Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

[1985mariner20]

I have a 77 Johnson 175 that started giving me trouble today. after coming to a stop and fishing for a little while, boat would not go forward. It would just rev high and not go in gear. I tried to go forward several times with no luck. I decided to put it in reverse to see if that would work and it did. After getting the boat into reverse, it would not go back into neutral or forward. Completely stuck in reverse. I pulled cowling and inspected linkage while moving controller from forward to neutral to reverse. Everything seems to be functioning properly so I pulled the pin on the shift linkage and tried to manually shift into forward. The shaft is moving up and down as normal, but nothing is happening in the LU. No matter where the shaft is, the LU stays stuck in reverse. Any ideas on what the problem is and how to fix it?

 

[boobie]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

Sounds like gear case tare down time. If you plan on fixing this yourself get an OMC factory service manual. These gear cases are different.

 

[1985mariner20]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

Ya, I figured as much. I have service manual already. Never worked on LU before. Any idea what specifically in the LU is wrong, or how hard it's going to be to fix. I am pretty handy when it comes to mechanic'ing, outboards are just new to me. Anyone know how much a job like this might cost at a shop? I am contemplating buying a newer outboard to put on the boat if its going to take too long, or be too expensive to fix. I'd rather put money into a newer motor if it's going to cost over $1000. I'm pretty confident in my mechanic skills though if a LU rebuild isn't like rebuilding an automatic transmission or the like...

 

[Capt Ken]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

Do this first, remove the lower and be sure the shift rod is still screwed in. If for some reason it had been adjusted in the past and someone had screwed it too far out, the last thread might have stripped and the shaft came out.

 

[racerone]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

If it is a fresh water motor it should come apart fairly easily.-----If original it will have the hydraulic assist mechainical shift.------To me it sounds like the shift servo is no longer connected at the keyway.

 

[racerone]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

I do not believe that the shift rod screws in and out of the lower unit ( if the original unit ) for adjustment.

 

[1985mariner20]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

If its something like servo not being connected at keyway, Is that something I can pull, inspect and reconnect to be on my way. Assuming that's all that is wrong of course.

 

[racerone]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

I always check and inspect before spending $$$ on parts.----------------If it was working OK and suddenly stuck in reverse it could well be simple to fix.-Any metal bits in the gear oil ?

 

[boobie]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

Take it apart first to see what's going on. We're just guessing at this stage.

 

[1985mariner20]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

I plan on going out to storage tomorrow and pulling the lower unit. I will update on my findings after I get it back to the house and have a look at it. I will check the oil for metal for sure, check and see if shaft is even connected to lower unit still. Any other priority areas to inspect before complete tear down? I guess making sure shaft is connected and trying to shift/put in neutral manually will probably tell me the most...

 

[boobie]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

Good idea, check it out once you get it off the motor.

 

[itsaboattime]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

I hope this works. This is an exploded view of your lower unit. The shift rod is number 64.
But like Boobie said, we are just guessing here. We won't know anything until you drop the lower unit.

 

[itsaboattime]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

Well that didn't work. The pic is too small.
Here is the URL.
Johnson Gearcase Parts for 1977 175hp 175TL77S Outboard Motor

 

[1985mariner20]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

Dropped the lower unit. Oil is dirty as hell but no signs of water or metal in it. I can manually shift(with some effort) the unit into neutral by hand with the unit pulled and back into reverse. I cannot seem to get the unit to shift into forward manually. I'm assuming at this point, taking lower unit completely apart is inevitable so I will start tearing into it this evening. Never done one but can't be too bad. Anyone have any guesses as to what could have failed internally with what I have found so far tonight? I should be able to shift into forward neutral and reverse by hand with unit off right? My book goes into some details about a solenoid shifted model but seeing as I have no wires in mine, I assume I should be able to shift by hand with unit pulled.

 

[racerone]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

I believe it has an oil pump to provide assist for shifting.---If you have oil in there and turn the driveshaft with a vicegrip it will be easier to shift.-That is if the servo and pump are in working condition.---There are no wires involved in this system !

 

[1985mariner20]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

Ok, so with oil drained, I'm not going to know anything trying to manually shift? I haven't refilled oil yet as I'm waiting on new stuff to get here tomorrow and also didn't see much point if I'm going to have to tear down. If the oil is imperative to shift this thing by hand, I may give that a try before I tear into it...

 

[racerone]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

It is a hydraulic " powershift " unit with mechanical back-up....It is just harder to shift when oil pump is not turning !

 

[1985mariner20]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

Getting ready to tear into this thing. I'll let y'all know what I find!

 

[1985mariner20]

Re: Johnson 175 stuck in reverse

Shift dog trashed, forward and reverse gears are barely useable. The problem was wear the shift mechanism broke out. Looks like this thing was hanging on by a thread anyways. Shop quoted me $1900 for a rebuilt unit. Thinking it's time to Re-power before dumping a couple grand into a '77 Johnson. Anyone have a good Johnson outboard for sale? Anyone want to by a great running Johnson 175 that needs a lower unit. lol Thanks for your help guys! Time to shop for a newer motor and search the threads for the controls adapter solutions, unless I find something with the controls!