gear shift lever /assembly not forward enough 69 40 johnson

MadTom

Seaman
Joined
Aug 23, 2011
Messages
66
one issue solved brings on another.... got the 1969 johnson 40 hp fired up in the barrel, everything looks good but with the gear shift control and assembly adjusted all the way forward it will not click into forward ... there is no more adjustment left to bring it more forward so is there away to adjust the gear shift lever on the engine?..neutral and reverse seem good. it does go into forward if I manually push the lever forward,, maybe an extra 1/2 inch more is what I need than I can achieve with the cable and control box adjustment.
 

HighTrim

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jun 21, 2007
Messages
10,486
Are the shift rod detents lined up with the holes in the connector in the leg?
 

MadTom

Seaman
Joined
Aug 23, 2011
Messages
66
Hi HighTrim - I'm not sure what that means.. sorry ! Does that have to do with the Pivot Pin?
 

oldboat1

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Apr 3, 2002
Messages
9,598
Did you have it shifting properly when the l.u. was off? You had taken out the pivot pin on that one, I think -- not sure how you came out with that.
 

MadTom

Seaman
Joined
Aug 23, 2011
Messages
66
in error I took the pivot pin out but was able to get it back in. I've have not take the lower unit off.
 

F_R

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
28,195
There are two screws holding the manual shifter lever to the engine. The screw holes in the lever are slotted, allowing adjustment of the lever. Loosen the screws, push the lever all the as far as it will go to the rear and re-tighten the screws. That will give a new "bite" sort of like a ratchet wrench. Doing this adjusts the position of the lever, and does not change anything beyond that.
 

MadTom

Seaman
Joined
Aug 23, 2011
Messages
66
Thank you F_R.... that worked. Do safety switches go bad?... When I did my first few boat tests in the water, the safety switch did what it is supposed to, I believe, it would not start when in gear. Now it will start when in gear. My kill switch also worked (grounding out one of the magneto wires), now that doesn;t work either. Any suggestions and/or connections between these two issues?... thank you
 

F_R

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
28,195
Is it electric start? If it is, the safety switch can be fried instantly by incorrect jump starting attempts. Otherwise, it may simply be out of adjustment. Besides, it does not prevent starting in gear, it prevents starting at higher throttle settings. And of course it has to be in gear to get the throttle to high speed, so in that sense it does prevent starting in gear.

The motor is shut down by connecting the two black magneto wires together. Grounding one only kills one cylinder and it will continue to run on the other cylinder.
 
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