I believe clutch dog issues.

[bscheper]

I have a 1992 Evinrude Tracker 40 hp. Pops out of gear when under load. I have tried adjusting all shift linkages over the last couple years. Have been able to manipulate into a position so it pops out only a little in forward but now it is a real issue. When putting in forward and at over 2,000 rpm it continually pops in and out of gear. Thoughts? Clutch dogs? Any ideas? How hard to replace.

 

[jakedaawg]

Try un-hooking shift cable at motor. Shift by hand. Does it still pop out?

Have you had the lower off before this started?

Worn clutch dog usually "clicks".

 

[jakedaawg]

Where the cable end hooks to linkage there are two possible holes to place it in. Which hole is yours in and what style remote control do you have?

 

[mla2ofus]

Switch position of the two gears and rotate the sliding portion 180*. This way you'll be using the parts previously used for reverse.
Mike

 

[jakedaawg]

Switch position of the two gears and rotate the sliding portion 180*. This way you'll be using the parts previously used for reverse.
Mike

Only do this if you want to replace everything sooner.

 

[bscheper]

Shift cable is connected to the top hole. Metal arm that runs to shift shaft is in bottom hole. It looks like there is a middle hole that is empty but I do not think it runs all the way through both sides of plastic shift lever. Shift controls are the single lever that controls both throttle and FNR. Has flip up arm for neural idle. I have had this problem on and off for some time and it has never been completely right. It would always jump a little in forward or reverse depending on how I adjusted the linkage. Last time I did shift by hand and it worked well. I will need to try that again. What I have done so far in the last 2 years. Removed slop out of linkage attachment points. (this helped a lot as it helped the shift arm travel further.) Replace cables just to make sure they were good. (Did not help.) Tried different control box of same style with little improvement. To me it seams that the shift controls are just not moving the linkage far enough. (Tried to attach pic of linkage but couldn't get it uploaded.

 

[jakedaawg]

I would check shift shaft height before tearing into anything.

if it can be shifted by hand and perform well then issue is not gearcase or motor. It must be cables/controls/adjustment.

I have seen the yoke, for lack of the actual part name, become loose on the shift shaft. I am referring to the assembly on the shift shaft that the shift rod pins to for lower unit removal.

 

[jimmbo]

Once a clutch dog starts slipping/jumping, the wear accelerates rapidly. There is no First Aid for this, parts need replacing.
Decades ago, swapping the gears, bushings/bearings and reversing the clutch dog end for end would often buy some time, it usually can not be done on most motors since the late 60s.

Some individuals claim that the contact areas can be refaced and be like new. No, any surface hardening on the gears is gone, so they will wear away even quicker. and the dog doesn't have a lot of material to spare. Machining has to be precise enough the all cogs/teeth contact their respective counterparts simultaneously. New parts are the only way to do it right

 

[heypawpaw]

Had same problem on 1996 88 spl, (saltwater use), couldn't get it adjusted where both forward and reverse worked properly. It ended up being corrosion buildup on shift rod where it goes through the shift rod bushing (#50 on parts diagram). After removing lower unit it was very difficult to remove the bushing from shift rod due to corrosion buildup. Used fine sandpaper then steel wool to clean corrosion from shift rod before replacing.

 

[bscheper]

So I pulled it out of water and detached shift linkage. Manually put it in forward and then increase rpm in drive to about 2000. It popped out of gear. If I held shift lever in gear it was fine. Clutch dogs?

 

[bscheper]

Obviously I put it back in water to do test

 

[Faztbullet]

Replace forward gear and dog...... Now I am one of those individuals that has had gears cut and never had problems out of them. The reason is my machinist does this part time and uses a multimillion dollar Mazak mill as the 3 degree angle on ramps has to be precise and same amount removed from each ramp.

 

[Lugoa2000]

Could this be from a worn out detent spring or detent balls that sit under the clutch dog? Even worse, could this be from worn out or ovalized holes in the prop shaft where the spring and balls are located? I'm having the exact same problem and ordered a new forward gear and clutch dog and would hate for it to keep slipping out of gear even when shifted manually by hand.