Re: Johnson Controls
It sounds like you have a motor with hydro-electric shift, but it would be helpful to know the exact year to confirm that.
If it is a hydro-electric, and the shift switch has gone bad, you will have to hunt for one. They can sometimes be found as NOS (new, Old Stock) items at a dealership, as well as on the auction sites. Its not unheard of to buy a NOS shift switch for about $60.00, but its also not the norm. Anyone who has one of these and knows how hard they are to come by, will normally want a lot of money for it.
Sometimes you can overcome your problem just by moving the shift/throttle lever on the control unit a little. If that doesn't work, and as TD pointed out, sometimes you can adjust the control unit. Here's what the 1972 Johnson 65hp OEM manual has to say about the matter:
"WARM UP LEVER ADJUSTMENT
"a. Check the safety switch adjustment on the motor as described in Section 4 and reset if necessary."
"b. Place control lever in NEUTRAL and warm-up lever in full start position. Crank motor with KEY switch. If starter doesn't crank, turn warm-up lever stop screw in (clockwise) until engagement takes place."
"c. If starter does crank motor in Step b, with warm-up lever in full start position, back off on warm-up lever stop screw to determine point at which starter won't operate. Readjust set screw clockwise until starter operates with warm-up lever in full START position. See Figure 8-5. Adjusting Throttle Start Position"
Note: Figure 8-5 shows screwdriver inserted into stop screw at front of control unit.
The instructions for checking the Safety Switch adjustment, referred to above, are:
"With ignition switch off and gearshift in neutral, advance throttle lever to full open position. Hold starter key on and slowly retard throttle until motor starts. At this point motor should turn over between 2,500 and 3,000 rpm. If not within this range, adjust slotted cam on throttle lever." See figure 4-23."
Note: Figure 4-23 shows slotted cam on the backside of the throttle lever. The "throttle lever" refered to here and above, is not the shift/throttle lever on the control unit - it is a lever on the starboard side of the engine.
DISCLAIMER: These instructions are from the 1972 J65hp model. They may or may not be applicable for your motor. I have posted them just to give you some idea of remedies to your difficulty.
). I'll have to inquire as to the engine's age.