Johnson 40hp 1975 - adjust the gearbox

KoalaMan

Recruit
Joined
May 1, 2012
Messages
1
First message here, quite intimidating, I hope I'm doing it right...:)

Quick presentation: me, Nicolas, french man living in Sweden (please excuse my bad English or the lack of understanding of slang or cultural references). Complete newbie in boating and mechanics.:facepalm: I will therefore explain with my simple wording what I see and understand. I've also made a search on the forum regarding the issue I have, but haven't found any satisfactory answer.

We bought, last year, a nice 17 feet cabin boat, make Marina M17 (made in UK, according to the plate), and to give it a bit of move, I got a 1975 Johnson 40hp, model 40e75-c.

Everything works alright, I fixed the electrics, the motor starts with muffs, no problem rev (even if I don't try to high on land).


Now comes the sole left issue: the gearbox seems to be... crazy! It's a basic FNR, with a Teleflex system that seems to work.

The propeller goes Forward and Reverse, no problem at all, but the Neutral is super hard to get. Directly on the motor, with the lever (not using the remote controls), I have to go reverse, forward and back to neutral to have the actual neutral.

Being a motorcyclist, I'm pretty used to "try to find the bloody neutral", but that thing with the boat is a bit too much in my opinion.


I guess, for experts like you (I've read through many topics here), it's a piece of cake, and easy-fix, but I can't find my way around it. I don't know what to look for, how it is supposed to look, I have no idea where this failure might be coming from! Neutral safety switch? Adjust gearbox?



I'd be very grateful of any form of help you could give!


Thanks for reading:)
 

AlTn

Commander
Joined
Mar 9, 2010
Messages
2,813
Re: Johnson 40hp 1975 - adjust the gearbox

go to marineengine.com...evinrude%johnson parts..find you engine by year..hp....model no.....gearcase..you'll see the parts diagrams...can't say I've ever directly experienced your problem, but the spring weakening of a detent ball missing could make finding neutral difficult ..if you go into the gearcase it'll need resealing
 

F_R

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
28,195
Re: Johnson 40hp 1975 - adjust the gearbox

Remove the oval inspection plate off the side of the mid section. Inside, you will see the shift rod connector. Watch that as you move the shifter lever. When one moves, the other should move, with no slack or looseness. I suspect something is loose. If it is, you will have to isolate and repair the problem.

Also, the clutch dog in the lower unit has a definite neutral position. The shifter handle also has a definite neutral position, in relation to the vertical interlock bar. Lower should match the upper. If it doesn't, adjust the shifter handle. But don't even try untill you get rid of all the looseness. There are no other adjustments.

Your English is just fine. And I know what you mean about motorcycle's neutral. My Honda is impossible to get in neutral if stopped. But that has nothing to do whatsoever with your Johnson. It isn't a motorcycle.
 
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