Logo

1997 Johnson 200 Ocean Runner Shift Rod Will Not Move

Ricklong

New member
1997 Johnson 200 Ocean Runner ran great the last time the boat was in the water. I moved and the motor was not started for about 4 years. All the fuel was removed went it was first moved. I put in new battery and fuel yesterday and it started but would not go into forward or reverse. I removed the lower unit from the motor. The shift rod will not move up or down. I checked the gear oil. It was a little low but looked and smelt ok. Also only a little fuzz on the top screw magnet. Anyone have ideas on how to fix this?
 
In agreement with "boobie" seeing as how the lower unit apparently has no traces of water.

Note that the shift rod screws into the lower unit's shift assembly... AND... the measurement is critical, so pay close attention if you turn the shirt rod... if it will turn.

With that said..... see if you can turn the shift rod and if so, put it back exactly where it was pertaining to height. If it will turn BUT turns with difficulty, try putting a couple drops of oil on the shift rod at the top of the bushing it rides in. The "O" Ring is just below that point.
 
In agreement with "boobie" seeing as how the lower unit apparently has no traces of water.

Note that the shift rod screws into the lower unit's shift assembly... AND... the measurement is critical, so pay close attention if you turn the shirt rod... if it will turn.

With that said..... see if you can turn the shift rod and if so, put it back exactly where it was pertaining to height. If it will turn BUT turns with difficulty, try putting a couple drops of oil on the shift rod at the top of the bushing it rides in. The "O" Ring is just below that point.

Hello joereeves. I am not sure about no traces of water. I only pulled the top plug and pushed a white nylon zip tie a few inches down in to the gear lube. It was not milky on Sunday and the motor was running on Saturday. I believe I will be able to unscrew the shift rod. I turned the shift rod 180 degrees both ways a few times. It was real stiff at first but loosened up some. I will get a good measurement on the rod and also count how many turns it takes to in screw it. I will post the results after I get the parts and have the motor back together. Thanks
 
Well ??????????????????????

Hello Boobie. You were right the o-rings in the shift rod bushing did swell up. I ordered 2 O-rings, shift rod cover gasket and drain and fill plug washers from marineengine.com. They arrived in the mail Friday. I had already purchased a water pump kit. I still need the torque specs, three types of gasket sealant, Triple Guard grease, 2 quarts of Ultra-HPF and a lube fill pump. I plan on getting it tomorrow at a nearby Evinrude dealer I found on Google today. I hope to start working on it tomorrow evening. I will let you know how it goes.
 
Keep us posted..........

I installed the water pump kit and replaced the 2 O-rings in the shift rod cover. It turned out the 2 O-rings took a lot longer than I imagined they would to install. I worked on first O-ring at least 30 minutes before I gave up and took a break. Once I started back and found the right tool I got them both in in less than 10 minutes. Then reinstalled shift rod cover and shift rod. Did not have time to reinstall the lower unit on the motor before it got dark. I hope to finish up and test it tomorrow evening. Will post again tomorrow if I get home in time to finish. If not I will post again Saturday.
 
I install the lower unit today. It is shifting great. If the weather is good I hope to take the boat to Matagorda Bay next weekend. Boobie and Joereeves thanks for the help.
 
Hi all,

So I appreciate this is a couple years old but anyone got an idea why they swell? Happened to mine, changed them out, happened again after ~2 years.... particularly accelerates when the engine isn't used it appears?
Salt water? Oil/grease reaction? Synthetic third party oil the issue?
 
Back
Top