1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

[sterny]

i dont know whats wrong, its got three buttons. forward nuetral and reverse. hit forward and nuetral it goes forward. hit reverse and it goes into reverse, i have no nuetral. never done any adjusting on these before. any help would be appreciated.

 

[ob]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

Sterny,can you adjust the trunion nut under motor cowl and change shift position?

 

[sterny]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

ill have to look. im new at the whole boating thing for the most part. i have a manual comig for it. hopefully that will open it up for me.where exactly is that?

 

[ob]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

Remove motor cover and look on starboard side near bottom.You should have two cables here that look similar.These two cables have a trunion nut for adj.One is for throttle and the other is for shift linkage.These cables route from controls through motor case on outside.They change the position of the shift lever in relation to control position.Most can be operated by hand .If still not clear , wait for manual to arrive and pictures may assist.

 

[sterny]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

thanks ill look into it tomorrow. i hear a click with the power on when i hit each button so thats why i didnt think it was at the switch.<br /> Thats a lot clearer picture for me. Hopefully i can get smarter at this as i go.

 

[ob]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

Sterny,Sounds like different animal than my plan of attack .disregard as it is now clear that you have electric shift.Nuetral switch is probably not operating positioner.

 

[sterny]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

so any ideas as to how to go about this one? im assuming that neutral as well as the other positions are operated by some sort of linkage or servo at the gears. is this going to be something i can do?

 

[ob]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

Not sure on where electric actuator is located but would guess under cowl and just operates shift rod instead of manual cable.I'll try to do some searching and get back to you unless another poster more hep than me on this one chirps in .

 

[ob]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

Sterny, hit search on this topic and use search words (hydraulic shift).Hope this helps

 

[Lugnut36]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

Its run by two solenoids in the front half of the lower unit both wires going down from i believe the starboard side of the motor into the lower unit and they are the positive leads, and the solenoids are grounded through the lower unit. when operating correctly in forward gear "NEITHER" solenoid is activated , i guess this was their fail safe way of making sure if somethign went wrong electrically you could still get back to dock, Ok now neutral is activated by only 1 solenoid the other should not be active , and reverse is activated by BOTH solenoids being on. You can check each wire going to the solenoid with an ohm meter to ground and they should read 5- 7 ohms, <br /><br /> Ok with that information this is what i think is happening, you say when you select forward it goes in forward ( no voltage to either shift wire) then you say when you select neutral its still in forward So that could mean you still have no voltage going to either wire so it stays in foward. and when you select reverse both wires are energized and both solenoids are activeated, since your reverse does work. I would have to think the control box neutral switch is not sending the 12 volts to the 1 wire when its selected. To test this check both the shift wires for voltage with a meter again this is how its set up<br /><br />Forward = no voltage to either shift wire<br />Neutral = voltage only on one wire<br />Reverse = voltage present on both wires.<br /><br />Hope this helps let us know...

 

[ob]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

Good description Lugnut, I'm enlightened on these things now.

 

[sterny]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

Thanks Lugnut, and ob. Im not sure if it matters, but im pretty sure i heard it click when i push neutral button, anyway im going to go check for an ohms reading like u suggested. that will atleast diagnose the problem. Im jumping the gun here, but what if its not that? Would a solenoid be out? <br />First things first, thats iron clad info on checking this. I appreciate it. Ill be back.

 

[sterny]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

ok here are the results with key on engine off<br />1.my ohms meter is broke<br />2.my test light wasnt<br />3.n to fwd, no click, no voltage at either wire<br />4.fwd to n, clicks, voltage at one wire<br />5. n to rev, clicks, with voltage at both wires<br /> <br /> This is probably a crazy or stupid question, {but since im new to this take it easy on me} should the propeller turn in neutral at all? My guess would be no. Where do I go from here. Im assuming all i need to know is if there is voltage at those wires, or do i need an ohms reading? Youre test,Lugnut , worked beautiful, and makes absolute sense, but now we know its not the controll box. Do you or anyone know what it is or what to move on to next?

 

[sterny]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

one more thing if this helps. The boat and engine sat idle for 9 years. It worked when he stored it. It was stored inside. It was winterized before stored. It runs great and churns the water beautifully. He was the original purchaser of the boat. He turned it over every spring and fall and shot the cylinders with fogging oil. It hadnt run or been on water for nine years, but has been since. It took me three hours to hear it run, and then only to find out about the neutral because i had the prop and all concerned water passages in water in a 55 gal. drum in my garage. Needless to say the water didnt stay in there very long and i didnt run the engine very long, maybe 3 to 5 seconds. Since, Ihave taken it down to the river to try and work on its and my woes. I hope this can help anyone who can help!

 

[petryshyn]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

Sterny<br /><br />Be sure your prop is actually turning in nuetral before continuing. It may turn just from oil contact within the gear box. Have you tried it in the water? If you have.....<br /><br />>drain the gear oil<br />>refill with DextronIII for flushing purposes<br />>run engine on hose and shift in and out of nuetral-forward-reverse many times. This should flush the gear box and possibly unstick the valving.<br />>drain gear box and REFILL with PROPER oil Type "C"<br />>retest<br /><br />If this doesn't cure.......disassemble unit

 

[sterny]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

Thanks Schematic. Ill give it a try and get back to ya. Sterny

 

[Lugnut36]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

Sterny i agree with schematic , i have had mixed results about the prop spinning in neutral, on a 1970 115hp lower unit the prop did NOT spin at all in neutral, on a 1972 125hp lower unit, the prop DID spin in neutral but if i gave it throttle it went no where.<br /><br />Have you put this boat in the water yet? If not i would say to do so I am sure your neutral is fine if the prop spins alittle it wont do anything. Now if you put it in neutral and you can get the boat to haul "@ss" well then theres something wrong. Me i just find a piece of leather oh umm hmm uh like heavy garden gloves and then i take the prop off and put it in neutral and just grab the prop shaft lightly to see if i can get it to stop but this i do on muff's not in a barrel But i wouldnt suggest it because i dont want anyone taking the advice and getting hurt.<br /><br />These older electric shift lower units seem to get a bad rep, but i think as long as you take care of them they are pretty reliable...<br /><br />Maybe i like em because i'm an electrical tech lol. The only difference is the price of the machines i work on,

 

[Texas Heat]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

This is a Hydro / Electric motor. I have the same setup. The prop will spin in Neutral a few revs when motor is starting.

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

Sterny..... This info may be of some use to you:<br /><br />(Hydro Electric Shift)<br /><br />The shifting setup of the lower unit is what's called a "Hydro Electric Shift", which is quite complex consisting of voltage being applied to solenoids in the lower unit which in turn change oil passages via a oil pump that supplies various pressure on a spring loaded shifter dog. The wires leading to the lower unit (at the powerhead) are "Green" and "Blue". The engine must be running or cranking over in order to shift out of forward gear.<br /> <br />You CAN NOT use HI VIS lube in that lower unit. You MUST USE what OMC calls "Preminum Blend" lube, commonly called "Type C". (A thinner lube) <br /><br />In neutral, you need 12v to the "Green" wire. <br />In reverse, you need 12v to both wires, the "Green" one and the "Blue" one. <br />In forward, there should be no voltage to either wire. (The spring loaded shifter dog forces the unit into forward gear) <br /><br />To check the lower unit for proper shifting to make sure you have no trouble there, remove the spark plugs to avoid problems and to allow a higher cranking speed. <br /><br />This next step eliminates the actual shift switch in case problems may exist there.... Disconnect the blue & green wires at the knife connectors (the rubber insulated boots) leading to the lower unit at the powerhead, then using jumpers, take voltage direct from the starter solenoid to apply voltage to the "Green" wire for neutral, then both wires 'Green" & "Blue" for reverse (Remember the engine must be cranking over in order to shift).<br /> <br />With no voltage applied, the unit should be in forward. No need for a ground jumper... the lower unit's already grounded. You may crank the engine with the key switch or by energizing the starter solenoid with a jumper wire.

 

[sterny]

Re: 1970 evinrude 55hp wont shift

Thanks Schematic , Im going with your suggestion. I have nothing to lose. If not I guess its a trip to the boat doctor. Thanks again, Sterny