evinrude gear shift problems

ntfishin

Recruit
Joined
Jul 31, 2012
Messages
4
hey guys
this is my first post so be nice, :), i have recently swapped my engines on my boat
previous engine 1987 johnson 70hp to a 1980 evinrude 100hp v4,
main reason being i wanted more power and the 1980 i picked up real cheap.

my first real problem is, i have attached the gear shift and throttle cables from the original control box on to the 100hp however i cannot seem to get both forward and reverse gears, i have adjusted the thumb wheel back and forward a million times and can only seem to get forward and neutral OR reverse and neutral not both. the control box is OMC and from what i have read so far the cables and controls are the same outfit from 1979 all the way thru to 1995, i still have the 70hp sitting around so i looked at the gear lever movement on this. it seems to be about 2 inches either way to engage the gear but on the 100hp it seems to be 3 inches either way, and my cable seems to reflect this (2 inches each way).

have i got the wrong cables or is there adjustment for the amount of movement inside the control box that i have missed, or better yet have i missed something completely.

any replies or ideas will help and i am pretty mechanical minded so dont mind a challenge ;)
cheers
 

durban

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 27, 2011
Messages
894
Re: evinrude gear shift problems

make sure you put the motor side in neutral first before you make the adjustment on the thumb wheel , it also maybe that the v4,s gear lever is in a different relation to the 70,s thus you may need a longer cable
 

ntfishin

Recruit
Joined
Jul 31, 2012
Messages
4
Re: evinrude gear shift problems

I have tried all things when adjusting thumb wheel with no luck and have plenty of cable there, i have also done a bit of reading and from memory when i had the gearcase off to change water pump i may have turned the shift rod a few times without knowing, i didnt know they were adjustable until about 5 mins ago, could this be the problem? Did i just answer my own question? And if so whats the best way to fix it?
 

Bosunsmate

Admiral
Joined
Apr 7, 2012
Messages
6,129
Re: evinrude gear shift problems

If the gearlever is in the middle position when the gearbox is neutral you are probably imagining you turned it.
You could drill a hole in the gear lever further down so that you get more rotational movement on the gearlever than currently
 

ntfishin

Recruit
Joined
Jul 31, 2012
Messages
4
Re: evinrude gear shift problems

You could drill a hole in the gear lever further down so that you get more rotational movement on the gearlever than currently

hmmm, that is a good idea i suppose but surely there must be an easier explanation and/or solution to the problem. any one else on here ever had a similar problem or can direct me to another useful thread.

cheers again
 

Will Bark

Lieutenant
Joined
Aug 1, 2010
Messages
1,470
Re: evinrude gear shift problems

My book says disconnect the cable from the shift lever and put it in nuetral then make sure the throttle control is in nuetral; then adjust the cable to the shift lever using the thumb wheel and attach it. Maybe you've done this and I missed it.
 

jakedaawg

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jun 26, 2012
Messages
4,275
Re: evinrude gear shift problems

Its been a long time so I may be way wrong....But I seem to remember that where the shift cable attaches in the control box there are two different holes. One gives you more travel, one gives less. Two or three screws to open control box cover to look and see.
 
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