Gear lever & linkages out on 1968 Johnson 40 HP

Smokygrayson

Cadet
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
17
Hi all.

On the lake on the weekend, the motor starting jumping out of gear (at any speed) and then back into gear.

In the end, it jumped right out, and the linkages and gear lever connected to the forward controls came off. The gear lever was still attached to the forward control wire.

I took the cowling off - the linkages between the lever and the motor had become disconnected. But inside the linkages there is a spring which kept pushing the lever off the end when I put it back on again.

Does anyone know what has happened here? Should there be something that holds the lever onto the motor housing or to the other linkages?

Thanks for any help.
 

Smokygrayson

Cadet
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
17
Re: Gear lever & linkages out on 1968 Johnson 40 HP

Very similar but not quite the same. There isn't any clear screw or lockwasher holding the shift lever in place on my motor. There may be something really obvious that I haven't noticed.

On that diagram, I can't see any spring sitting inside the shift connector either.

I'm not at home at present but I will have a better look at it tonight and maybe take a photo, get the exact model no. etc.

Thanks very much for your quick response!
 

Smokygrayson

Cadet
Joined
May 22, 2011
Messages
17
Re: Gear lever & linkages out on 1968 Johnson 40 HP

Hi again,

The motor is a 1964 RDL - 26 - R. But it looks much like those '68 models.

There is a linkage (a shift connector) that joins the shift lever to the motor. It looks like there is a missing washer (maybe a "connector retainer"?) that would hold the cylinder on the lever on to the motor housing.

At the moment, the gear lever just slides easily out of the motor housing, there's nothing to hold it in there! There's also a spring inside the shift connector which keeps pushing it out.:mad:

Gear shift 014.jpg
 
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