1979 Johnson 35 hp dog clutch

[Lugoa2000]

Could this be from a worn out detent spring or detent balls that sit under the clutch dog? Even worse, could this be from worn out or ovalized holes in the prop shaft where the spring and balls are located? I ordered a new forward gear and clutch dog and would hate for it to keep slipping out of gear even when shifted manually by hand.

Weird thing is I took the boat out yesterday and it ran fine until i got to my first fishing spot. After that it was back to normal and popping out randomly. I disconnected the controls and shifted by hand too but still popped out, so I know it's not the controls.

 

[Lugoa2000]

Also, regarding the Tilt and Run function on the outboard. If the outboard is not locking securely into the run position, will this cause it to jump out of gear?

 

[jimmbo]

All clutch dogs are subject to wear, as mentioned by F_R the only way to reduce the wear is to slow the engine down, and to shift into and out of gear swiftly.
Mercury uses a different shift linkage, along with tapers(ramps) on the Forward Gears and clutch dog, but poor shift procedure will chew them up too

 

[jimmbo]

Also, regarding the Tilt and Run function on the outboard. If the outboard is not locking securely into the run position, will this cause it to jump out of gear?

No, the shallow water feature has nothing to do with the gearshift

 

[Lugoa2000]

F_R jimmbo or anyone out there....


I received the new forward gear and clutch dog. Do you guys know which side of the dog goes towards forward gear and which goes towards reverse gear? I ask because there seems to be a difference between sides, or does it not matter? It's hard to tell from the diagram which way it should be installed. I'll point out the difference that i'm talking about.





Also just wanted to point out some differences that I noticed with the new clutch dog. The indentation in the center of the clutch dog goes all the way around. Any idea why?? Also, the cut outs on the side where the detent balls sit are a little bigger and deeper (I assure you it's not the camera angle). I'm sure this is probably a better design but I am wondering why?

 

[Lugoa2000]

Happy to report that the outboard ran perfect after changing the forward gear and clutch dog. Thank you guys for the help.

I am located in Hacienda Heights, CA. If anyone needs help in LA/OC area with changing out their clutch dog and/or gears, feel free to shoot me a message and I can help you out with disassembly, changing parts and assembly. It's really not difficult at all.

 

[jasper60103]

Thanks for the update and closure.