1984 60 h.p. johnson lower unit

[hutch6575]

I replaced the lower unit on my johnson 60 h.p 1984 outboard. the first time i installed the shift rod i did not adjust the shift rod height to the correct position and when i went to shift into gear without the engine running i ended up breaking the gear in the remote control box. so now my problem is that i adjusted the shift height to the correct length but it still seems hard to shift by hand with out the shift cable hooked up. is this normal?

 

[OBJ]

Re: 1984 60 h.p. johnson lower unit

Hey Hutch....welcome to the forums....<br /><br />One question, do you spin the prop while shifting? You need to do this so the clutch dog and gear lobes will mesh.<br /><br />Keep us posted.

 

[hutch6575]

Re: 1984 60 h.p. johnson lower unit

Outboard Jim, <br />Thanks for your welcoming and reply. I did spin the prop while trying to shift but it just seems a little tight. The first time i tried to force it into forward gear but since the shift hieght wasnt adjusted it was already in forward so i ended up breaking the plastic gear in the control box. I had a local service shop fax me a parts break down of the control box so hopefully the parts wont be to pricey....I work with mercury outboards at work and you dont have to worry about the shift rods.