Testimony to the need of a manual, Questions about 1957 evinrude fisherman 5.5 hp

[Pikeslammer]

Last year before I bought a manual to replace the pump in my 1957 evinrude fisherman 5.5 hp, ser#5514-08182, I tried to change it thinking the lower unit came apart in the same fashion a forty horse or similar motor would. Remove the lower unit bolts and unhook the shift rod connector. After I got a manual I discovered the error I made. Not removing the powerhead and unhooking the shift rod from the shifter. Since then I have tore it down changed the pump and put it together, had it jump out of forward gear, tore it down again and tried to straighten the shift rod I bent(Before the days of a manual), put it together have it move in forward for awhile and jump back into neutral again, tore it down once more to see what the heck happened, to discover the lower unit gears now have slight damage due to the motor not being fully engaged. I have put it back together for now, but have refused to touch it again till I get a new shift rod and possibly new gears for the lower unit.
Can anyone share their ideas as where to find a shift rod and some things I could do or try to adjust get the lower unit to fully engage? Is there an adjustment somewhere? Could there be any other causes for this motor to jump out of forward gear. Other useful info I noticed: The shift handle does not seem to be in the right position when in neutral and reverse. When in reverse the motor runs fine. The motor has never had a problem until I tried to change the pump the first time. When first put in forward gear it seems to engage then when you accelerate it jumps out of gear. The shift rod was difficult to move by hand.
Any and all suggestions or questions would be gratefully appreciated. This is the best motor I have ever owned and well worth repairing. I don't need to be told how dumb it was to try repairing this without the book, trust me I have been beating my head against the wall since I realized I messed up.
I look forward to your comments.
Best wishes, Alex Birch

 

[F_R]

Re: Testimony to the need of a manual, Questions about 1957 evinrude fisherman 5.5 hp

There are no adjustments. The detent spring is in the lower unit and it makes the shift rod difficult to move till it "jumps" over the detent. The detent's purpose in life is to make sure the dog snaps fully into gear and hold it there. The usual cause of jumping out of gear is worn clutch dog and forward gear. If they are worn too much, it will overpower the detent and out it pops. Of course, bent parts don't help much.

 

[wbeaton]

Re: Testimony to the need of a manual, Questions about 1957 evinrude fisherman 5.5 hp

I have had this problem twice when it wasn't the clutch dog. First was a 1955 7.5 hp and the problem was that the arms of the shift lever where it attaches to the cradle and clutch dog were bent backwards from a prior accident. Bent them forward a little and it works fine. The second was on a 1958 10 hp. The problem was the gear shift handle broke at the connecting screw and came out of alignment. Put on a new handle it and works fine. However, I don't think the 5.5 has the same shift handle as the 10 so this may not apply to your motor.

Also, your bent shift rod shouldn't make much difference since there is so little room for it to move. I have bent one by hand that had been straightened and it works fine. Actually it worked fine when it was straight too, but it did offset the gear shift handle a bit.

 

[Pikeslammer]

Re: Testimony to the need of a manual, Questions about 1957 evinrude fisherman 5.5 hp

The gear assembly looked pretty good prior to it popping out of gear. But I will look much closer at it to see if it was worn before I messed with it. I'll also double check the cradle while I'm at it. Thanks for your ideas and comments. I am interested in any opinion about this motor so please keep sharing. Thanks, Alex