls to move to the right place in forward or reverse.

So maybe the clutch dog needs to be replaced? There was not any metal shavings in the oil when I drained it. Based on sound, nothing was grinding or clicking... Any other ideas of what to do or look for?

 

[chazswint]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

So maybe the clutch dog needs to be replaced? There was not any metal shavings in the oil when I drained it. Based on sound, nothing was grinding or clicking... Any other ideas of what to do or look for? The prop does not spin when it is neutal or in forward for that matter. Would the prop not spin if it was really loose? The teeth inside might not have been able to grab to go...

 

[bowman316]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

You may need a new pinion gear, or forward gear. Will the motor work in reverse gear? if so, you have a bad forward gear. Will the prop spin if the motor is in gear, but turned off? It should not.

When you shift into gear with the motor off, does the shift rod that comes up from the lower unit move? does it go down?

Look under your carb's for this rod in the center of the motor.

You should be able to feel when the engine is shifting from neutral to forward. There should be a clicking sound or a slight noise coming from the lower unit when you get a few inches past neutral. That is the pinion gear engaging the forward gear.

 

[chazswint]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

The prop does spin when the motor is off.I will see it that is the issue. Do you have a more detailed area of where the shift rod is? Is there some pic to go by? Is it the rod that comes up through the middle of the lower unit up into the middle of the motor. You can just see a little of it?

 

[ezeke]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

Look dead center in the middle of the belly pan under and just rear of the carburetors. It is a stainless steel rod with a slight angle and is the only thing coming up at that point from the midsection. It has to be moved up and down to shift, so if you can't see it moving, your linkage is messed up.

You may need rotate the propeller to align the dog so that the shift rod can move.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

question, which control do you have. fast idle lever on top of the control? the one you push the button in the middle of the handle? the one you move out to go to fast idle. it could be as simple as the control not popping back, to shift gears. after fast idle was engaged.

will it go into reverse?

 

[chazswint]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

I am going to try the reverse today. I am going to look for the rod also. So, it should not move at all right! I have the side mounted idle lever. It will push itself down as you are putting it in gear if it is up to begin with. I dont think thats it b/c the motor will still rev up no problem. How do you rotate the prop? I just took it off and reattached it b/c the had gotten really loose. So, if the rod moves what will my issue be? Should it move when it goes from neutral to forward? Or not ever move?

 

[ezeke]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

Pull the wires off the spark plug and turn the prop with your hand while someone trys to shift from the remote. You must have the warm-up lever down.

If the shift rod does not move up and down with the movement of the remote handle, the gears cannot shift.

It is strictly a mechanical gearcase - no magic involved.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

it the rod does not move then we have to find out why.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

The rod SHOULD move when putting it into gear, the PROP SHOULD NOT move when in gear.

The prop will move when in neutral.

I had to spend $800 bucks 2 years ago to get my forward, reverse, and pinion gears replaced.

I think the problem was a high idle, which caused the motor to slam into gear at like 2,000 rpm's. That caused the gears to grind down to nothing over time.

 

[dubnvento]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

Sounds like you broke a shear pin. That's what happened on my older outboard and it was a simple fix.

 

[ezeke]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

Hope we are still discussing a 115HP 1983 motor.

 

[chazswint]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

What is a shear pin? Bowman, yes that does sound like it b/c I do have a high idle. Went to the lake today, the boat goes into reverse NO PROBLEM, when you put it in forward the prop does spin at full speed but the boat never moves and locks in gear. The shift pin works well up for reverse down for forward....I guess the next step is to replace the forward gears? Can someone explain to me about the clutch dog? Will i need to get that as well. Does anyone also know how to remove the shaft with the gears. Is there a good reference for this with pics? ALL HELP IS APPRECIATED! THANK YOU!

 

[ezeke]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

You are at the last thing before checking the simple stuff.

To fix a clutch dog you have to remove the gearcase and tear it completely down.

You do not have a shear pin or drive pin.

Mark your prop as shown in the thumbnail so that you can see if your prop is spun after running it. If the mark shifts, you need to rebuild or replace the propeller.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

And replacing a forward gear can be hard to do, best to have a mechanic do it.

 

[Fl_Richard]

Re: Wife & Kids really want boat to work! Please help, gear question!

This is a first, 19 posts diagnosed the problem to bad forward gear and not one person has asked or told this guy to get an OEM manual.

My turn, you need to get a manual or take the gearcase in for service.

If your on vacation and want to get out on the boat take it in. If you want to get out this summer, get the manual and start tearing into it.

If it was my wife and kids on my butt, I'd be dropping it off tomorrow and whipping out the AMEX.