Evinrude chatters in and out of forward

[Doug N.]

My 7.5 hp Evinrude chatters in and out of gear when I put it in forward. It doesn't pop all the way out. I can hold the shift lever forward and that helps, but doesn't prevent the chatter. It works fine in reverse, but that's no way to fish. It is an old motor, but I don't know the year. Any thoughts?

 

[lindy46]

Re: Evinrude chatters in and out of forward

Most likely a worn clutch dog/forward gear. Repair requires dropping the lower unit and opening the gearcase. If it's a '50s motor, you may be able to buy some time by flipping the clutch dog and forward/reverse gears, but then you may have problems in reverse. The best fix is to replace the clutch dog with a new one. Once you're in there, you can determine the condition of the forward gear. If the mating surface with the clutch dog is rounded or chipped, then the gear will also need replacing. The gears are EXPENSIVE. If it comes to that, you may be able to buy a used lower unit in good shape for much less money.

 

[Doug N.]

Re: Evinrude chatters in and out of forward

Thanks for the quick response. Dropping the lower unit doesn't look too bad. I'll have to get a manual. This is probably why it was at the pawn shop where I bought it.

 

[lindy46]

Re: Evinrude chatters in and out of forward

If it's a '50s-60s motor, you'll have to remove the powerhead to disconnect the shift rod to drop the lower unit. Many threads here on that process. If you plan on keeping/working on the motor yourself, a service manual is an invaluable tool.

 

[Doug N.]

Re: Evinrude chatters in and out of forward

Thanks again. I rooted around on how to figure out the year. The serial number is 10020 08470. It looks like that means it is a 10 hp built in 1960. There is a good chart on ebay. The motor runs great, but this may be more trouble than what it is worth. I suppose it depends on parts availability as well.

 

[ezeke]

Re: Evinrude chatters in and out of forward

The shiftrod disconnects with a standard connector on your motor and that is probably the cause of your discomfort.

The screws that holds the sections of the shift rod have to be fully removed before reconnecting so that the shift rod ends will be fully inserted into the coupler. The screws then hold the area shown in the thumbnail.

All that you need to do to reach and reset the connector is to remove the four screw that hold the geacase to the midsection, lower the gearcase enough to reach the connector, remove the screws and set the shift rod into the connector fully, then reinstall the screws.

 

[Doug N.]

Re: Evinrude chatters in and out of forward

That sounds prety slick. I'll give it a try. I have only used this motor twice and the gears worked OK the last time. I'm still done buying motors from pawn shops.