1981 johnson 150 H.P. Shaft Bent

[djwalters]

I recently purchased a 18.5' boat with a 1981 Johnson 150 H.P. outboard on it. I noticed that the prop has a woble and is about 1/8" out of true at outer edge of prop. The boat runs fine with no noticable vibration, but I still want to correct problem. Can I just put a long, snug, pipe over the shaft and bend it back straight without damaging the gears? I wouldn't be hitting it with a hammer, just applying leverage. Should I apply heat with a torch? If this is not recommended, can the shaft be straightened if removed? How hard is the removal? Thanks so much, Dave

 

[R.Johnson]

Re: 1981 johnson 150 H.P. Shaft Bent

The shaft can be straightened by most machine shops. Do not try the pipe trick. You will want to have the shaft put back in true running order. It will transmit a lot of vibration to the engine otherwise. A bent shaft is as bad, or worse than a bent prop. It take's a lot of force to bend this shaft! Is this the only damage you have? A force like this transmits a lot of force to the pinion, and forward gear. I would want a look at those gearcase internals. You will have the gearcase apart anyway, take a close look at those parts. You can't run a 150 HP, V-6 engine into solid objects' without damage. That also applies to floating, or heavy objects.