Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

[Neil G.]

No replies on yesterdays post maybe to long winded so will make this short & sweet.
Have been only getting forward gear on 71 Johnson 60ESL-71C electric shift so changed neutral solenoid as it was giving 0 ohms reading. Just fired motor up and was in neutral when started then switched in to reverse and prop spun counterclockwise so put back in neutral then onto forward. Once in forward for a few seconds I shifted back to neutral and reverse but prop just kept spinning in forward clockwise motion.
Thought I had this thing fixed in the first 10-15 seconds but the forward gear only has come back to haunt me, however it was in neutral and reverse for a brief moment!
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

Neil G

 

[Daviet]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

Do you have the proper oil in the lower unit?

 

[Neil G.]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

Thanks for reply, yes have been using the premium blend for electric shift motors.
I just realized another bit of info that may be important. When my 3 way switch in Johnson control box packed it in I got a great deal on an Evinrude push button selectric shift box. Was told from local marine shop that it will work just as well as Johnson lever control. Hopefully thats not the problem although I did all the required checks on it and was getting power to green and blue knife connectors when in neutral and reverse.

 

[Daviet]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

Have you had the pump out of the lower unit, was the screen on the front of the pump clean?

 

[Neil G.]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

No have not gone into this lower unit other than change out the bad ohm reading neutral solenoid.

 

[orbanp]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

Hi Neil,

Chances are the plungers are out of adjustment as you changed one of the solenoids. The service manual has a detailed set of instructions to adjust them properly.



Good luck, Peter

 

[Neil G.]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

Thanks for the info have been out at the lake all day but unfortunately not in my boat!
Peter now that you mention the plungers, I did fool around with adjustments when I changed the neutral one and tried bringing them closer to flush position but may have gone to high. I will be back at it tomorrow after work and will make sure solenoids are flush or just below top of solenoid.
Thanks for the instructions. Other than that I may be doing what Daviet mentions and thats exploring a little further into gearcase which I was hoping not to do. Anyhow thanks for responses as they have given me new ideas and have made me think a lot about how to fix this problem. Not to mention read a lot of posts and learn more than I ever thought I would need to know about these electric shift motors!

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

You can also bench test operation with a 1/2 electric drill, 12v battery and some jumper wires

 

[Neil G.]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

Excellent info, Thanks! Figure lower unit has been off and on about 3-4 times in the past few weeks so this will save me some time.
The good thing is I can now take a 71 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit off in about 10 minutes!
So for the bench test is there a specific tool or socket that will fit over the splines of drive shaft?

 

[Neil G.]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

Just confirming prior to pulling lower unit disconnected knife connectors and with key on in neutral had 12v on green wire, in reverse 12v on both green & blue wires same time and no voltage to either wire in forward. Then ran motor on muffs which started in forward gear and took voltage from starter solenoid to lower unit green wire and continued in forward gear then put voltage to both green and blue wire same time and remained in forward gear. Now to check and adjust solenoid plungers if required. So when bench testing need to spin that drive shaft, does anyone know best way to do that without damaging drive shaft spline? I get the application of power to wires once spinning but a bit worried about damaging driveshaft spline.Thanks

 

[Daviet]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

They made a 1/2" drive socket that would fit the splines on the drive shaft. You can take a cheap extension and cut the female end off and chuck it in a 1/2" drill to bench check the lower unit. I would suggest to have someone operate the drill for you while you work the electrical. Also it would be a great idea to remove the prop for testing, don't ask me how I found this out.

 

[Neil G.]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

Excellent Thanks, and first thing I will do is take the prop off!

 

[Neil G.]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

Like I said in an earlier post, now to check and adjust solenoids if required. Well looks like I will be readjusting solenoids at least the neutral as i just took cover off and here's what I see. Everything I've read is telling me that my adjustment of the neutral solenoid last week obviously could have been a whole lot closer to flush or even 1/64" lower than what pics show. I can't even say I had to many beers or didn't have my glasses on as I'm not sure I could adjust this neutral solenoid any higher again if i tried. Oh well keeping fingers crossed this is the problem!

 

[Neil G.]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

Quick update on 71 Johnson hydro-electric drive stuck in forward. After finding neutral solenoid plunger too high (previous pics) I readjusted both as reverse solenoid also looked a tad higher than flush. Bench tested and everything checked out as neutral and reverse were working once again. Hooked lower unit back up, put the muffs on and took some pics. Hopefully the problem is fixed now, and will give it a good test this weekend. Thanks again to those that replied on posts and passed on their knowledge and to all those that pass on their expertise and knowledge on this forum daily!

 

[Daviet]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

Glad you got it figured out, let us know how the test run works out.

 

[Neil G.]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

Test run went well in that I was able to back out of boat ramp in reverse and shifted into neutral with no problem. The solenoid plunger adjustment fixed the forward only gear issue I had. Now here's where the new issues started as I shifted into forward and hit the throttle the motor sputtered and quit like it was not getting enough fuel. Started up again no problem and took off like it should. Anyways this seemed to be the norm over the next day or so that it would quit when throttling up then would take off after restarting, sometimes would have to restart a couple times before getting it to take off. Then lost forward gear and only have neutral and reverse now, so one extreme to the next. Not giving up now as I’ve spent a lot of time learning a lot and fixing this motor. Any suggestions like the ones that helped me getting my neutral and reverse back would be much appreciated, thanks in advance.

 

[orbanp]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

Hi Neil,

This sounds like a fuel problem, just as you mention it!
Try to pump the priming bulb when you throttle up, see if it makes any difference. If so, this might be the fuel pump.
Also, you can clean/rebuild the carbs.
You can check the fuel lines, or if there is any sediment in the fuel tank, or fuel filter, if you have one.

P.S. The system assigns a URL link for whatever erroneous reason to the gas tank expression, this must be a bug!

Good luck, Peter

 

[Neil G.]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

Thanks Peter will do as these 2 new issues of not having a forward gear anymore and the motor sputtering and quiting may require a couple new threads. However, still can't figure out how I would lose forward if that's the default gear.

 

[Faztbullet]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

However, still can't figure out how I would lose forward if that's the default gear.

Plunger in pump that attaches to clutch dog stuck or trash under check ball under pump lever..

 

[Neil G.]

Re: Yesterdays post - 1971 Johnson 60ESL-71C lower unit problems

Thanks, looks like I will be removing a lower unit again (4th time in 6 weeks)!
Also, just received clutch dog that will go on the spare lower unit that was on the 60 ESL-71C motor I purchased last month.
But should start a new thread for that job as I will need help/ideas in removing pinion gear and checking if forward and reverse gears on this unit are still good. Prior to blowing up the clutch dog when shifting from neutral to either forward/reverse or shutting down there was a noticeable clunking sound.