No forward 81 johnson 90hp

Dang! Last night I lost forward gear and had to go back home 5 miles in reverse in South Florida backwaters!

I haven't dug into it deeply yet but I did watch the action at the engine while shifting. Shaft moves (at the engine) into reverse but stops moving when shift lever is straight up and doesn't move when lever pushed forward.

Where should I start?

Thanks

Bonita

Re: No forward 81 johnson 90hp

Bonita,

I'd disconnect the shifter arm from the shifter cable at the engine (just a little cotter pin) and then do the below 2 things. You're trying to isolate *where* the problem occurs. Is it in the lower unit (worst case and probably most likely)? Or is it in the shift cable or control assembly? When is the last time you changed the lower unit oil? And what did the oil look like when you changed it last? You'd be looking for metal shavings (a little bit can be okay. sometimes.) or cloudy/milky looking oil (indicates water intrusion).

1. Can you put it into forward by hand at the engine?
2. When you put the shifter into forward at the console, does the shift cable operate normally? (Or does it stop where neutral would be?).