85 Evinrude 30 stuck in forward

Hi everyone, first post here.

I was left an '85 Evinrude 30 (E30TELCOA) by my uncle who passed away. The motor has sat completely unused for at least 10 years. I have decided to put the motor to use this summer for my son to putt around with. When I went to assess the condition of the motor, I found that the gear selector lever (this is a tiller steering model) was stuck in forward, and I can not get it to shift to neutral. Any ideas on what may be causing this?

Also, as the motor was sitting unused for so long, what maintenance should I perform or parts should I replace before I try and start it? I'm already figuring on an impeller for the water pump and a possibly a carb cleaning, but are there other service you guys would recommend?

A little info about the motor: It has low hours, and my uncle was a fanatic about storing his outboards properly. It appears that the carb was starved on shut down (fuel line removed), and everything was sprayed with corrosion inhibitor. The motor was used in salt water, however it had been thoroughly flushed after every use.

Thank you for your help!

Rob

If there was water in the gearcase it couldve rusted and froze up some components down there. 10 years is a while. Have you disconnected the linkage up top and checked for freedom of movement in the linkages yet?

You take the water pick up screens off of the lower unit and that's where you disconnect the shift linkage.

Thanks for the replies!

No, I have not disconnected the shift linkage. That does sound like a good place to start. I am ordering the OMC service manual, so I will do that once I receive the manual. As for the lower unit: I will drain the gear lube this weekend and see if there is any water in it. My uncle always changed the gear lube as a part of his winterization process, which was the last thing he ever did with this motor. Hopefully it kept all of the internals well coated. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks again!

Rob

Quick update here. I received the OMC service manuals and proceeded to drop the lower unit. While disconnecting the shift rod, the connector nut at the top broke. The threaded part at the bottom of the nut apparently corroded and broke loose and is now permanently threaded into the lower shift rod. Not sure what to do now other than to cut either of the shift rods and replace it with a new one. I obviously need to get the L/U off for regular maintenance, but I also need to get in there because I feel fairly confident that is where my stuck shifter problems lie.

Any suggestions? Again, thanks to everyone for your help!

-Rob

Cutting the upper shift rod seems easy ---BUT ---that part is big $$$ and even more work to replace !!!!!-----Split ( use a dremel tool ) the upper / lower nuts and get rid of them.-------then remove the split plastic keeper on the top rod.--Now the lower unit comes off.

EXCELLENT idea sir! That is exactly what I will do. Thank you for your insight! That saved me a few $$$ for sure.

I have one question however. The lower shift rod appears to be all one piece, looking at it, as well as in the parts manual. I see that the original part number has been superseded by another number, but pics of the new part appear to be show multiple pieces (separate rod and nut). Could the original be in fact one piece, and I will need to replace the lower rod anyway?

Is the lower nut brass ????----------If it is then it is replaced with a new one from say a 2003 model.

Nope, it is definitely not brass. And, upon further inspection, I am 95% sure it is made as one piece. I assume the original part was made as one piece, and the later models have the two piece lower rod? I suppose that is the reason for the new part number as well.

If it is in fact a single piece, I am going to have to purchase a new lower rod, since cutting the nut open to release the upper rod will effectively destroy the whole part..... I assume.

Correct and the lower rod is much cheaper and many hrs less work to replace !

You still need to get the upper nut and keeper off in order to remove the lower unit.

You aren't kidding about the money and time. Thanks a million for taking the time to help me out here.

I won't have much spare time to work on the motor for the next couple of days, but I will be sure to post my progress and findings once I start making some headway.

Rob

Ok, back with an update and a question. In the process of dropping the L/U. Everything has gone well up until I got to the topside front nut/threaded stud. The nut came off without a problem, however the threaded stud appears to be seized to the mid section, not letting the L/U drop. The L/U has started to separate to the aft, with the 4 underside bolts loosened, but the forward part refuses to drop. I'm not a fan of beating on parts, so I'm not sure what to do. I've soaked the stud In pb blaster for 3 days, but no luck.

Any ideas?

-Rob

Take a propane torch and heat the area around where the stud / guide pin is.-----Corrosion products have likely jammed it up.

As usual, another excellent idea.....thanks racerone!

I shall return with an update!!!!

-Rob