1991 Johnson 30 hp swivel bracket repair

Hey Everyone:

I have a 1991 Johnson 30 hp mounted on a 13' Whaler (1966 hull). My motor has become progressively more wobbly over the last 10 times out. It is now at the point where (on the trailer) I can push it all over the place with little force and it wobbles like crazy. The steering is tight and so I have concluded that some component of the swivel bracket needs replacement (before venturing back out on the open water). My suspicion is that the friction plate is worn.

My question is this: how much of the motor do I need to disassemble before I can lift the pilot shaft out of the swivel bracket?

I have the manual to work through the process concerning the service to the actual bracket, but it is unclear to me how to go about accessing it.

Many thanks in advance for any advice.

Re: 1991 Johnson 30 hp swivel bracket repair

Usually, when seen, this comes from the tilt bracket, either because one of the two big nuts on sides were loose, lack of lubricant, or wobbling proshaft or damaged propeller, causing vibrasions, and wear in the bores the tube passes thru. Tilt brakcet is worn, then. There are used brakcets on Ebay frequently, easy to replace. Lube good and adjust nuts properly afterwards.

Re: 1991 Johnson 30 hp swivel bracket repair

Thanks for the reply G DANE. I took a close look and near as I can tell, none of the looseness seems to be associated with the tilt bracket.

I probably did not describe the looseness all that well in my first post. Basically, I can stand beside the motor, grab the cowl with my hands and turn the whole thing about 30 degrees left and 30 degrees right (around the long axis) and wiggle it about 10 degrees up (towards the bow). When I do this, the only thing that moves is the business section of the motor (powerhead right down to the gearcase). None of the bracketing moves, nor does anything move around the bracketing. Does that still sound like the tilt bracket, or could it be something else?

Re: 1991 Johnson 30 hp swivel bracket repair

Hi Barkeater,
Sounds to me like you sheared some or all of the rubber motor mounts. Usually starts with the one front and center up under the belly pan. Take a look and see what they're doing when you move things around. A penlight may help you see up and under...
- Scott