1993 200hp Shift Rod Adjustment

[fishweed]

I did my first water pump replacement today and everything went like clockwork until time to replace the gear case. The exhaust housing kept falling out and the water tube would not line up. Finally after re-rupturing my hernia and a few new ugly words, the case went back on.
I think that the shift rod may have spun around a few times during the process. Is there anyway to check for symptoms of an out of adjustment rod with out dropping the gear case again?
This is a 1993 200hp Johnson.

Thanks!

 

[OBJ]

Re: 1993 200hp Shift Rod Adjustment

Really.....the best way to find out is to check the shift rod height with the lower unit off. You don't want to chance of the adjustment being out of kilter. Can cause undue wear on the gear and clutch dog lobes even if it does go into gear. Does the shift lever (where the control cable attaches) appear to be near straight up and down with the control in neutral?

Shift rod height for a 60* Looper is 21 1/4" (20" shaft)...measured with the lower unit in neutral from the top of the lower unit to the center of the hole in the top of the shift rod.

EDIT: Don't worry about making up words....we've all had occasions where there weren't enough words of endearment or descriptive adjectives to describe the job.

 

[fishweed]

Re: 1993 200hp Shift Rod Adjustment

Thank you for your help OBJ.
Having to drop the lower unit again is not what I wanted to hear, but is what I expected. I guess it is not worth the risk of destroying a set of gears.

I have not checked to see the position of the shift lever in neutral. During reattachment of the rod, I had to put downward pressure on it to get the rod lined up with the lever. This was done with everything shifted in reverse.

 

[seahorse5]

Re: 1993 200hp Shift Rod Adjustment

What OBJ is saying is that when you shift the motor into neutral with the shift cable disconnected, the lever on the motor should be parallel with the crankshaft centerline (or crankcase split line) when the free play is centered. IF not, the shift rod will have to be adjusted up or down and on that model, you must remove the gearcase to do it.

 

[fishweed]

Re: 1993 200hp Shift Rod Adjustment

I have checked my manual for the proper rod height for my motor and it lists it as 21 15/16". Is this correct?

Above, OBJ suggested the height to be 21 1/4".
I trust OBJ, but unless he offers me a 1 year warrenty for this work...... I just want to make sure he is right.

Modle J 200 STLETF

 

[OBJ]

Re: 1993 200hp Shift Rod Adjustment

Fishweed, if you have the service manual for your engine (hopefully OEM) go with the manual. And, rechecking my listing, you are correct, 21 15/16". Thanks for bringing that to my attention and questioning the post. (the 21 1/4" listing was just below the other....:%)

 

[fishweed]

Re: 1993 200hp Shift Rod Adjustment

Thanks OBJ!! I just wanted to make sure there was not a later service bulletin or a typo in the manual.

Just as an update, I did drop the lower unit again to check the rod height. The rod was 3 turns too high. I managed to get the lower unit back on without using any new ugly words, just the old ones.d

Thanks again for the help!!!