hydro electic 71 johnson 60 hp...no forward, no reverse

kharper

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i need some help i have a 60 hp 71 johnson hydro electic motor that i just bought and the motor runs great but it wont go into to drive or reverse. when bought the old owner was changing the lower unit because of a crack but never put the rebuilt one back on. we have put it back together and cant get foward or reverse. any sugestions would be greatly appreciated.
 

kharper

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Re: hydro electic 71 johnson 60 hp need help

Re: hydro electic 71 johnson 60 hp need help

could it be something as simple as the wrong lower unit oil.
 

tashasdaddy

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Re: hydro electic 71 johnson 60 hp need help

Re: hydro electic 71 johnson 60 hp need help

it could be lube, it could be oil pump. it could be shift valves. it could be wiring.

Hydro Electric Shift)
(J. Reeves)

The shifting setup of the lower unit is what's called a "Hydro Electric Shift", which is quite complex consisting of voltage being applied to solenoids in the lower unit which in turn change oil passages via a oil pump that supplies various pressure on a spring loaded shifter dog. The wires leading to the lower unit (at the powerhead) are "Green" and "Blue". The engine must be running or cranking over in order to shift out of forward gear.

You CAN NOT use HI VIS lube in that lower unit. You MUST USE what OMC calls "Premium Blend" lube, commonly called "Type C". (A thinner lube)

In neutral, you need 12v to the "Green" wire.
In reverse, you need 12v to both wires, the "Green" one and the "Blue" one.
In forward, there should be no voltage to either wire. (The spring loaded shifter dog forces the unit into forward gear)

To check the lower unit for proper shifting to make sure you have no trouble there, remove the spark plugs to avoid problems and to allow a higher cranking speed.

This next step eliminates the actual shift switch in case problems may exist there.... Disconnect the blue & green wires at the knife connectors (the rubber insulated boots) leading to the lower unit at the powerhead, then using jumpers, take voltage direct from the starter solenoid to apply voltage to the "Green" wire for neutral, then both wires 'Green" & "Blue" for reverse (Remember the engine must be cranking over in order to shift).
With no voltage applied, the unit should be in forward. No need for a ground jumper... the lower unit's already grounded. You may crank the engine with the key switch or by energizing the starter solenoid with a jumper wire.
 

F_R

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Re: hydro electic 71 johnson 60 hp need help

Re: hydro electic 71 johnson 60 hp need help

If it is not in forward gear when not running, it has internal problems in the gearcase. It is supposed to default to forward when all else fails. It takes electricity AND oil pressure from a running motor to get it out of forward.
 

oldrudedude

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Jul 3, 2008
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Re: hydro electic 71 johnson 60 hp...no forward, no reverse

Ditto what F_R said. The lower unit defaults to forward even when the engine is not running. If the lower unit is right, you should be able to turn the engine over by turning the prop with your hand (with the ignition turned off and the selector in neutral).
 

Creedence Gross

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Re: hydro electic 71 johnson 60 hp...no forward, no reverse

What do you mean hi-jack. Just asking a question . Is there a crime in that?
 
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freddyray21

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Re: hydro electic 71 johnson 60 hp...no forward, no reverse

not good to hi jack another thread. If they were only 80-100 then everyone would have one. I saw on on the auction site today for somewhere in the 3-400 dollar range for a nos switch. check there. You can also wire your own switch. There are threads here on it.
 

jay_merrill

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Re: hydro electic 71 johnson 60 hp...no forward, no reverse

Creedence, if you have a question to ask pertaining to an issue of your own, its better to start your own thread. This just avoids two lines of discussion in the same thread, which gets a bit confusing.

Welcome to iboats.
 

Joe Reeves

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Re: hydro electic 71 johnson 60 hp...no forward, no reverse

Kharper..... HiVis 80/90w gearlube (Wrong Gearlube) will affect the shifting, however, when the engine is NOT RUNNING, the unit should be in gear. Grab the prop and check it. Is it in gear?

If in gear with the engine NOT RUNNING, I would assume that when the engine IS RUNNING, you somehow have voltage being applied constantly to the GREEN shift wire leading to the lower unit (neutral) and no voltage being applied to the BLUE wire at any shift position (still a neutral scenario)... OR... the oil pump shift plunger is stuck in the oil pump chamber... OR... the shift plungers within the shift solenoids are adjusted incorrectly.

The plungers within the shifter solenoids must be either perfectly level with the top of the solenoids or no lower than 1/64" below the top surface of the solenoids.
 
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