85 JOHNSON HYDRO ELECTRIC--NO NEUTRAL OR REVERSE

[mmcguffee]

My 85 Hydro Electric Johnson is late 60's early 70's. Just took her out on the lake and have no neutral or reverse. I've read a few threads about a solenoid?????? I would need a manual and ideas how to replace. I'm also wondering if it could just be an adjustment in the cable???

 

[Trent]

Re: 85 JOHNSON HYDRO ELECTRIC--NO NEUTRAL OR REVERSE

Bet its in foward only... It's in the "failsafe mode" You have wiring/solenoid problems. Cable adjustment? Nope dont think so. You are using the proper gear lube in the lower unit? Those take a special lube.

 

[Jack Shellac]

Re: 85 JOHNSON HYDRO ELECTRIC--NO NEUTRAL OR REVERSE

Trent's right, I think. These older motors were designed to fail in forward gear if something went wrong. This got you home and it made sense to do it this way [to most of us, anyway]. They were later changed to fail in neutral due to safety issues. My guess would also be the solenoid, if all the wiring connections check out.

 

[alcan]

Re: 85 JOHNSON HYDRO ELECTRIC--NO NEUTRAL OR REVERSE

The first thing to do is aquire a manual. This will give you the proper trouble shooting sequence. Then locate the blue and green shift wires on the port side of the engine, where they decend to the lower unit. You will find Knife connectors there under black shrink tubing. Test the connections for voltage. No volts = forward, power to one wire = neutral, power to both = reverse. If you have no power to the wires test the shift switch located in the control box.

 

[mmcguffee]

Re: 85 JOHNSON HYDRO ELECTRIC--NO NEUTRAL OR REVERSE

Thanks for the advice. Who sells parts that old? Can anyone give me a link to a picture of the solenoid? Will a Seloc manual show me? I looked at a Seloc table of contents on the web and didn't see any reference to hydro electric solenoid.

 

[alcan]

Re: 85 JOHNSON HYDRO ELECTRIC--NO NEUTRAL OR REVERSE

Parts can be found for these motors. But the you need to determine if you need them first. Did you drain the gear oil in your lower unit? If so, what did it look like? Did you refill it with the propper Type C fluid? You can order manuals right here at the bottom of this page. The I boats part#1306 would cover your motor,50hp-125hp 1958-1972. This would be a Seloc brand manual. If you don't want to spend the few bucks for your own copy, you might try your public library. They often have this info. It may not be a Seloc brand but that doesn't matter, any manual covering the hp and year Johnson/Evinrude will work just fine. Do a search on this board for past threads, this will give you more info. Search for 1968-72 3 and 4 cyl motors with hydro-elect shift.

 

[mmcguffee]

Re: 85 JOHNSON HYDRO ELECTRIC--NO NEUTRAL OR REVERSE

I put the type c fluid in last year. Just drained it again and it is pretty milky looking (grayish-blue) Water? What next?

 

[mmcguffee]

Re: 85 JOHNSON HYDRO ELECTRIC--NO NEUTRAL OR REVERSE

I read some other posts and see that I should add seals to the vent and drain, which I didn't do last year. So, I'm going to try that and test her out today.

 

[alcan]

Re: 85 JOHNSON HYDRO ELECTRIC--NO NEUTRAL OR REVERSE

Go to the library,book store,a buddy, get a manual. Do a vacuume and presure tests. You have a leak some where. You will need to find it. It may end up being just worn oil plug washers, on the other hand it may be worn seals. Do not neglect to perform both tests. It is very common for a unit to pass one test and fail the other. This is a classic example of why it is so important to change gear oil on a regluar basis, espiecaly at the end of the season before lay-up. This way if there is a problem it is found and corrected before it is allowed to sit all winter. Water allowed to sit in the gear case over the winter may freeze and bust the housing. There is nothing real complicated about your L/U, if you have the correct tools and info 15-20 minuites and you should know exactly what is amiss and what to do about it.

 

[karrick]

Re: 85 JOHNSON HYDRO ELECTRIC--NO NEUTRAL OR REVERSE

You could either have a bad solenoid, switch or wiring somewhere in between. I had the same problem with my '71 60hp. I tested the wires for voltage and found nothing. I investigated the switch and found that the guts of the switch were destroyed (age mabye?). I rigged up a toggle switch due to the difficulty I had trying to find a replacement, not to say you couldn't find one though. keep posting if any ?/s arise

 

[mmcguffee]

Re: 85 JOHNSON HYDRO ELECTRIC--NO NEUTRAL OR REVERSE

Well, well, well. I replaced the oil, took it out to check things out. The engine seized and now I have a one inch hole in the lower unit. What happened? And is it worth fixing?

 

[Bass Runner]

Re: 85 JOHNSON HYDRO ELECTRIC--NO NEUTRAL OR REVERSE

Did bearings sieze in the lower unit or did the power head freeze up? Where is the hole in the lower unit?