Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

[Hrokor]

This is the last time I will ask for help with this for fear I am being annoying. I have a 1975 Johnson 50hp (50ESL75B) I have had problems since I changed impeller/housing. As of right now the shift lever will go all the way forward if I hold down the warm up lever, but as I pull it back to neutral it stops just before and will go no futher. I have disconnected shiftt cable at motor and shift lever still won't move to neutral.

 

[bob johnson]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

if it was workign right, before you removed the lower unit, to install a new impeller, and now it isnt working..i bet you inadvertently, unscrewed or screwed in the shift rod!!!!

but it seems you are saying that with the cable dissconected from the motor the shift control still doesnt work???

that would say it isnt in the lower unit...


there is a lot of missing info id guess.


bob

 

[Hrokor]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

Thank you for the response, Bob. If I remove the lower unit the shift lever still will not move to neutral. The shift lever seems to hit a stop.

 

[ONERCBOATER]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

lots of times people don't answer cause they dont know.
http://www.boats.net/parts/search/BRP/JOHNSON/1975/50ES75B 1975/GEARCASE/parts.html is an exploded view of your lower unit. shift rod is #40 can be either long or short.... depending on long or short shaft engine. it appears on this model to be threaded in... and i would guess it pulls up for reverse and down for fwd. my guess is that you may have tightened this or loosened it... and or bent the shift rod when changing the impeller.
I note that you are in So Cali..... how south I may be able to help you out as I am in Yuma AZ... if not to far I can ride over on my scooter (motorcycle) and help you out.... or you can drive over and we can work on it here and take to river to make sure it works well or simply test it in a drum. (river suggestion is cause any excuse to go fishing is a good one )

your welcome to message me your phone number and I will attempt to walk you through adjustment over the phone if you like.

Since you describe it not going back into neutral with the shift cable removed... I am going to suggest you remove the lower unit again... and with it removed see if the LU will shift into fwd,n, rev that way.... if not I would think you have a larger problem.... if it does shift off the engine, then it should likely be a simple matter of adjustment. I will PM you my number as well.
If you have more questions please feel free to ask... others that are too timid to ask generally profit from your question

Sean

 

[bob johnson]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

side mount or bimini mount???

have you ever taken the control apart???

the biminis are easy you can flip them over and watch everything move...but the side mounts are closed up..and when you open them up everything spills out!! ha ha

are you absolutely sure soemthing didnt fall down into the shifter???

can you post a picture of your shifter/??

is it a dual lever?? one for throttle and one for shifting???

bob

 

[ONERCBOATER]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

after speaking with him on the phone... thinking it is adjustment issue still. Will likely be swapping pictures.... and any ideas from others are completely welcome even if they disagree from my ideas..... he is 4+ hrs away from me by car/motorcycle... so gonna try best as i can to walk him through this. I am kind of thinking that perhaps the shift rod isnt threaded into the lower unit assembly properly. I may have misunderstood but I think he said that it came out of the LU when replacing the water pump/impeller... thinking things may have moved about a bit. we should get a pretty good explaination of what is going on this eve or tomorrow as best advice i could give was "remove lower unit, spin prop by hand... while spinning prop cycle shifter through fwd neu rev and note that the drive shaft spins one way, then stops, then spin the other way" if it does then likely issue is adjustment of shift rod i would think. the problem appears to have manifested after only a water pump replacement... nothing said about having fiddled with the remote control box. And it appeared to operate fine before the LU was removed.

Sean

 

[bob johnson]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

I was getting the impression his control movement was being interupted even when his cables were NOT connected to the engine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

as in his control alone was giving him his issues.

hope you can help him...good luck

bob

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

He said he disconnected the SHIFT cable. He did NOT say he disconnected the THROTTLE cable. Since he has to hold down the fast idle lever to make it work properly, it would appear the throttle cable is at least part of the issue and needs adjusting. Disconnect it, push the fast idle lever down and try it. If it now works properly, adjust the throttle and shift cables -- properly!~

 

[ONERCBOATER]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.


pics uploaded for him

 

[ONERCBOATER]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

ok, i posted the pics he sent to me, and could not figure out how to remove the duplicates (mods feel free to mod). Figured with the pictures it would be easier for him to explain what he did, and easier for those who are familiar with this equipment to suggest what to do next. Or where to make adjustments. I also think your making good points...and at this point (i have slept since I spoke with him) I can't remember exactly what was said, so I will let him clarify his own words.

Sean

 

[bob johnson]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

Thank you for the response, Bob. If I remove the lower unit the shift lever still will not move to neutral. The shift lever seems to hit a stop.

the OP needs to come back and post some answers to some questions before we can really proceed...

i asked if the OP had a workign system before he did the water pump repairs.

thats a clue as what MIGT be wrong...

if not he could have aquired a total mess and we dont know what we are working with!

if it were me, id like to isolate the issue, as in taking the cables both throttle and shift off the motor...and just see if the control will go fully through its travel.

i have never worked with that style control. but it looks like a control that moves the shift cable and THEN stops moving it and moves the throttle all with one motion of the lever!!

break this down and go step by step

bob

 

[Hrokor]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

Bob, sorry for the delayed response, been at work all day. Again I appreciate your help! The lever was working before the impeller replacement. The warm up lever was suspect because it is very wobbly making me think it is breaking or already broken. I will attempt to disconnect both cables from the motor shortly and post what I find.

Jim

 

[Hrokor]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

Ok, I disconnected the shifter cable totally and I can manually change from forward to neutral and to reverse by hand. The shift lever still does not move from forward to neutral, it stops just before it gets to neutral. I took the shifter control apart by removing the 3 philips head screws and can see the cams. I can see exactly where it stops...just as it gets to neutral 2 black plastic parts come together and I don't see how it can pass that point, I will try to take a picture or video of it, but I am not sure if it will be visible.

 

[DJ]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

If the warm up lever is loose, it can bind the shift lever at the controls. You have to split the box to tighten the control lever up. Common problem.


BE CAREFUL when you split the box. There is a lot of stuff that is going to want to pop out on you.

ALSO, disconnect the battery before you split the box. You do not want to chance shorting the ignition switch.

 

[Hrokor]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

Thank you for reply, DJ, I took outside cover off and the screw holding warm up lever was loose. Unfortunately after tightening it I still have the same problem.

 

[DJ]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

That's good. If that screw had come out it would have bound up everything.

You stated that it shifts OK with the cables disconnected. Are you sure?

When you reinstalled the lower unit, did you get the shift shaft turned around? You'll notice there is a crook in the end of it. If that crook is facing the wrong way, it won't work correctly.

 

[Hrokor]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

No, with the shift cable disconnected the shift lever still gets stuck just before neutral. verything appears to be fine on the motor end, I can manually shift into forward, neutral and reverse.

 

[DJ]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

No, with the shift cable disconnected the shift lever still gets stuck just before neutral. verything appears to be fine on the motor end, I can manually shift into forward, neutral and reverse.

With that, it has to be in the control box. They are pretty simple inside. Sometimes the cable end retainers can get out of place causing binding.

 

[Hrokor]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

From what I hear the trick will be to try and take it apart. Have you ever taken this apart?

 

[DJ]

Re: Last try for help with 50 hp shift lever.

Many, Many times. I sold an engine identical to yours about nine months ago. There isn't much that I didn't get into on it.