1985 15 hp johnson won't start b/c out of gear?

[johnreidb]

hello. if you can believe it, i am new to boating.
my 1985 15 hp johnson cranks and runs fine. but from time to time it falls out of gear (or won't shift smoothly?) when the engine is not running. when it is acting up, it sometimes won't shift into forward, it sometimes won't shift into reverse, and it never cranks in neutral. could this be something simple (like a shifting lever problem), or do i need to replace the whole lower unit?
thanks in advance for your time,
john.

 

[bktheking]

Re: 1985 15 hp johnson won't start b/c out of gear?

It won't shift smoothly and falls out of gear when "not running"?

 

[jtexas]

Re: 1985 15 hp johnson won't start b/c out of gear?

your definition of "cranks and runs fine" is a little different from mine, if it won't crank in neutral, and falls out of gear...

first, shifting while the engine's not running -- you might have to give the flywheel a nudge (clockwise only) to mesh the clutch dog with the drive gears, that's normal. Don't try to force it, you'll break something.

"never cranks in neutral"? meaning you can only start it in gear? should be an easy fix, but we need to know...electric start or rope, control box or tiller?

 

[johnreidb]

Re: 1985 15 hp johnson won't start b/c out of gear?

ok, let me try to explain myself a little better. to start, the engine has a manual start (rope) and tiller handle.

sometimes i can push the shift lever to forward, neutral, and reverse when the engine is not running, and i can feel it engage in each of these three positions. when that happens (about half of the time), i can put the engine in neutral and it will crank on the first or second pull of the cord. it runs fine, shifts fine, and idles well under these conditions.

on other occasions, the shift lever won't let me put it in either forward or reverse. when this is occurring, i can try to put it in neutral, but the engine will not crank. i assumed that the engine would not crank because it was not truly in neutral (isn't there a function where it will only crank in neutral?). that is the situation that i described as "falling out of gear." i pull on the cord, and nothing happens.

is there a trick to getting the motor into neutral so that i can crank it reliably? or should i break the lower unit down to check the gears? i am about to go try to nudge the flywheel to get the clutch dog to mesh with the gears.

i hope that i am not giving y'all too much of a headache. i really appreciate your time. thanks for the help,
john.

 

[Happy_Jack]

Re: 1985 15 hp johnson won't start b/c out of gear?

You should never attempt to shift the motor into gear unless the flywheel is turning (Clockwise only) because when the engine is not running, the clutch dog may not be lined up properly to allow gear engagement (forward or reverse, or BOTH)
Attempting to force it will result in bent linkages/rods, and possible damage.

Simply turning the flywheel slowly CW, while attempting to shift it will result in a positive, complete shift into the desired position every time.

When you tried to force it, then attempted to pull start it, it is likely it was partially engaged, enough to activate the nutral start safety feature, and jamming the recoil rope.

If it is not running, why bother shifting it??

 

[jtexas]

Re: 1985 15 hp johnson won't start b/c out of gear?

ok, I see...

Shifting out of gear into neutral should never be a problem. When you say "I can try to put it in neutral"...you mean the shift lever won't go into it's normal neutral position, or that the shift lever *is* in neutral but you suspect the gearbox is still in gear? If the gearbox is in neutral, the prop will turn easily by hand in either direction. In gear, it's a lot harder to turn the prop.

If it shifts easily into & out of gear while the engine's running, it's a safe bet that the gearbox is ok. You can confirm this by dropping the lower unit and manipulating the shift rod by hand. Up is forward, down for reverse (or maybe the other way round, I get confused sometimes). The previously mentioned rule about turning the drive shaft while shifting applies.

Sounds to me like the neutral safety switch is hanging when you shut it off while in gear. Maybe just needs cleaning.

To see what all parts are involved, go to www.shop.evinrude.com click on "electronic parts catalogue", select "Johnson" in the dropdown box at the top, then drill down to your year/hp/model #. The neutral start switch is on the cylinder/crankcase chart, the shift lever is on midsection chart.

 

[Rick.]

Re: 1985 15 hp johnson won't start b/c out of gear?

I have had a similar experience I think. I am having some difficulty following you but here goes. Always back off your throttle all the way before trying to change gears(with motor not running). There is a protrusion on the armature plate that stops the motor from going into gear when you open the throttle to start the motor. This same protrusion will cause it not to shift if it is shut down and the throttle is advanced too high due to the slow speed setting knob being turned in too far. The throttle plate can't get all the way back to it's happy spot for starting in neutral. Am I making any sense? I know what I mean, just not sure if you do. Best of luck. Rick.

 

[bktheking]

Re: 1985 15 hp johnson won't start b/c out of gear?

Keep in mind these motors have a starter lockout (if in tact) to prevent starting in gear.