What's wrong with my outboard? Help!

[jeremybarham]

What\'s wrong with my outboard? Help!

Hi all - I am new to this boating lark.... just got an old Johnson 6hp short shaft outboard. Won't tell you how much because you'll probably cringe and tell me I was ripped off (how would I know??!). It has a white top and a green shaft, and looks to be a 70s or 80s model I'd guess.

Anyway, don't think it had been used for a while. It started first time when i go it on the boat, and after a few minutes of boating glee it started to slip out of forward gear. I held it in after a while, but after stalling because of a fuel cock up, it got stuck in reverse gear and the gear shift doesn't do anything now. I was told by a local mechanic that there should be a little hatch on the side to look at the gear lever connection to the gear 'stick' halfway down the shaft. Said the connection had probably come loose. There isn't a hatch.

Now i know I should take it to the local boat place, but I play with car engines and can't believe that these little motors are way more complicated (???!) Anyone got any ideas/tips/solutions?

Any help much appreciated.

Jeremy

 

[FullCircle]

Re: What\'s wrong with my outboard? Help!

Welcome Jeremy....

A manual on CD can be had on EBay most days, about 4-5 quid inc postage.

Other than that, keep undoing stuff untill the appropriate thing goes clunk. You are right, they really are not that difficult.

 

[VicS]

Re: What\'s wrong with my outboard? Help!

Earlier models had the shift rod in two parts with an access plate on the side of the leg, later ones did not.

You can get the year from the model (not serial ) number which is on a plate on the mounting bracket and also stamped on a core plug on the engine.

You might find the exploded engine parts diagrams on the BRP website useful.

A good place for help and advice on outboards is the iBoats forums You'll find separate boards for different makes and the Johnson/ Evinrude one is particularly good.

If you go there though quote all the model details including HP and year or model number (preferably both)

Sorry nearly forgot you can get the year from HERE

 

[nordic_ranger]

Re: What\'s wrong with my outboard? Help!

Welcome to th forum Jeremy. What the Mechanic told you was correct, there may be a grommit covering the hatch and if the engine has been painted (and it sounds like it has as all Johnson engines are white all over) it may not be obvious to see. Take off the grommit and you should find the rods that control the gears and the adjustors.
The following site may be worth posting your question on if you cannot find the grommet; http://www.iboats.com/bbboard/bbBoard.cgi?a=viewforum;fid=28

 

[Alrob]

Re: What\'s wrong with my outboard? Help!

No Im sure early seventies johnson was a slime green below & white on top

but if im wrong then i'll beat myself up

 

[William_H]

Re: What\'s wrong with my outboard? Help!

I have had a series of Johnson/Evinrudes from early 80s. No they don't have an access hole.
You remove the 4 bolts that hold the 2 parts of the leg together. Actually the gearbox to the leg.
You part these by about 15mm. This is normally done by putting the gear lever into the position which pushes the gear rod down and pulling the gear box so that the rod in the gear box pulls up. This combination allows the leg to part with the gear control rod still attached at its clamp.
Through the gap you put a 1/4drive I think 3/8 AF socket to loosen the clamp on the gear rod. There is also a screw driver slot. The bolt must be removed. This allows the gear rod to part.
The drive shaft and water tube should pull apart. If the drive shaft does not part then rotate the enfine up to 1/2 turn to allow a roll pin to detach from the spline. I have pulled mine apart so many timmes that I have removed the roll pin and quite forgotten how it works.

Anyway probably your primary proiblem will be to get the 4 bolts out of the leg. Almost certainly they will be corroded and they will snap off very easily. They are stainless steel into aluminium. Heat may help.
I reckon your problem will be in this rod clamp. if not the gear box is fairly easy to dismantle.
It is essential to get the gearbox off as this also contains the water pump etc. I have had a lot of trouble in the pump and water tube but little trouble in the power head.
When refitting it is a juggle to get the water tube into its rubber mating tube the drive shaft into the spline in the engine head and the gear shift rod into its clamp. Leave the gear rod to last by pulling it up with the gear lever until everything else is in place then lower the rod by moving the lever.

The gear lever does get a lot of stiffness from corrosion around the shaft on these motors. There is a grease nipple in the centre of the lever. If it is stiff however it is a huge job to remove the shaft. Mine is stiff and I ended up extending the gear lever (easier to reach and more leverage.
No don't take it to a repair man. They will almost certainly strike corroded bolts. Snap the bolt heads off and charge you a fortune or say the engine is not repairable. If anything needs patience and perseverence it is old o/b motors. Remove as many bolts as you can see and put lots of grease ojn the thread before refitting.

Good luck PM me if it is like I describe and you get stuck. olewill

 

[steve_cronin]

Wow! Deja Vu

I had one of those in the late 60s and your script brought back memories of my stripping mine down (Evinrude Fisherman 6 - but same thing)

I can tell that you know what you are talking about.

Only one thing I would disagree strongly with and that is:-

"...and put lots* of grease ojn the thread before refitting. "

If you screw a greased screw into a threaded blind hole on an aluminium casting, you will burst the casting for sure - crack coming out from the hole. I've done it so many times yet I still seem to think that I will get away with it this time until "ping!" You see the compressed air at the bottom of the drilling has nowhere to go because the grease is plugging the threads and making them airtight and sooner or later it just can't be compressed anymore so something has to give since you're now trying to compress grease.

Steve Cronin

* a "smear" or "the lightest speck" will suffice

 

[VicS]

Re: What\'s wrong with my outboard? Help!

[ QUOTE ]
I have had a series of Johnson/Evinrudes from early 80s........ Through the gap you put a 1/4drive I think 3/8 AF socket to loosen the clamp on the gear rod

[/ QUOTE ] By the mid 80s the shift rod was all one piece (Mine is an '84 6hp Evinrude) which pulls out from the gearbox as you separate it from the leg.

By then Johnsons were painted white!

 

[William_H]

Re: What\'s wrong with my outboard? Help!

High Steve no I have never seen a casting crack from grease but I take your point. By lots of grease I really mean a little bit. Just over enthusiastic in the wording.
hi Vic Yes the rod is all one piece and clamps onto the shaft sticking out of the top of the gearbox/pump housing. it must have been my wording that made you think I meant 2 pieces.
When you say "pulls out from the gearbox' I am sure you mean that it is attached with a clamp. olewill

 

[VicS]

Re: What\'s wrong with my outboard? Help!

[ QUOTE ]
When you say "pulls out from the gearbox' I am sure you mean that it is attached with a clamp.

[/ QUOTE ] On relection (and a quick look at the diagram) I realise it pulls out from the mechanism at the top (a pair of bevel gears) It is in fact retained in the gear box by a circlip at bottom. Still definitely no clamp. Basically a single straight rod with flats machined over the end few cms top and bottom and a groove near the bottom end for the circlip.

 

[William_H]

Re: What\'s wrong with my outboard? Help!

OK Vic obviously we are talking about different engines. So all the info will be usefull to the poster. olewill

 

[jeremybarham]

Re: What\'s wrong with my outboard? Help!

Wow thanks chaps. Hoping to take a look tonight, so will post here with the result!!

 

[jeremybarham]

Re: What\'s wrong with my outboard? Help!

Hooray! William_H you were spot on and everything came apart as you described. There is a clamp, and the bottom leg fell away from the clamp when we pulled the bottom of the motor off. We clamped that leg back into the clamp, and all is now working perfectly! So many thanks due, as I'm sure we would have been charged aplenty if we'd taken it somewhere, and now we have the satisfaction of having fixed our own motor! Yeah!

So one more thing while I've got your attention - what fuel mixture should we be using? We guessed at 50-1?

Thanks again,

Jeremy

 

[VicS]

Re: What\'s wrong with my outboard? Help!

It might be 50:1 but it might be oilier. Get the year from the model number and the website mentioned earlier.

Then take a look at This item on iBoats