'76 Johnson 6HP (6R76A) missing Cam Follower

[Royce Brown]

During the disassembly of the starter recoil (in order to replace a worn/chewed up pinion gear) I noticed that the Cam Follower is missing. I'm not sure exactly the purpose of the cam follower, as I've read it can cause issues and some mechanics will remove.

The motor started and ran prior to my pinion issue, but as I'm reassembling/installing the recoil starter is it worth the time/money/effort to add the proper cam follower mechanism? Does this help with alignment when placing throttle in start position?

I have had a difficult time getting the motor to start when I first purchased but seem to have sorted through that with new plugs and less priming before first pull start attempt along with the choke position. Basically I've had to "learn" my motor but I'm not sure of the cam follower function/purpose.

Any help/insight is greatly appreciated.

Cheers, Royce

 

[Chinewalker]

I've left them out if they're broken. Older 6hp models didn't have them at all. It's a safety feature to prevent starting with the throttle too far advanced. It's your motor, so if you know its not in there and take care not to start with the throttle pegged, then you should be okay. If you lend the motor out, or if young kids unfamiliar with its quirks run the motor, you may wish to put one back in to prevent starting at wide open in gear. Your call, really...

 

[RCO]

Yes, you need the cam follower. There is a line on the cam that needs to line up with the follower for proper sync between the ignition and carb. It will run without it, but performance will suffer.

 

[F_R]

I assume you are speaking of the starter lockout cam follower and not the throttle/carburetor cam follower. The starter lockout does just that---locks the starter so you can't pull it at high throttle settings. This is a safety feature so you can't start it at fast throttle and run over the dock...or somebody.

 

[Royce Brown]

I've left them out if they're broken. Older 6hp models didn't have them at all. It's a safety feature to prevent starting with the throttle too far advanced. It's your motor, so if you know its not in there and take care not to start with the throttle pegged, then you should be okay. If you lend the motor out, or if young kids unfamiliar with its quirks run the motor, you may wish to put one back in to prevent starting at wide open in gear. Your call, really...

Very interesting, didn't realize the cam follower would affect throttle positioning, perhaps this could explain issues I've had with cold starting...........I also have some slippage in the gears between the tiller handle throttle control gear and upper linkage gear (bushing missing?) so I have to remove cover to visually inspect throttle position every time I start cold anyway.

 

[Royce Brown]

I assume you are speaking of the starter lockout cam follower and not the throttle/carburetor cam follower. The starter lockout does just that---locks the starter so you can't pull it at high throttle settings. This is a safety feature so you can't start it at fast throttle and run over the dock...or somebody.

I'm speaking specifically about the Cam Follower attached to the recoil starter assembly (P/n 387513 — CAM FOLLOWER & LEVER). When I removed the recoil assembly I noticed that it looked different than the assembly in this YT video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJN57GOKj94&list=PLvK5xaRUtQXoydaCGQTmmZSnxzq_7Ba53), which appears to be my exact motor.

 

[Chinewalker]

Very interesting, didn't realize the cam follower would affect throttle positioning, perhaps this could explain issues I've had with cold starting...........I also have some slippage in the gears between the tiller handle throttle control gear and upper linkage gear (bushing missing?) so I have to remove cover to visually inspect throttle position every time I start cold anyway.

The cam follower doesn't affect throttle positioning - it's the other way around. Throttle position affects the cam follower. If the throttle is set too far advanced, the cam locks up the recoil.

If you've got slippage in the gears, that's a whole other issue. If the gears are worn, go ahead and replace them - they're pricey, though. I've had some success with shimming under the gears on ones that were clearly worn in their bushings and had spread apart from each other.

 

[Royce Brown]

The cam follower doesn't affect throttle positioning - it's the other way around. Throttle position affects the cam follower. If the throttle is set too far advanced, the cam locks up the recoil.

If you've got slippage in the gears, that's a whole other issue. If the gears are worn, go ahead and replace them - they're pricey, though. I've had some success with shimming under the gears on ones that were clearly worn in their bushings and had spread apart from each other.

Thank you, that was an excellent explanation. Now understanding it's function and looking at the amount of parts I'd have to replace in order to add back the cam follower I will pass. I'm the only person using this motor and just not worth the money to replace.

The gears are another issue altogether, I can't seem to find any diagram/part numbers for this mechanism (tiller handle throttle/verticle throttle linkage. The teeth are worm and will slip, which causes the handle to lose it's "start" position that I had pre-marked. I was thinking of trying to shim the horizontal gear a bit to force a tighter fit, but that's a winter project. I would like to replace the gears entirely and also replace the "Start/Fast/Slow" sleeve on the tiller handle but can't find part number info anywhere.

Thanks for your assistance!

 

[F_R]

Easy, right here.
https://www.iboats.com/shop/engine-parts/1976-Johnson-6R76A-Exhaust-Housing-Parts.html

 

[Royce Brown]

Easy, right here.
https://www.iboats.com/shop/engine-parts/1976-Johnson-6R76A-Exhaust-Housing-Parts.html

Thank you mate, somehow I totally overlooked the Exhaust Housing section!

Unfortunately one gear appears to be unavailable and another is $63, I'll try to shim & keep my eyes open for a used junk motor that I could purchase for parts. Makes we wish I hadn't sold a similar 1967 6HP for scrap, maybe some of the parts would have been salvageable.....

 

[F_R]

Actually, a lot of parts. That basic motor was built for many years, and evolved as it did.