72 125HP Evinrude Hydroelectric shift, grinding noise shifting into fwd or rev

[57 7.5]

Ok guys I'm back, I'm a glutton for punishment with these electric shift Johnson's and Evinrude motors. I got a great deal on a motor that was sitting in storage for 40 years and they kept it oiled and rotated the flywheel to keep it lubed up, I checked the compression before buying and 120 across the board. So I got it home hooked it to the boat and it fired up. Cleaned the carbs and replaced the filters and screen in the fuel pump changed the lower unit fluid with Type C.. Took it out to the lake and all was well for a year. The last year I was out with my son on the lake we went to our favorite cove and bass fished around the cove and fired up and took off across the lake at WOT almost to the other side the motor started bucking and kicking out of gear bad, I shut it off and then fired it up put it in gear and same thing except not as bad as when at WOT. we fished our way to the boat ramp with the trolling motor thank goodness that was our plan anyway and the batteries held up for that distance. Any way got it out of the water and took it home, went to take a look and first thing I notice is the prop pin is gone and the nut was just about a quarter an inch from the end of the shaft. So tightened the nut put a new pin in and went back to the lake, fired up and put it in gear and now there is no jerking or bucking but now it grinds and doesn't go into gear forward or reverse. I let it sit all winter asked a tech what his thoughts were he said maybe it spun the hub. Well I needed a new prop anyways so I order a new prop with hub. I replaced the water pump impeller and changed the lower unit lube and installed the new prop, went to the lake and got the same results. I've checked the push buttons at the controls all is good there voltage is correct, I checked the ohms at the leads going down to the solenoid's and they were 6-7. So all is good electrically, no I know it should be stuck in forward gear when not running, well it doesn't lock in fwd when you spin the prop by hand, you hear a click at every 1 full rotation, it is stuck in reverse as it will spin the motor and you hear the compression of the cylinders as it rotates.

Anybody got any idea what the problem is, clutch dog or gears or what? Oh there was no metal in the lower unit oil or water all was good.

Thanks,
Donnie

 

[racerone]

Simple ------If it is stuck in REVERSE then the lower unit needs to come apart for inspection and repair.

 

[57 7.5]

That's what I was thinking too, just was hoping it would be easier fix lol! Guess I know what I'm doing this weekend.

 

[jimmbo]

If you spin the prop clockwise you hear a click? If you spin it counter clockwise it locks up and the engine rotates?

 

[emdsapmgr]

120 is strong compression for that year....

 

[57 7.5]

Yes it clicks when rotating it clockwise and locks counter clockwise. I took it apart and the clutch dog where it locks to the gears was worn down and so were the gears where they locked. Replaced the gears and the clutch dog cleaned it all up and put it back together. Installed new impeller, new impeller housing (broke a screw off in the old plastic one). Replaced all the seals and gaskets, she's air tight now. Now I can't get the lower unit back on. It stops about 1/2 inch short of mating up to bolt on. I've tried everything, I can feel it lining up with the motor, when you turn the flywheel it turns the prop, just won't slide all the way up. Is their a gasket or seal that may have got jammed up? I don't see it in the book diagram.

 

[racerone]

Are you using the 2 guide tubes to line up the water tubes ?

 

[57 7.5]

Yes using guide tubes. Me and my son-in law were able to get it on last night. All I have to do now is connect the shift wires and fill the lower unit with Type C gear lube today and test her out. Fingers crossed!

 

[F_R]

Hm.m.m.m, in my experience it would be rather unusual to find a worn-out clutch dog and gears in a Hydro-Electric. The usual cause of the woes you described would be the shifter piston sticking in the oil pump due to microscopic grit in the oil. I suppose that could lead to dog wear, but it is surprising that it worked long enough to do that. Anyway, you sound like you know what you are doing, so I assume you carefully checked that piston/oil pump interface, right?

 

[57 7.5]

Yes I disassembled it and cleaned it really good and it moved back and forth easily enough. I can post pictures tonight when I get home to show you what I'm describing.