Still need help getting motor to tilt up!

KathyD19

KathyD19

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resized_DSCN3813.JPGresized_DSCN3814.JPG

When I bought this the seller said it doesn't tilt. I thought all boat motors tilt up so I was surprised at that, but of course, I'm a newbie so I'm probably wrong! ;) It's a 1956 Johnson Javelin and on the starboard side picture you can see what appears to be notches with a pin but it doesn't move away from the notch closest to the boat. Don't know if it's supposed to but stuck or was never meant to in the first place.
 
F

F_R

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Look on the front of the motor, between the stern brackets. You will see the lock/release lever. Latched in the pushed-down position is release, unlatch it and let it come up for locked-down.

While on the subject, you are supposed to run it in the latched down position. Release it to tilt. Now, you are going to ask, what if I hit something? Not to fear, it will automatically unlock and tilt up. That's what that big spring is for on the rear of the swivel bracket. If you don't believe it, lock it down and hunker down and grab hold of the lower unit. Give a mighty yank to the rear, and it will make a god-awful bang and come on up. The bang is the automatic release doing it's thing and is totally harmless.

Now, if the lock-release lever is missing, that is another story. I probably have a couple if you need one.
 
Texasmark

Texasmark

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Without trim and tilt, there is nothing to keep your engine from coming up out of the water when you operate in reverse; the faster the worse it gets. So OEMs installed a break away latch designed to hold the engine in place in reverse and break away when in forward and the lower unit contacts and underwater obstruction. Some engines only latch in reverse so in forward, if you strike an underwater object it reduces the time it takes for the lower unit to clear the obstruction, hence the potential damage to the LU.

Mark
 
KathyD19

KathyD19

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Thanks guys! I'll go out and look at it this afternoon and let you know. It's kind of hard to see the front of the motor because the previous owner "modified" it and added a plate with controls on the front (see picture)resized_DSCN3817.JPG Any hint on what the latch/release looks like?
 
T

tx1961whaler

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

It will be behind the steering pulley between the motor mounting screws
 
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coolguy147

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

I had this safety feature trigger before....the motor ran over a plank in the water that i couldn't see. the motor kicked up with a loud bang (and revving) and i immediately turned it off. thank God i didn't break my shear pin and the clutch hub saved me.
 
pecheux

pecheux

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Hummm ... I was under the impression that OB's should run unlocked unless in reverse ... thinking it would cause damage to the transom if hard rock bottom is hit at WOT.
 
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foodfisher

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

pecheux said:
Hummm ... I was under the impression that OB's should run unlocked unless in reverse ... thinking it would cause damage to the transom if hard rock bottom is hit at WOT.
Click to expand...
Reread post #2
 
KathyD19

KathyD19

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Had my boat-guru former neighbor over today for his first look at this old motor and he was enthralled by it. But I totally stumped him at the tilt problem. I found the lock/release switch on the front of the motor (the pulley steering system hits it so whenever I finally get the steering hooked up I think I'm going to have to prop the motor up on a 2x4 on the transom in order to lift it high enough to be clear so the cables can move freely). Problem is that moving the switch did nothing because the long metal piece with the hook on the end (the lever?) coming from it doesn't attach to anything, it's just hanging there. My friend went over and over it trying to figure out where it attaches in order to pull that bar that's sitting in the notch area free and allow it to tilt. So any hint as to wear that lever attaches will be appreciated! I might have better luck accessing all of that if I take the motor off the boat but I don't have a stand to put it on and haven't had the time to build one yet.
 
F

F_R

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

#93 link connects the manual release lever to #96. Numbers 94, 97, and 99 with related pins make up a fairly complicated gizmo which is the lockdown and automatic release. Complicated, but very reliable.

Face it, you can't do anything with it without removing it from the boat.

With the name of Kathy, I assume you are a woman. I would NEVER hit a woman, but if you were a man, and I were to punch you in the nose, you probably would suffer some nose damage, even though your head is free to swivel back out of the way. That is an illustration to say that if a rock hits the lower unit of your motor at 30 MPH, there probably will be some damage, even if the motor was mounted on door hinges. The lock-down is insignificant in such a situation.

BTW, I wouldn't punch a man either. I heal up too slowly.
 

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  • 8. Exhaust Housing and Brackets.jpg
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KathyD19

KathyD19

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

:D Truly laughed out loud when I read "With the name of Kathy, I assume you are a woman. I would NEVER hit a woman, but if you were a man, and I were to punch you in the nose..." because at first I read it as "I WANT TO punch you in the nose" instead of "I WERE to punch you in the nose.." and I thought "Dang! I must have REALLY asked a stupid question if he wants to punch me!" Thanks for the attached picture...boat guru neighbor is coming back this evening and that will help. He used to own a boat dealership and said that made up a huge part of their summer business, when people hit things in the water and ripped their transom apart. One guy with a an inboard/outboard ripped it out the very next time he got it on the water after having it repaired.
 
KathyD19

KathyD19

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

DSCN3889.jpg

took a picture today of the hook hanging down freely (blue circled area). After looking at the exploded picture of that area in the service manual, I wonder if the hook is supposed to attach to the flat bar which is closest to the transom or if it's supposed to hook to the pin that I've circled in green? If it's supposed to hook to the flat bar, isn't the hook on the wrong side of it...meaning shouldn't it be on the side of the bar closest to the boat rather than the side closest to the shaft? If it is on the wrong side, I imagine I'll have to take the motor off the boat in order to access it and reposition it, although I have no idea why it'd be on the wrong side in the first place since it doesn't have any bends or damage to it as if someone forced it to the wrong side. This is such a simple thing and it frustrates me!
 
pecheux

pecheux

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

foodfisher said:
Reread post #2
Click to expand...
After reading some transom horror stories I think I"ll stick with my method of running my OB in the release mode when in forward. LOL

Tx
 
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Willyclay

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

I have read your other threads but have not seen any mention of this issue or its resolution. Did you ever get it to tilt?
 
KathyD19

KathyD19

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Actually no I haven't gotten it to tilt yet, Willyclay. I've had other distractions keeping me from dealing with it and no one has commented yet on the picture I posted above. Will you please look at the picture and tell me if the hook hanging down is supposed to be on the side of the bar that it is currently on or should it be on the "boat side" of the bar? I figured I'd look at it better when I got the motor off the boat so I can access and see that part. But I'm waiting for husband to build me the boat motor stand first (it may snow before that ever happens! LOL. Probably much easier for me to just get the lumber and build it myself). I got the remote control box in and I want to hook that up but I'm waiting for my boat friend/neighbor to be available to help me with that task as well. I'm a do it yourself kind of person, not real keen on waiting on anyone to help me. I've got the instructions for how to hook up cables to the motor from the remote control but it's not "clicking" in my brain for some reason so I need him to show me. In the meantime, I've sanded down the hood/cowling and repainted it...just need to clear coat it tomorrow and then I'll post pictures! Turned out good. :) But I digress....again, if you have an opinion about how that bar should be, in my picture above, please share with me! Thanks for checking in!
 
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Willyclay

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

KathyD19 said:
View attachment 161521

or if it's supposed to hook to the pin that I've circled in green? If it's supposed to hook to the flat bar, isn't the hook on the wrong side of it...meaning shouldn't it be on the side of the bar closest to the boat rather than the side closest to the shaft? If it is on the wrong side, I imagine I'll have to take the motor off the boat in order to access it and reposition it, although I have no idea why it'd be on the wrong side in the first place since it doesn't have any bends or damage to it as if someone forced it to the wrong side. This is such a simple thing and it frustrates me!
Click to expand...

Kathy, While I do not a Big Twin series motor in my current inventory, fortunately OMC used the same design for many years and I just verified the arrangement on my 1973 Evinrude 6HP. Using the schematic diagram provided by F_R, the Link #93 is in fact in the wrong place, appears to have become disconnected from the locking mechanism and is wedged into that bracket. You are correct that the link should be on the boat side of the exhaust housing where it should be connected to the locking mechanism by Pin #98 which I cannot see in your picture. It would not be unusual for the pin to have snapped and be missing. That would be consistent with the link flopping around in the wrong place amongst all those parts and pieces.

If you are going to remove the motor for painting or some other reason, just wait until you can get access to all the parts. If not, you might be able to release the locking mechanism by sliding a large flat blade screwdriver under Bracket #99 and levering it up gently. Put a wooden/plastic shim under the screwdriver blade because that is a cast aluminum exhaust housing and it will not stand much pressure. But first before you try that, I believe you will have to get the Link out of its current location because it may be binding the locking mechanism. Good luck!
 
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kfa4303

kfa4303

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Kathy, do you feel tension when you use the release switch I showed in my previous post(#13), or does it just flop around? If you can set it to unlock, you can then simply lift up on the skeg of the motor and it should tilt. The exploded diagram in my post shows how the tilt mechanism should go together (parts: #96, #102, #103, #104). When you press down on the release lever, it should pull on the wire/shaft you have circled in blue, which will in turn release the catch that holds the motor in the locked position.
 
KathyD19

KathyD19

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Thanks guys for confirming what I thought, that the link is on the wrong side of the bracket. No there is no resistance when I use the release switch since the hook/link isn't hooked to anything..using the switch just causes it to move up and down. I will have to remove this motor to be able to access that side of it and figure out how to go from here. Can you tell from my picture if it's currently in a locked position now and if so is it ok to use the motor on the lake like this or do I need to not use it until I get this taken care of? I just painted the motor hood and will need to paint the rest of the motor next so I will probably have to take it off the boat very soon.
 
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Willyclay

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Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

Re: Can this motor be tilted up?

F_R said:
While on the subject, you are supposed to run it in the latched down position. Release it to tilt. Now, you are going to ask, what if I hit something? Not to fear, it will automatically unlock and tilt up. That's what that big spring is for on the rear of the swivel bracket. If you don't believe it, lock it down and hunker down and grab hold of the lower unit. Give a mighty yank to the rear, and it will make a god-awful bang and come on up. The bang is the automatic release doing it's thing and is totally harmless.
Click to expand...

F_R is The Man and he says "latched" is the way to operate that motor!
 
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