1972 65hp Johnson Triumph Outboard Propeller Spining

pdxjosh2016

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Oct 13, 2016
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Hello,

I just got my first big boy boat, its a 1972 thunderbird tri hull. It has a 1972 65hp Johnson triumph electric start outboard on it.

I am going over the boat and getting ready to put it in the water and I was flushing the motor last night and I noticed that the propeller spins when in idle. It seems to spin fairly fast. I did feel the motor shift in to forward, neutral, and reverse, but I did not see a noticeable change in propeller speed. I found little info online about the propeller spin, and only found a handful of videos on youtube that showed the propeller spinning.

So my question is it normal for the propeller to spin in neutral? What should I look for if its not normal.

Thanks,
Josh
 

MarioTwins

Seaman
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Oct 2, 2016
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65
I bet you can stop it. Please don't try though
I'm sure it's normal. Probably just vibration through the leg making it spin
 

flyingscott

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Absolutely normal the drive shaft is still spinning the gears and with the thick gearlube the prop shaft kind of gets dragged along. DON'T touch the prop while it is spinning.
 

racerone

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Dec 28, 2013
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36,038
i usually bring my work boot up to the spinning prop standing on the STARBOARD side of the motor.---No danger in doing that at all.----Prop should stop.------Sure some will argue that as always.
 

jimmbo

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May 24, 2004
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i usually bring my work boot up to the spinning prop standing on the STARBOARD side of the motor.---No danger in doing that at all.----Prop should stop.------Sure some will argue that as always.

And if it doesn't? One trip to the Hospital Emergency and a Darwin Award Nomination
 

racerone

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Sorry, done it for years.--------Prop kicks the boot away from any harm !!!-----Would do it again tomorrow too.
 

racerone

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Common sense is not very common.------If it was there would be a lot more around.---------There is absolutely no danger to me in checking whether one of those motors is in nuetral or not the way I do it !
 

eavega

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Apr 29, 2008
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1972 would put it in the hydro-electric shift years. If the shift mechanism fails, the motor defaults to forward gear. You said you saw it shift, so I'll assume that's not the case. If in doubt, run the motor with the leg in a deep bucket of water (or actually in the water). The water should provide enough resistance on the prop to either stop or significantly slow its spinning. If your prop is still spinning in neutral while in the water, you may want to check things out further. You definitely don't want the prop spinning with any power while its in neutral in the water...

Rgds

E
 

jimmbo

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Common sense is not very common.------If it was there would be a lot more around.---------There is absolutely no danger to me in checking whether one of those motors is in nuetral or not the way I do it !

Famous last words... As for common sense... You aren't showing any. It is asinine to put a limb into a rotating prop. What if the blade had some damage and it snags you shoe or its laces. I saw a skier who lost his foot by a prop, it didn't kick his out of the way. But one day you may be bragging about you new Stump
 

Tim Frank

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^^^^ agreed. But there is a HUGE difference between a bare foot and a steel-toed and shanked work-boot.

But if it is a concern, just wrap 5' of rope around the prop.
If it stalls the motor, there is a problem.
If it does not stall the motor, there isn't.
 

jimmbo

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^^^^ agreed. But there is a HUGE difference between a bare foot and a steel-toed and shanked work-boot.

But if it is a concern, just wrap 5' of rope around the prop.
If it stalls the motor, there is a problem.
If it does not stall the motor, there isn't.

There are ways to investigate/troubleshoot without being stupid. Using PPE(personal protective equipment) often gives certain people an attitude that they are immune from injury and/or death, and thus can now work dangerously. Don't place a lot of faith in a steel toe cap, they can be crushed down and do a very nice amputation of the toes, and an in gear SS prop will cut right through the cap in an instant. Regardless, putting ones foot into a spinning prop is downright stupid. If this was being done by anyone in my employ, he/she would be told to stop doing it, and be warned any reoccurrences would lead to Discipline up to and including termination. As an employer it is my legal responsibility to provide and endure a safe workplace and enforce safe work practices. Well it is in Canada.
 
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racerone

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I have attended many safety meetings in a " safety conscious " workplace.----But I consider putting a boot towards a spinning prop on a 1972 model 65 hp that is in the nuetral on the control to be no risk to me !!
 

jimmbo

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But I consider putting a boot towards a spinning prop on a 1972 model 65 hp that is in the nuetral on the control to be no risk to me !!

One that defaults to forward when power is not getting to the gear case... Rationalize it all you want, still a dangerous senseless thing to do.
 

Tim Frank

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One that defaults to forward when power is not getting to the gear case... Rationalize it all you want, still a dangerous senseless thing to do.

Good Lord. :facepalm:
As the lawyers are wont to say, "asked and answered"! Do you really need the last word (such as it is) ? :confused:

I suppose it might fulfill some vestigial need.:rolleyes:
 

pdxjosh2016

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Thank you everyone for the reply's. After doing a ton of research and troubleshooting the issue. I found that the issue is somewhere in the gears and the shifting mechanism. I was luck enough to get a second "twin motor" when I bought the boat and was able to switch the hydro electric shift and the issue is still present. Which leads me to believe its a gear issue. The motor does shift between forward and reverse, but there is no neutral. With the boat in the water the engine is in either forward or reverse even when the controls are in neutral.

Thanks again for the help
 

F_R

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Jul 7, 2006
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28,195
Thank you everyone for the reply's. After doing a ton of research and troubleshooting the issue. I found that the issue is somewhere in the gears and the shifting mechanism. I was luck enough to get a second "twin motor" when I bought the boat and was able to switch the hydro electric shift and the issue is still present. Which leads me to believe its a gear issue. The motor does shift between forward and reverse, but there is no neutral. With the boat in the water the engine is in either forward or reverse even when the controls are in neutral.

Thanks again for the help


OK, if there is no neutral in the water, then there is a shifting problem. Now you have to realize how that thing works. It is shifted by hydraulic pressure from an oil pump in the nose of the gearcase. The pump is pumping anytime the motor is running. The "Electric" part of Hydro-Electric consists of a switch in the remote control that sends a voltage back to a pair of solenoids in the lower unit. When energized, those solenoids close one or two valves that direct the oil flow, thereby causing it to shift.

So...You now have to do some trouble shooting. Begin with changing the gear oil, using the correct stuff. Microscopic dirt in the oil is death to the shifting, and once it does it's evil there is no way to get it out, short of complete dis-assembly. Since you have forward and reverse, it is working now, but do the maintenance BEFORE a problem occurs.

Next, you must do a complete electrical system checkout, all the way to the control and back to the solenoids. The problem can be anywhere along the circuit, but I can tell you that a bad shifter switch in the remote control is very common. So are rotted wires in a motor that old.
 
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