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Gear shift and throttle problems

S

skywoolf

Member
"When I got my 25ft center con

"When I got my 25ft center console with Johnson 175HP it was very difficult to get the engine out of forward gear into neutral. I managed to adjust the cables so that it mostly goes into neutral OK but if I have been going astern it can only get into forward by either moving the lever forward until the revs rise then go back to neutral, the forward again. Sometimes I need to repeat the process to get into forward gear. I attached a string to where the gear shift cable is connected at the engine and sometimes get into forward gear by moving the lever forward and yanking on the string.

This would seem like worn out cables with too much free play but I am not sure.

Sometimes when moving from neutral to reverse after being in forward gear the controller seems very stiff.

When I use the string to shift into forward it seems to me that it takes a lot more force than it should.

I am thinking that maybe I need a new controller and new cables but thats a lot of cash, especially when shipped to me in Asia.

Maybe there is something I should check in the controller? Maybe there is a problem with the gear shift linkage at the engine?

Any suggestions would be very welcome.

It may not be relevant but the warm up lever also has no effect on engine speed.

The controller is the OMC pre-wired surface mount with trim control. The cables are about 25ft long."
 
"frank,
You got to find wher

"frank,
You got to find where its trying to freeze up at. First disconnect both cables at the engine, try shifting now. If it shifts easy with cables disconnected, then disconnect the shift rod under the carbs, try moving that linkage by hand it should be easy to move with the shift rod disconnected. If that works easy then you will need to remove the lower unit, where the shift rod goes into the lower unit there"s a o ring that gets corroded an actually makes the shift rod hard to operate. if thats the case i recommend replacing the shift rod cover plate, o ring an a new gasket. if you end up with the lower unit off dont forget the water pump."
 
Thanks David.

That seems

Thanks David.

That seems like a common sense way to isolate the problem. Also very useful to know in advance what I may need because it can take weeks before I get parts I order.
 
"Dear Frank, I would also chec

"Dear Frank, I would also check your idle setting. If your idle is set too high, it is difficult for the engine to come out of gear."
 
Thanks.

Mostly it is arou

Thanks.

Mostly it is around 900RPM but sometimes only around 600RPM. It may be that I am trying to go astern before the engine has slowed enough. I will check.
 
"20 hp Evinrude replacing wate

"20 hp Evinrude replacing water pump impeller ,shaft turns cockwise ,impeller fins point conter clockwise? First time Gary"
 
I just got back from the boat.

I just got back from the boat. It looks like I am making good progress thanks to the advice here. I welcome feedback on what I found today.

I disconnected the cables at the engine and they both moved very easily so the cables are not binding.

I then tried to shift the gears with my fingers and could not do it by just pushing the lever where the cable attaches. I then removed the lever that the gear cable attaches to and using that to get a good grip I could shift gears but it was really difficult.

I tried disconnecting the shift rod but could not get the small lever it connects to off the end of the shaft. I could see the shaft was moving freely anyway so obviously the problem is lower down. I temporarily just squirted lots of WD40 at the top of the shaft and after the cables were reconnected it did seem a bit easier at the controller so this maybe confirms corrosion further down.

I tried the warm up lever with the throttle cable disconnected and the cable never moved at all. The lever just flops up and down like it is not connected to anything except for some slight resistance when almost fully up. I guess this is a problem with the controller. There is a lot of free play in the throttle cable but the controller does move the carb butterfly valves all the way to full throttle.

Can someone please help me compile a list of exactly what I need to order before I remove the bottom end? If I miss something the boat could be out action for weeks waiting for parts. The engine model number is BJ175EXEDB
 
"I think You might be on the w

"I think You might be on the wrong track.
That engine should have a shift-assist switch on the lever where You attach the shift cable to the engine. When putting a load on the lever, the switch should be activated and will cut out on cylinder bank, dropping the torque on the engine.
Does this system work?
See below, item #76. You may even manually press the switch and test.
217353.gif
"
 
"Thanks,

The switch is ther

"Thanks,

The switch is there although it is the other way up to the one shown in your post. I had no idea what the switch was for.

I should have mentioned that when I was testing the boat was on shore without the engine running. I just spun the prop with my foot while changing gear.

I will check the manual for details of the switch and how it operates."
 
"Before thinking of ordering p

"Before thinking of ordering parts, get the boat in water and test at real conditions.
Be sure the idle rpm is set correctly, when 'in gear' and boat moving freely.
Idle speed adjustment is done by the 'LOW' tab on top at the ignition. If throttle cable is properly adjusted, Your warm-up lever might work as well, but normally no need due to the quick-start function."
 
"I will be testing again in th

"I will be testing again in the water tomorrow but the initial problems I described where all while in the water. Only the testing I did today was on shore with the engine not running.

Is the low tab the same thing I call the warm up lever? That is not working at all and I don't see anything else near the ignition switch other than the throttle friction adjustment.

If you mean the LOW tab is somewhere in the engine please can you be more specific. I am having a lot of problems with the pictures in the service manual not matching the actual engine.

I don't think the warm up lever is very important except when I have been running for a while, take a break and try to start the engine. It takes about a dozen starts before it keeps going (maybe heat soak) and I am hoping that increasing the idle speed during these times will solve the problem. It is never actually cold here with daytime temperatures of around 34 centigrade."
 
"The 'LOW' tab is on t

"The 'LOW' tab is on top of the flywheel. Do NOT move the high! #1 on below pick is the LOW.
When attaching the throttle cable watch the linkage with its cam and rollers. Tighten the throttle cable (with the trunnion on cable) so You have 0,5-1 mm clearance between roller and cam.
217363.gif
"
 
"On Friday I removed the screw

"On Friday I removed the screw from each main jet orifice to empty the carb bowls then cleaned the screws (some were clean some had a black coating on the inner end) then sprayed inside with carb cleaner.

I roughly checked the adjustment of the throttle cable.

I checked the switch at the gear shift with a meter and it was working OK.

Then I tested in the water. The gear shift was much better as I was able to go between gears easily. The only minor problem was that the throttle would sometimes start to open before the gear engaged.

When we first went out the engine was running very rough and would not get past about 3,500RPM. It was surging and slowing so after a while gave up trying to get speed, slowed down and let the engine run at about 2,000RPM for about ten minutes. Then when I accelerated it was almost normal although still sometimes surging and slowing for a while. (could it be a thermostat stuck open?) Sometimes it would run at 3,800 occasionally surging to 4,400 for a minute or so. Then it suddenly surged up to 5,000rpm for maybe 30 seconds before dropping back to 4,400.

For the next couple of hours the engine was running smoothly and seemed good except it would not go beyond 4,400RPM.

I have been assuming the problem was fuel related but now I am beginning to think electrical. Maybe I need to set up the throttle and the ignition timing from scratch but I don't have any of the special tools."
 
"You may try to back-off the t

"You may try to back-off the trunnion on the throttle cable slightly to avoid throttle to start before gear is engaged. It might be caused by tear/wear/slack in shifting mechanism in controle/cable/engine.
The surging is probably fuel-related. Ignition problems is more like cut-in/cut-out.
To fault search -start at the fuel tank with the anti-siphon valve (stuck?), work Your ways towards engine and check all connections, diameters and filters. This engine needs minimum 3/8 hose and nipples/connectors all the way (inside diam). Even test tank-vent hose( open fill-cap and do a test run).
Never give more throttle than the engine responds to, or You end up with burned down pistons due to lean-burning. Put a mark at the oil-tank and check that after about 50 Liters (12 Gal)of fuel You need to fill 1 liter (1 quart)of oil to get back to the mark.
If Your warm-up lever still is 'out of function' it might be time to pull apart the remote and have it checked."
 
"Thanks I will follow your ins

"Thanks I will follow your instructions.

Mostly it was surging but when it suddenly went to 5,000rpm it was like flipping a switch or something suddenly cleared/started working then it slowly went back to 4,400 over about 10 seconds. My guess is that one plug not firing then suddenly firing would make a bigger difference so I could only think of loose or badly adjusted timing.

I was thinking it was blocked jets that are clearing and blocking again but over the last couple of weeks I have used about 300 liters of fuel and checked the filters twice. The filters were all clean. Although I see in the service manual there are screens in the carbs that are inaccessible without removing them.

The vent is fine as I already checked that. It is a large hose to a vent outside the boat. But there is certainly no harm in double checking your way. I have been keeping an eye on oil consumption. At a rough guess I would say it is using the correct amount but I will try to check more accurately.

I am pretty sure I need to check inside the remote. I may also get new cables because they do have a lot of free play."
 
"Before trying to remove the c

"Before trying to remove the carbs, be sure You have the 'o-rings' between the carbs and throttle body at hand. They tend to 'grow' and gets impossible to re-use.
As for cables, I would recommend at least for shift cable to use the original ones! Not much difference when new, but give them some years and You may notice.
Could You post a pic of all Your spark plugs?"
 
"Thanks. I am so afraid of ta

"Thanks. I am so afraid of taking things off then have to wait for weeks for parts before I can put them back.

I just tried taking a picture of the plugs that were used for about 5 engine hours but I can't get a good picture. They were the wrong plugs - cold instead of hot, platinum instead of copper. These were chocolate brown with some small patches of carbon attached.

Next time I go to the boat I will get a picture of those currently in use."
 
"I just went to the boat to ch

"I just went to the boat to check a few things. I took the controller apart and found the problem with the warm up lever. The screw was loose and the corners of the keyway slot have been chewed off. I will be in Hong Kong tomorrow where I can maybe find a replacement lever or get the corners built up with weld and then reshape them.

I didn't get to take a picture of the plugs yet. Judging by those I took out it is running too rich but they were the wrong plugs. When I get back I will do a test run then check the plugs.

Can I order the carb O rings, the gasket(s) and O ring for the lower unit, the water pump kit etc from this site?
218269.jpg
Picture of warm up lever lower end
 
"The Asian distributor is loca

"The Asian distributor is located in Hong Kong:
Hong Kong
Smooth Marine Equipment Limited
Sea-Doo Watercrafts
Sea-Doo Sportboats
Can-AmTM ATV
Ski-Doo
Flat B & D, 8/F , E. Wah Fty Bldg,
56-60 Wong Chuk Hang Rd
Aberdeen
Phone: +852-2873-2362
Fax: +852-2814-8199
Email: [email protected]

Hong Kong
Mas Marine Ltd
Johnson & Evinrude
Shop 3, Ground Floor,
Aberdeen Marina Tower,
8 Shum Wan Road,
Aberdeen
Phone: +852-2526-5359
Fax: +852-2868-0087
Email: [email protected]

Good luck"
 
Great! Thank you. It will be

Great! Thank you. It will be a lot better to go there and get the stuff. I will call them first when I am in Hong Kong.
 
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