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91 Evinrude 150 HP gets stuck in forward

J

John Sweeney

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I've got a pair of '91

I've got a pair of '91 150 HP evinrude 60 degree loopers.. the counter rotator cannot seem to be adjusted correctly (cable on engine side fully backed out) so that it firmly shifts into reverse.

To shift it out of forward sometimes I need to go all the way into reverse and then back to neutral.

It's like I needs adjustment toward reverse but there is no adjustment left.

They have an OMC twin lever control box.

Is there another adjustment I can make in the control box? How do I trouble-shoot this problem?

Thanks -

John
 
"I do not think this is caused

"I do not think this is caused by one simpel part, but rader a series of items.
Play in the controle box like worn bushings.
Long shift cables with too big end play, worn.
Play in shift linkage on the engine - worn bushings.
Check and correct this and your shift system ought to be back to 'normal' again."
 
"Hey John....has the lower uni

"Hey John....has the lower unit been off..? Also notice as you shift, if the cable moves in and out of the shifter box,and/or if it moves in and out where it enters the engine..Please post back..."
 
"As Tom above mentions.... If

"As Tom above mentions.... If the lower unit has been removed, it's possible that the shift rod has been moved (turned up or down) which would throw the shift out of adjustment. The measurement of the shift rod in neutral from the top surface of the lower unit to the center of the shift rod hole is critical!"
 
"Wow - thanks!

So I take t

"Wow - thanks!

So I take this to mean I should first inspect the shift rod by removal of the lower unit and also that there is no adjustment in the control box?

The cables were all replaced last season and seem to be sound, I'll have someone shift while I watch the operation.

The linkage looked reasonable and seemed to move like the other one but I didn't actually measure the travel.

What you said on the shift rod makes sense, looking at the diagrams it seemed it could possibly be rotated 180 degrees off and/or screwed in or out causing such problems.

Yes the lower unit was removed in the middle of last season (by me) and when installing it I had alot of problems getting the shift rod up through the rubber bushing (which is somewhat out of place, damaged and/or worn) and may have accidentally spun it around during that process.

John"
 
"Need to pull it John and set

"Need to pull it John and set to the right shift rod height...Then center your Shift cable again, and all should be well..!"
 
"The reason the shift rod turn

"The reason the shift rod turned on you during installation is simple--it's a @#$% pain in the &^%$! to get it back in place on these engines. I marked the side of the shift rod where the bolt goes through with nailpolish, so that I would know if it turned 180 degrees on me during install. (It did) The cross-flow engines did not seem to be so difficult. I wonder if there is some trick we don't know about?"
 
"The engines that have removab

"The engines that have removable hood pans, remove them.... get them out of the way. It makes the installation of the lower unit somewhat easier.

Centering the shift cable.......

When all is as it should be, the proper method to adjust the shift cable is to disconnect the cable from the engine. Move the shift linkage on the engine to find the center of the play in neutral, and when found, leave it centered.

Now, grab the end of the shift cable sleeve, push and pull it to find the center of the play there, and center that play.

Adjust the trunion on the threaded portion of the shift cable so that the centered play of the cable lines up with the centered play of the engine's shift linkage. Install and lock the shift cable with the retaining clamp in that position. That's it."
 
"Thanks again guys -

I pla

"Thanks again guys -

I plan to pull the lower unit this weekend - I did inspect the operation, linkage, and position of the shift shaft and it's all right as far as I can tell so it has not be spun 180 degrees.

How do I properly set the height of the shift shaft, as in what is the proper height? I thought it was just supposed to be screwed down until it seated and you didn't need to mess with it?

Jon"
 
"If it was 180° out of adjustm

"If it was 180° out of adjustment, you would not be able to connect the top of that shift rod, it would need to be turned 360° at least once to be misadjusted.

I don't know what the measurement is right off hand but hopefully someone will jump in here with whatever it is. I retired right around that time and the latest measurements I have are as follows on the V6 model.

1979 thru 1986 - All V/6 Crossflow models = (L) 22-1/16" - - (XL) 27-1/16" plus/minus 1/32". Have shift rod in neutral.

The above, as noted, only goes to 1986 so it might not pertain to your 1991 model. However, at any rate, the engine must be in neutral and the measurement is to be taken from the top surface of the lower unit to the center of the shift rod hole."
 
I'll check through my book

I'll check through my book... Worst scenario I know which way it needs to go and can adjust and re-check it. 1/32 of an inch is pretty critical!

I had previously figured this thing could be off by 1/4 and never make a difference.
 
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