10 hp Evinrude Sportwin jumps out out of forward gear intermittently

[jonathanwsmith]

hi - my 1963 10 hp Evinrude Sportwin jumps/slips out out of forward intermittently, what'd I do wrong? Last winter I removed dry rot impeller and replaced per instructions. I did loosen/remove and replace shifter rod and am wondering if I might have left it "too short" to shift fully into forward. Any thoughts/suggestions?

Happy Boating, be safe,

 

[64osby]

Re: 10 hp Evinrude Sportwin jumps out out of forward gear intermittently

You might be able to adjust the shift handle to allow the shift rod more movement into gear.

The clutch dog may be worn a little.

 

[jonathanwsmith]

Re: 10 hp Evinrude Sportwin jumps out out of forward gear intermittently

Thanks 64osby, I'll check.was in the choppy water all day, hard to adjust, will haul out and attend in am. By the way, when I held my hand fast to the bronze fastener thing (the thing that holds each gear "in place" and pulled/held tight, it never slipped out of forward.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 10 hp Evinrude Sportwin jumps out out of forward gear intermittently

If it feels like you're hitting a log, or submerged object, then it's almost certainly a worn clutch dog. These old 10hp are sort of famous for it. I had to replace the one in my '61 10hp, but it was an easy DIY job. You can get a new part from ebay, marineengine.com, aomci.org and other sites. Here are some handy links.

Johnson
1963 Johnson QD-24 10 hp Outboard Motor Parts

 

[jonathanwsmith]

Re: 10 hp Evinrude Sportwin jumps out out of forward gear intermittently

doesn't feel like I've hit a submerged log - but I'm not saying it couldn't be the clutch dog, but I do have a question, where exactly is the clutch dog? I haven't located it so far in the 1963 Johnson QD-24 10 hp Outboard Motor Parts.

Since forward/neutral/reverse was working fine when I removed and replaced impeller, I suspect that I did not restore the correct length of the shifter rod and/or reset the shift lever to the correct spot.

What is the correct name of the bronze fork looking thing that keeps the shifter locked in forward/neutral or reverse? I couldn't find that part either in the manual.

Happy boating,

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 10 hp Evinrude Sportwin jumps out out of forward gear intermittently

Hello again Jonathan. The clutch is a small ring shaped object that slides between the FWD and REV gears. It has lobes on both sides and either end called "dogs" hence the term clutch dog. The dogs/lobes can wear a bit over time which, in turn, causes the motor to slip out of gear. Replacement clutch dogs aren't the cheapest things in the world, but there are some good deals out there if you hunt around. ebay, amazon, marineengine.com, and aomci.org classifieds are all great places for parts. I'm not sure what the "bronze fork" is that you're referring to, however. Do you mean the part that holds the upper/lower shift rods together? It's generally called a shift rod connector. Here's a handy link to show you how the gears and clutch work in most outboards. Modern clutches usually have 3, or more lobes on them, but otherwise work in the same way as the older models. Here's a vid of how a typical gear case works.

Lower Unit - YouTube

 

[64osby]

Re: 10 hp Evinrude Sportwin jumps out out of forward gear intermittently

Johnson Powerhead Group Parts for 1963 10hp QD-24 Outboard Motor

Under the Powerhead group #52 called a lever.

On the 57 10hp I rebuilt, on the first test run it would pop out of gear. After adjusting the shift handle to allow the shift rod to travel more, higher (I think) never had another problem.

The pic you sent has different ribs on the DuraCraft then what mine has. Mine doesn't have the extra support bracket

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 10 hp Evinrude Sportwin jumps out out of forward gear intermittently

Your detent on your shift rod is either not aligned with the hole in the coupler, or the handle is favouring reverse as stated above.

If proper adjustment does not remedy the situation, time to open her up.

 

[jonathanwsmith]

Re: 10 hp Evinrude Sportwin jumps out out of forward gear intermittently

Hello kfa4303,
Thanks for your reply. Your video explanation do how the lower unit operates is fascinating and was very helpful. It's time to "open her up."

 

[jonathanwsmith]

Re: 10 hp Evinrude Sportwin jumps out out of forward gear intermittently

Hello 64osby,
I believe I've got the lever adjusted to give me as much "up" (forward) as it can give. I also removed the lever and clamped my vise grip on so I could tell the feel of things. I re checked the shift rod connector but when I took her out on a spin she still popped out and the back in to forward. with the lever reattached, however, she favors connecting reverse before engaging forward. Just a 1/4 to 1/2 inch push toward reverse engages, yet it takes 1/2 to 3/4 inch pull forward to engage forward. Not totally confident I've reattached the shift rod lever right.

 

[jonathanwsmith]

Re: 10 hp Evinrude Sportwin jumps out out of forward gear intermittently

Chris,
Since I didn't experience any gear slippage before replacing the water pump impeller, is it unlikely that my clutch dogs would all of a sudden fail immediately after reconnecting the shift rod? How can I be sure I'm hitting the detects with the connector? That's a pretty tight spot to be working in.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 10 hp Evinrude Sportwin jumps out out of forward gear intermittently

Hi Johnathan. If the problem only started only after you replaced the impeller, then chances are the lower shift rod is probably not connected to the upper rod properly. I would try to re-connect them to see if that helps. I usually tug up on the lower rod using a pair of needle nose pliers while simultaneously lowering the upper shift rod and connector on to it by flipping the gear selector into REV.

 

[64osby]

Re: 10 hp Evinrude Sportwin jumps out out of forward gear intermittently

Sounds like you need to favor forward more than reverse, have forward engage sooner. That should allow it to fully engage.