Evinrude 40973R 40HP - Selectric shift - reverse goes forward!

Joined
Jul 22, 2016
Messages
52
ok... I was able to extract the wire of interest (blue) without dismantling the whole case. as I'm sure you guys are aware, that whitish yellow plastic piece is a wire guide. Bozo decided not to use it.

I was able to put a meter on both wires. I've got right around 8 ohm on each, and 15 ohm across! So it all looks good, the coils should be fine. The forward coil still has its knife connector, the reverse needs to be repaired. Open to ideas there...

I did put 12V on each wire real quick and I did hear them tick tick ticking in there... so thats promising...

while I have it on the bench, is there any reason I should dismantle it anyhow?

To be entirely honest, I have to admit it seemed like, at times, my forward gear would "slip"... I dont know if it was just cavitation, or me hitting a wave the wrong way, or what, but at times the engine would spin up a bit without me really going any faster.... how do those springs fail, if they do, and is there a way I can test them on the bench with or without dismantling the whole gearcase?
 

jimmbo

Supreme Mariner
Joined
May 24, 2004
Messages
13,089
The Knife connectors used to be, and may still be sold separately, 379645 was the part number 51 years ago, it may have superceeded in the intervening decades

When those units slip internally, you will know, they sound sort of like a gravel crusher and the motor bounces around like its hitting many rocks. At least my dad's 1965 90hp did when it slipped.

If it were my gear case, I would flush some type C oil or some ATF thru it to remove any gunk before reassembly.
 
Joined
Jul 22, 2016
Messages
52
well, I went ahead and used wire nuts. There's plenty of space for them and the cavity the wires lie in were pretty corrosion free, so I think that cavity stays pretty well sealed. I tucked em in there and packed the hell out of it with grease.

Looks like this LU will have some downtime, as I need to replace the shaft seal on the top of the impeller housing... seal was a little bunged. Couple other O rings here and there I need to take care of as well. Impeller looks good though. Where ought I get parts for this thing? Does this Iboats website carry stuff for these older models? Some parts are industry standard, like o rings and seals, but I may need some evinrude-specific stuff....

in the mean time, new question:

the LU is assembled and the resistance values of the coils are as they should be. However, if I ground the case and apply 12V to either wire, I do hear each coil "click"... however the prop will not lock up in either direction. I find this surprising because I did not dismantle the gearcase... well, I removed the face plate and retaining ring, but then stopped and put it back together. Will the prop not lock up if the drive shaft is not coupled to the engine? when I apply voltage the prop does get a bit tougher to turn in either direction, but it doesnt lock up...
 
Joined
Jul 22, 2016
Messages
52
ordered replacement parts via evinrudes website!

did clamp a vice grip the the drive shaft splines - if you oppose the rotation of the drive shaft, the prop does lock up if you put it into either gear. So it feels like this thing is working!
 
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