77, 115hp, johnson, shifts great on dry land?

[desertfish]

hi everyone, i have a 77, 115 hp johnson that shifts into gear on dry land. every time i go to the lake it only goes about 1 mph in forward. after that only the rpm's go up but the boat does not move. i get a vibration in the shift box when the rpm's go up (probably normal). i have had the shift rod and nut adjusted and fixed all of the linkage, bell crank assembly and bushings to minimize play and replaced the shifter cable. we marked the prop and it is not spun. now the mechanic is saying it is the clutches/gears in the lower unit.

when i raise the motor to the top of the water to see if the prop spins it spins fast in forward and reverse but when i lower it in the water and put a load on it, it only goes 1 mph.

the motor did go into forward only (and not reverse) the first time i took it out and went at top speed but now i have only 1 mph. the mechanic also stated he can try to adjust it have forward only but i am not too happy with that.

one other thing, the shifter lever used to shift into gear is missing the press lever usually used to engage from neutral into forward or reverse and neutral is not straight up, it is back a little from the middle.

please help w/ suggestions. i am out of money, time, gas and my blood pressure is rising fast.

thanks in advance for your help!!

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: 77, 115hp, johnson, shifts great on dry land?

Normally, the shifting is set from the neutral position, then adjusted for proper engagement into forward and reverse. This means the handle is at a 90 degree postion to the bottom of the box. If the neutral slide lock mechanism is missing from the control box handle, you may not be actually in the true neutral position when you start trying to make your adjustments.

 

[F_R]

Re: 77, 115hp, johnson, shifts great on dry land?

So, you are getting grinding and vibration, right? And you marked the prop and it is ok, right? There can only be one conclusion: It is not going into gear and staying there. That Could be a linkage problem, but probably isn't. You probably do have a serious problem inside the lower unit. Messing with the linkage stuff won't cure the base problem. However, the gearcase parts and linkage is closely related--if one is messed up, it will mess up the other. Fix it all and fix it right.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: 77, 115hp, johnson, shifts great on dry land?

Sure sounds like a lower unit issue.

 

[DF22604]

1963 18hp johnson seahorse

1963 18hp johnson seahorse

I need pics of how too line up the forward , reverse and neutral . I took off fly wheel and the plate below to replace wires , coils , points and condenser. after put back together noticed my gears wernt lined up ... help!!!!!!!!!!! Any sugestions , should i put in neutral and set lower plate to that position ????? Anyone know were i can find pics online ???? Usally i wouldv marked this , but ??? HELPPP

 

[desertfish]

Re: 77, 115hp, johnson, shifts great on dry land?

hi emdsapmgr,

the shifting handle for neutral is almost at a 90 degree position but is actually tilted a little back 15-30 degrees towards reverse. the mechanic spins the prop to make sure it is in neutral and then adjusts the cable and linkage.

yes, i am getting grinding/vibration in the shift control box when the rpm's are increased and the prop was marked and checked and the marks are still aligned. it goes in to both gears on dry land or if i tilt the prop up close to the top of the water when in the lake. if i drop the motor in the water it only goes 1 mph.

just to let you know some more history.

*the 1st 2 times i ran the boat it went full speed in forward but did not have reverse.

*i had a mechanic check and adjust the shift rod and check everything and install new bushings and parts to eliminate play in linkage.

*went to the lake and it only went 1 mph.

*i purchased a different used lower unit, had it installed, went only 1 mph.

*took it to a different mechanic, had the shift rod and nut re-adjusted added new parts (bell crank assembly forks), new shift cable and new bushings again. took it to the lake and went only 1 mph.

so now the mechanic wants to take it to the lake and manually put it in to forward gear to see what happens and to see if it may be the shift control box slipping out of gear or not engaging?

my main point for this history is that i did have forward at full speed at one time until i took it to the mechanic and since then have tried 2 lower units and have the same problem of not staying in gear. i guess i could have 2 bad lower units but i am just wondering if there is anything it could be in the shift control box.

thanks very much for your help!!!

 

[F_R]

Re: 77, 115hp, johnson, shifts great on dry land?

hi emdsapmgr,

the shifting handle for neutral is almost at a 90 degree position but is actually tilted a little back 15-30 degrees towards reverse. the mechanic spins the prop to make sure it is in neutral and then adjusts the cable and linkage.

yes, i am getting grinding/vibration in the shift control box when the rpm's are increased and the prop was marked and checked and the marks are still aligned. it goes in to both gears on dry land or if i tilt the prop up close to the top of the water when in the lake. if i drop the motor in the water it only goes 1 mph.

just to let you know some more history.

*the 1st 2 times i ran the boat it went full speed in forward but did not have reverse.

*i had a mechanic check and adjust the shift rod and check everything and install new bushings and parts to eliminate play in linkage.

*went to the lake and it only went 1 mph.

*i purchased a different used lower unit, had it installed, went only 1 mph.

*took it to a different mechanic, had the shift rod and nut re-adjusted added new parts (bell crank assembly forks), new shift cable and new bushings again. took it to the lake and went only 1 mph.

so now the mechanic wants to take it to the lake and manually put it in to forward gear to see what happens and to see if it may be the shift control box slipping out of gear or not engaging?

my main point for this history is that i did have forward at full speed at one time until i took it to the mechanic and since then have tried 2 lower units and have the same problem of not staying in gear. i guess i could have 2 bad lower units but i am just wondering if there is anything it could be in the shift control box.

thanks very much for your help!!!

I agree, let an experienced outboard mechanic check it out on the water. What with buying another lower unit and all, you have already spent enough to fix it---and have nothing to show for it. Somebody isn't seeing the forest because all the dadgum trees are in the way.

 

[fire7882]

Re: 77, 115hp, johnson, shifts great on dry land?

Have you pulled the controls off and inspected their internals yet? You may have something loose or broken.

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: 77, 115hp, johnson, shifts great on dry land?

When you said you adjusted the shift rod length, were you referring to the lower unit shift rod-set at the correct height? There is a specific measurement for the length of the shift rod in the lower unit. It is certainly unusual to have the same problem with two lowers... If you have exhausted all shift adjustments, time to pull control box apart and check for broken or worn parts.

 

[desertfish]

Re: 77, 115hp, johnson, shifts great on dry land?

yes, the lower shift rod has been adjusted to the specific measurement to factory specs. the mechanic replaced the shifter cable and you would think he inspected the control box when he did that but maybe not. what parts should be inspected in the control box? it is worth a try to look.

i had a different mechanic look at it today and said the the linkage looks good and it is shifting in and out of gear. we had the prop off so he put vice grips on the prop shaft and he said it felt like it was jumping over the gears in forward and reverse felt tighter than forward, so maybe it is the lower unit.

but you are right. 2 bad lower units. anything is possible w/ the luck i have been having with this motor.

thanks very much and hope to hear your advice soon.

eric