Johnson 88 SPL Wide Open Throttle Stop adjustment mistake

[RoGun_Mako171]

While going through the Link and Synch section of the service manual for the '89 Johnson 88, looking at the Wide Open Throttle Stop section, I moved the Throttle control lever into full throttle without moving the throttle control into Neutral Lockout position, so the shifter cable was also moved without the spinning the prop. I'm concerned this may have misaligned something in the shifting. The shifter does still work when running on flushing attachment with no bad noises, but I'm wondering what will happen on the lake. Did I create a problem and if so, how would I undo that?

 

[GA_Boater]

Welcome to the forum, RoGun.

No problem. The remote handle moves the shift and throttle cables at the same time to a point where the lower unit is in gear and only the throttle cable moves afterwards. The actions of throttle and shift are completely separate.

 

[jimmbo]

It is never a good idea to shift into forward or reverse without the engine running or having the someone rotate the prop by hand. The teeth on the clutch dog have to have a place to go when shifted. If the gears are in a position where the dog can't move fully, extreme stress is placed on the linkage, cables and control. Parts of the linkage can bend/distort, or even break. It appears you didn't feel much resistance when you shifted it so you are probably okay, but keep it in mind in the future. best thing is to unhook the cables where they connect to the engine when adjustments are being made. Throttle cable needs to be unhooked to set idle speed, and to establish proper preload on the throttle cable

 

[RoGun_Mako171]

Thanks for the feedback, this boat has been a learning experience every step of the way. I will be much more careful in the future.