Johnson 1977 Reverse, but not Forward

saltwaterbluefish

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Dec 14, 2010
Messages
156
Outboard: 1977 115 hp Johnson (115EL77S

About 2 weeks ago I put my boat in the water and found out that my outboard would go in reverse, but when I moved it to the forward position I did not move forward at all. Thinking it was a spun prop, I put my friend's prop on it that was brand new and relaunched this weekend with the same issue. Goes in reverse fine, but no forward. Took the cowling off and the throttle arms move in the correct position as well as the rpm go up as I move the throttle forward. When I got home and put the muffs on it, it goes into gear fine and you can hear it slip into forward gear and see the prop turning. It seems to be an issue with the boat being put under load, which made me think it was the prop, but that is definitely not the issue.

Any suggestions?

PS, I did just change the gear lube and the marine mechanic recommended I use Johnson Hi-Vis, but looking through the forums they recommend Type C. Could this be the issue and if so, will draining and refilling with the correct type fix the problem?
 

Ncarawan1

Recruit
Joined
Apr 25, 2016
Messages
4
I am having same issue with my 1987 50hp Johnson seahorses and started with taking off the cable and shifting manually and trying to spin the prop. This will tell you if the problem is in the cable or control box. Mine will not engage into forward gear so now I'm stumped.
 

F_R

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
28,195
Hi Vis would be the correct oil. But that probably is not the problem, unless it has been neglected.
 

saltwaterbluefish

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Dec 14, 2010
Messages
156
Put the muffs back on it tonight and no forward. Looked at all the linkages and everything seems to move in the correct position. Even took off the carbs to get a better look and nothing looked out of the ordinary.
 

Watermann

Starmada Splash of the Year 2014
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
13,747
Have you taken the lower off to change the impeller? If so sometimes the shift shaft can get turned and loose adjustment.
 

saltwaterbluefish

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Dec 14, 2010
Messages
156
I had it out this past January and it ran perfect. The only change since then was the lower unit gear lube and spark plugs. I had put a new impeller on this past summer, but have not had any issues. I plan to take off the lower unit this afternoon to see if there is an issue. I also let some of the gear lube out of the lower unit, but everything looked clear.
 

racerone

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Messages
36,044
If original this uses the hydraulic oil pressure assisted shift.----My guess and it is only a guess from where i sit is that there is debris in the lower unit.----This is preventing the mechanism from moving forward in the pump housing.
 

saltwaterbluefish

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Dec 14, 2010
Messages
156
Thanks everyone for the comments and suggestions. After taking the carbs and all the linkages off, I discovered that the plastic end of the cable that puts the motor into gear was slipping about an 3/4 of an inch as you put into gear. This was occurring without any movement from the plastic dial on the cable. That tiny amount was causing the motor not to go into gear although all the parts were moving. I moved the plastic dial to compensate for the slip and put everything back on and tested it on the muffs. Went into reverse and forward. Fingers crossed for a positive test this weekend when I put it under load.
 
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