'59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

[Erik.C.]

I just put my boat in the water for the first time yesterday. During my test run, it didn't want to engage in forward. Reverse was fine, but forward just kept kicking it out of gear. I adjusted the cable as far as I could and it got a little better. It would move forward, but it kept popping in and out of gear. Keep in mind, I did just take off and re-install the lower unit the day before. I also installed new cables on the shifter and throttle several weeks ago. Is there a chance that I need to change or make adjustment to the cable? Also, is there any other adjustment internally that needs to be made on the shift linkage?

 

[boobie]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

Did you get the shift linkage under the little window in the exhaust housing hooked up correctly ??

 

[Erik.C.]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

As far as I know, I did. I had a hard time getting it apart, but I think I got it back together right. Both screws seemed to rest in the recesses on the linkage ends.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

The tell-tale "kicking and popping" in and out of FWD are the tell tale signs of a worn clutch dog. If the shift linkage is ok, you may need to open the gear case to inspect the clutch itself.

 

[F_R]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

First things first. Disconnect the cable from the motor. Now, does it shift ok by moving the shifter on the motor? If it does, the problem likely is in the cable or adjustment. But if not, time to reinspect that shift rod connector. If that is ok, then you either have problems in the lower unit or the linkage below the powerhead. You will have do determine that on site.

Rule: Always adjust the controls to fit the motor. Never adjust the motor to fit the control.

 

[Erik.C.]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

I did find this that I want to try first.



Does that make sense to adjust all the linkages before opening up the gear case?

 

[F_R]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

Well it won't hurt to check that, but one has to ask, how did it get messed up? You said it was working before. But you are absolutely correct, it makes sense to check things before opening up the gearcase.

I still say, get into that little window and see what is happening when you move the shifter lever. When you move the lever, the shift rod should move up and down with little to no slack or delay. Forward should pull it all the way up and reverse should push it all the way down. If it doesn't, there is something loose or broken up above. There are the parts you can see, and parts inside that you cannot see.

And as already suggested several times, make sure of your work where you inserted the connector screws. You must peer in there with a flashlight and make sure the notches in the rods are perfectly aligned with the screw holes in the connector before inserting the screws.

Disassembly of major components should only be done once you determine that is where the problem lies. To do otherwise is foolish and wasteful.

 

[F_R]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

Well it won't hurt to check that, but one has to ask, how did it get messed up? You said it was working before. But you are absolutely correct, it makes sense to check things before opening up the gearcase.

I still say, get into that little window and see what is happening when you move the shifter lever. When you move the lever, the shift rod should move up and down with little to no slack or delay. Forward should pull it all the way up and reverse should push it all the way down. If it doesn't, there is something loose or broken up above. There are the parts you can see, and parts inside that you cannot see.

And as already suggested several times, make sure of your work where you inserted the connector screws. You must peer in there with a flashlight and make sure the notches in the rods are perfectly aligned with the screw holes in the connector before inserting the screws.

Disassembly of major components should only be done once you determine that is where the problem lies. To do otherwise is foolish and wasteful.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

Eric, That motor is the "King of linkage". There are all kinds of pivot points on the throttle and shift linkage. Each one wears a little bit and they add up. You may have a metal plug on the midsection. it covers a zerc which greases a bellcrank on the shift rods. Normally if the bolts go into the shift connector, the rods are installed correctly. Definitely check the upper linkage, to make sure the measurement from cable clamp to shift arm is correct, and the dog engages when the marks line up.

Next plan is to disassemble the gearcase and see about worn thrust washers and worn dogs and gears. Let us know when you get that far.

 

[F_R]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

Chris said "may" have a metal plug. Glad he said "may" because that was on the V4 models. But he was correct when he said there are a lot of wear points in that universal joint affair that allows the motor to move around in the outer shell.

 

[Erik.C.]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

I actually don't know if it worked before or not. I've never run the motor in the water before that day. I didn't have much time after work today, but I did visually inspect the upper parts and pivots of the linkage. I didn't take anything apart yet, but I did see a lot of slop in many of the joints and pivots. I did see that cover with the zerk fitting, so that's one thing I'll need to lube. It was pretty sloppy there too. I disconnected the cable and manually shifted the lever back and forth and it engages forward and reverse when turning the prop by hand, but maybe it's not pushing the shift dog all the way into the gear. I'm hoping for that because those gears and shift dog are around $100 a piece. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and in the next couple days I'll try to investigate further and I'll update you guys.

 

[F_R]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

Ah, so you DO have a V4. Where did I get the idea we were dealing with a 35hp twin here? Sure helps to know what we are working on.

 

[Erik.C.]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

Oh, I'm sorry F_R. I thought I had said, but I might have failed to do so. It's a 1959 Evinrude 50 hp v4. I was in another thread also and must have only mentioned the motor size and specifics there. My bad.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

Eric, I had both a '58 and a '59 Fatty, sequentially. They are pretty close in design, but I think there were some differences.

 

[Erik.C.]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

There probably is some slight differences, but I doubt a whole lot. The manual refers to them the same from what I've seen. So what did you think of these motors Chris1956? I can't decide if I love them or hate them. Haha. The more I learn about it, I find them interesting because they were only made for 2 years and there seems to be a following for them. I've learned a lot about them over the last couple months, but I know there is plenty more to learn.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

My opinion of the fattys is mixed. On the one hand they were used as a prototype for all the V4 engines that followed, so they were overbuilt and robust. Heck, I dropped one into the salt water while running on plane. It was underwater for 60 hours until I could find and retrieve it. That submersion didn't see to bother it. I cleaned it up and pull started it. Those motors external parts are all stainless, aluminum or brass. No corrosion to worry about. The ign system was good, the generator was lousy.

On the other hand they were really primitive motors. They had lousy carbs, adjustable high speed jets which were a PIA and no fuel recirculation system. Any fuel that was in the crankcase was dumped overboard. I was never able to get more than 28MPH out of them, no matter whether I had them on a heavy or light boat. The gearshift was a weak point. The linkage got sloppy and the dog did not engage the gears properly, leading to rounded off dogs and slipping gears

 

[Erik.C.]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

Yeah, I've heard about the fuel economy and I'm learning about the shift linkage and associated problems. lol. It's good to hear the positive though, and the story about dropping it in the salt water and it started right up... That's cool!

 

[Chris1956]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

Erik, to be clear, after dropping it into the water, I popped off the crankcase cover and sprayed and poured 15::1 fuel mix thru the cylinders and crankcase, to wash out the sand/salt/dirt. I cleaned the carb, dissy, starter and points. Then I reassembled and pull started it. I was planning to give up on it, when the first bolt broke, but none ever did. I did not remove the cylinder head, as that looked like broken bolts were a certainty. Oh yes, bake the starter in a slow oven, for an hour or two to dry up the water. Tell wifey you decided to cook dinner.

 

[59 Fatty]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

Erik,
I see you started a new string, I thought we lost you! LOL. Anyway, Your motor is almost there, keep with it and don't be discouraged. It is an awesome motor, and looks very cool.Now tell me that's not an AWESOME looking motor, just wait till you hear it roar at full throttle!

 

[Erik.C.]

Re: '59 Evinrude shift adjustment.

It's still amazing to me Chris1956. That is a great story. How many new motors do you know of that would take that kind of abuse and ever run again?

And I'm still here 59 fatty. It is a pretty good looking motor. I'm hoping to mess with the linkage this weekend. It's been raining the last few days so I had to take a break from it. I'm crossing my fingers that some linkage adjustment will help, but I kind of doubt it. Looks like more money and more parts. We'll see and I'll definitely update on here.