90's Evinrude 50HP VRO not shifting

[MPI_Mallard]

First off please bear with me I'm new to powerboating so if I sound like I don't know what I'm talking about it's because I don't. I bought a used pontoon boat with a 90's Evinrude 50HP VRO and it's been running like a swiss watch until yesterday, as I was going back to the dock going from forward to reverse then forward I lost the ability to shift into either, before that on a previous trip I could hear a faint tone coming from the shifter that got louder as I increased the speed and got quieter when I decreased the speed, the previous owner told me he had disconnected the auto-oiler and the alarm ment nothing. The engine is wizzing water and running right but when I shift I don't feel that "ker-plunk" that it had and the prop won't turn, I'm pulling it out today so what might I look for?

 

[oldcatamount]

Re: 90's Evinrude 50HP VRO not shifting

I'd look for a broken or disconnected shift cable either in the controller or on the motor. If the shifter just stopped working with no symptoms, I doubt there's a gear problem but you should check the gear oil anyway. If the previous owner disconnected the VRO, did he remove the oil tank from the boat? If so, the tone you are hearing could be the heat sensor. Do you hear a short beep when turning the key on?

 

[MPI_Mallard]

Re: 90's Evinrude 50HP VRO not shifting

Thanks for the suggestion, the pin that held the cable to the shift arm had come off, neither shift or throttle were properly secured with a cotter-pin but are now. The previous owner had put in a one-piece center console (which is the thing I most liked about the boat) but ran the cables too tightly so when I turned the motor hard to port there was considerable tension put on both cables, that too has been corrected. As far as the VRO the tank is gone and I'm oiling the gas as needed and yes when I turn the key I do get a short beep and the tone goes higher when the motor is running faster and lower when its slower, I checked all the water in-takes yesterday which are clear and there is a good strong flow coming from the motor so as far as over-heating I have no clue beyond that. Again thanks for the heads up on the shift cables!

 

[oldcatamount]

Re: 90's Evinrude 50HP VRO not shifting

The motor is running hot or you wouldn't be getting the alarm. A quick test is to run the motor without the cowl for a few minutes and then see if you can hold your finger on the head without getting burned. Be careful doing that but it should be obvious if the head is too hot (over 160). If it's to hot, you may need to look at your impeller and/or the T-stat.

 

[Fed]

Re: 90's Evinrude 50HP VRO not shifting

Your VRO is still plugged in.
http://forums.iboats.com/johnson-evinrude-outboards/vro-premix-388154.html

Continuous tone - Temp
A beep every 30 sec or so - Low oil level
Rapid beep rising & falling with engine rpm - No oil pumping from VRO

 

[boobie]

Re: 90's Evinrude 50HP VRO not shifting

Disconnect the wiring coming out of the vro and see what happens. Then pickup a cheap temp gun to measure your motor temp. With the gun you'll know exactly what the temp is.