Forgive me if I'm using the wrong terminology here! I'm still learning!
Anyway, I (now know) that I have an '89 Johnson 30hp. Now here's the question...
Common sense tells me that when the motor is in the down position and forward gear that the tilt shouldn't be "locked"... In other words, I should (not that I'd want to) be able to pick up on the back and tilt the motor up. Common sense tells me this because if I hit something under the water I'd want the motor to tilt up and scare the living hell out of me rather than ripping the entire transom off the boat...
On the other hand, common sense would also dictate that when the drive is in reverse it SHOULD lock the tilt... I'd guess by somehow engaging the "hooks" that sit slightly over the "tilt bar" (the bar that's running between the two sides of the transom clamp that the motor rests against.) This way reverse can't possibly drag the motor up out of the water... Without it locking it's basically just a lever... ???
The point is... Mine doesn't... When the motor is put in reverse it doesn't seem to lock any more or less than when it's in forward...
Is this normal?
I'm assuming not... If not, then any ideas of what I should look at to figure out why?
One thing that I've noticed, and maybe it's really just the way it should be, but I'm wondering if one of the previous owners has replaced that "tilt bar". Reason being, what's there now is a piece of all-thread... Considering the fact that these "hooks" ride over top of it all the time I'd imagine it should probably be smooth... In fact, I can see on mine where the threads in the area of the "hooks" have been mangled a bit...
If in fact it has been replaced, then I wonder if it was with something that was a slightly larger diameter than original and if maybe that's causing the problem?
It's dark out now, so I can't get any pics, but if anyone needs to see exactly what I'm talking about I can certainly take a couple tommorow and post...
In the mean time, any comments?
Anyway, I (now know) that I have an '89 Johnson 30hp. Now here's the question...
Common sense tells me that when the motor is in the down position and forward gear that the tilt shouldn't be "locked"... In other words, I should (not that I'd want to) be able to pick up on the back and tilt the motor up. Common sense tells me this because if I hit something under the water I'd want the motor to tilt up and scare the living hell out of me rather than ripping the entire transom off the boat...
On the other hand, common sense would also dictate that when the drive is in reverse it SHOULD lock the tilt... I'd guess by somehow engaging the "hooks" that sit slightly over the "tilt bar" (the bar that's running between the two sides of the transom clamp that the motor rests against.) This way reverse can't possibly drag the motor up out of the water... Without it locking it's basically just a lever... ???
The point is... Mine doesn't... When the motor is put in reverse it doesn't seem to lock any more or less than when it's in forward...
Is this normal?
I'm assuming not... If not, then any ideas of what I should look at to figure out why?
One thing that I've noticed, and maybe it's really just the way it should be, but I'm wondering if one of the previous owners has replaced that "tilt bar". Reason being, what's there now is a piece of all-thread... Considering the fact that these "hooks" ride over top of it all the time I'd imagine it should probably be smooth... In fact, I can see on mine where the threads in the area of the "hooks" have been mangled a bit...
If in fact it has been replaced, then I wonder if it was with something that was a slightly larger diameter than original and if maybe that's causing the problem?
It's dark out now, so I can't get any pics, but if anyone needs to see exactly what I'm talking about I can certainly take a couple tommorow and post...
In the mean time, any comments?
