'78 Johnson 35hp

There seems to be gas leaking out of the air intake of the carb. I have never done any work on the carb and wonder if it might help to rebuild it. Also, it's hard to shift into gear. I have isolated the problem to the lever at the motor. I have always wondered why the cable to the lever from the control box(?) isn't hooked up higher on the lever to provide more leverage when shifting. I imagine that this could be to avoid too much stress on the lever itself. Otherwise it runs well. Thanks, Johnny

Re: '78 Johnson 35hp

Welcome to iboats. Yes it sounds like a carb rebuild is in order. Easy to do. Get a kit from a dealer and make sure that everything is soaked good and blown out when you are done. Use the red search key at the top of the page if you have any problems at all. There are loads of threads on this. As for the shifting problem do you mean that the lever is hard to shift manually like it is very stiff or it is hard to shift with the cable on it?

Re: '78 Johnson 35hp

Is this the shift lever you're referring to and if so, are you asking why the connection hole is not higher on the lever?<br /><br />

Re: '78 Johnson 35hp

Yes the shift lever is hard to shift manually which in turn makes it harder to shift with the cable on. As to boatbouy's question, it's just something I've wondered -why the connection hole is not higher(it's about in the middle) on the lever as this would provide more leverage to shift but also would put more stress on the lever which I believe is plastic.

Re: '78 Johnson 35hp

Sorry to boatbuoy. Yes that is the lever I am referring to. Thanks Johnny

Re: '78 Johnson 35hp

I think it's because the throw of the lever must match the throw of the remote control. If it was mounted higher, the remote control wouldn't be able to fully actuate it.

Re: '78 Johnson 35hp

If you disconnect the cable does it shift easily by hand? If it does then you might have a cable that is hanging up and it is time to buy a new one. Check where the cable is hooked up in your control box to see if it is hanging up. If it is not it probably is time for a new one as this one is probably 30 years old.

Re: '78 Johnson 35hp

I need to read better as you said it is hard to shift manually. It might be as simple as a small shot of lube at the base of the shift handle and work it in or it could be binding in the lower unit. If you haven't replaced your impeller for a while now might be the time to do it and you can see what is binding your shifting shaft.

Re: '78 Johnson 35hp

fireman57 said:

I need to read better as you said it is hard to shift manually. It might be as simple as a small shot of lube at the base of the shift handle and work it in or it could be binding in the lower unit. If you haven't replaced your impeller for a while now might be the time to do it and you can see what is binding your shifting shaft.

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Re: '78 Johnson 35hp

fireman57 said:

I need to read better as you said it is hard to shift manually. It might be as simple as a small shot of lube at the base of the shift handle and work it in or it could be binding in the lower unit. If you haven't replaced your impeller for a while now might be the time to do it and you can see what is binding your shifting shaft.

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Well it seems now that the lever is completely locked up- not going into gear at all. I have an aftermarket manual for the motor. I can't imagine replacing the impeller is that difficult-I worked on a lot of old chevys years ago so I'm not afraid to get greasy. Do you have a rough estimate on how long it might take? Thanks Johnny

Re: '78 Johnson 35hp

Even with the aftermarket manual it is not a real tough job unless the shaft gets stuck in the powerhead. Follow the instructions and it should take you about two hours. Make sure that you disconnect the shift rod through the plate on the side of the engine before you try to yank everything off. If the spline sticks in the powerhead you can let it soak with some PB blaster and it will come out. Any problems, just do a search on the topic and It has been covered. If you can't find the answer then post back. Have you ever checked your lower unit oil? You may be out of oil. Unscrew the top flathead screw on the lower unit and see if anything comes out. Do not unscrew the philips head or you will have trouble. The lower flathead screw drains your lower unit oil. You may have to loosen it and see if anything is in there. If there is not then fill it from the bottom until it comes out the top, replace the bottom screw first and then the top.

Re: '78 Johnson 35hp

fireman57 said:

Even with the aftermarket manual it is not a real tough job unless the shaft gets stuck in the powerhead. Follow the instructions and it should take you about two hours. Make sure that you disconnect the shift rod through the plate on the side of the engine before you try to yank everything off. If the spline sticks in the powerhead you can let it soak with some PB blaster and it will come out. Any problems, just do a search on the topic and It has been covered. If you can't find the answer then post back. Have you ever checked your lower unit oil? You may be out of oil. Unscrew the top flathead screw on the lower unit and see if anything comes out. Do not unscrew the philips head or you will have trouble. The lower flathead screw drains your lower unit oil. You may have to loosen it and see if anything is in there. If there is not then fill it from the bottom until it comes out the top, replace the bottom screw first and then the top.

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Re: '78 Johnson 35hp

When I changed the gear oil before the beginning of the season the old gear oil was a creamy light green- not a good color I was told. It indicated that water had maybe gotten into the gear case. I'll be tearing it down when I get back form a sea kayak trip-a more reliable albeit much weaker source of power. Thanks for your advice and I'll let you know how it went after I bust some skin off a few knuckles, Johnny

Re: '78 Johnson 35hp

Well I took off the cover plate to disconnect the shift rod and noticed gear oil coming out of the PROP area!!! Yikes! Disconnected the shift rod and could move the shoft rod up and down by hand to engage the prop. Took off the shift lever and moved the plate that attaches to the shift lever with a pair of vice grips to get it to go back and forth. It was really tight at first but with some help of wd40 it started to move back and forth. But I can't find anywhere in the manual how to get to the shaft to better lubricate it. The zirch(sp?) fitting is fine as I took it out and shot grease through it. However when I put it back on I can't get any grease through it. I think that is where the problem lies in the hard shifting.
Now back to the water in the gear housing. I've been told that it could be coming in through any number of places. My theory is ......since it's coming out through the prop area that the water is probably coming in through that area. However I have been told that for old motors it is not an uncommon problem and just fill up the oil and keep an eye on it. Now to me that doesn't sound at all right. Oil and water don't mix and water doesn't lubricate so I would prefer just oil, so I would appreciate any theories on where the water is coming in. Thanks to you guys for all your help, Johnny