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Help--1985 Johnson 140 Shift rod length

I could have sworn I already answered this.................

1985 - 120, 140hp Loop Charged = (L) 21-15/16" - - (XL) 26-15/16" plus/minus 1/32". Have shift rod in neutral.

Measurement is taken from the top surface of the lower unit to the center of the shift rod hole.
 
I rebuilt the lower part of the engine, new bearings and seals plus a new impeller housing, impeller etc and I found when I put all back together the shift rod did not line up with the hole at the top of the rod. I ensured the gears were in neutral and the remote was in the neutral position too. I measured the offset, in my case 1/4 inch short, lengthened the shift rod to compensate. All has worked seamlessly since. Not saying I got the measurement perfect the first time, however when I put it together it was clear there was an issue so I just compensated for it. I have a 1986 J140TLCDC.
 
What does that mean..... "the shift rod did not line up with the hole at the top of the rod" ?

Being 1/4" short... the rod would have to have been screwed down too far.

Always best the second time around anyway. :)
 
On the J140TLCDC there is a hole at the top of the shift rod (part number 0333006). The rod comes from the gear case to just inside the the base of the lower engine cover. It has a 45 degree bend at the top (about 45 so please do not measure) this bend is towards the boat and is at the back of the engine under the intake manifold of the carbs. This is where it connects to the lever that controls the shift rod (moves it up and down with the movement of the remote, pushed forward to engage the 2:1 ratio forward gear l or pulled back to go astern). When I put all back together and the gear case was aligned correctly, I noticed the hole at the top of the shift rod did not align with the holes in the control connection to slip the pin through. I knew that forcing the alignment would mean the gear would be engaged which I proved by doing just that, hence I lost neutral (at the mid point of the remote lever) stripped it down again and compensated for the rod being too low.
I am not an expert so if I use very basic language to explain, my apologies and as you have 11808 posts somehow I think you knew exactly what I was referring too. You are correct the rod was too far down however I had measured the distance as per the manual and it did not line up. I was only trying to say that if you have only dropped the gear casing then the control arm has not moved it is the shift rod that is in the wrong position and this can easily be adjusted to align (I gave the long winded answer just to prove I had done the job) :)
 
MSteele said:
On the J140TLCDC there is a hole at the top of the shift rod (part number 0333006). The rod comes from the gear case to just inside the the base of the lower engine cover. It has a 45 degree bend at the top (about 45 so please do not measure) this bend is towards the boat and is at the back of the engine under the intake manifold of the carbs. This is where it connects to the lever that controls the shift rod (moves it up and down with the movement of the remote, pushed forward to engage the 2:1 ratio forward gear l or pulled back to go astern). When I put all back together and the gear case was aligned correctly, I noticed the hole at the top of the shift rod did not align with the holes in the control connection to slip the pin through. I knew that forcing the alignment would mean the gear would be engaged which I proved by doing just that, hence I lost neutral (at the mid point of the remote lever) stripped it down again and compensated for the rod being too low.
I am not an expert so if I use very basic language to explain, my apologies and as you have 11808 posts somehow I think you knew exactly what I was referring too. You are correct the rod was too far down however I had measured the distance as per the manual and it did not line up. I was only trying to say that if you have only dropped the gear casing then the control arm has not moved it is the shift rod that is in the wrong position and this can easily be adjusted to align (I gave the long winded answer just to prove I had done the job) :)
Click to expand...

No, I didn't know what you were referring to, if I did I wouldn't have asked. However reading between the lines as the saying goes, apparently when you made the first measurement, the lower unit was accidently in gear which would account for the error.

Glad that you got it straightened out and shifting normally.... Happy Boating!
 
What was the final measurement? I am having an issue with mine too. With the shift lever in reverse and the transmission in foward I can get the linkage connected but it doesnt move. seems about 1/2" short.
 
Disconnect the linkage between the shift rod and the control lever. Ensure the remote (the throttle near your steering wheel) is vertical neutral position, it should be but check just to make sure. Place a small screw driver through the hole at the top of the shift rod and move the shift rod up towards the fly wheel without moving the control lever (you are in reverse so the lever needs to move the shift rod up to neutral). You may need to get someone to move the propeller gently forward and back (like aligning gears so not much movement) to get it out of reverse easily. One the propeller is spinning freely measure the distance between the hold on the shift rod and the hole on the control lever. Now drop the lower gear case and turn the shift rod so that the length increases by the amount measured. Re fit the lower Gear case and the shift rod should now align perfectly to the control rod hole (if not drop the gear case again). Slip the pin in and you will have reverse and forward gears. Worked for me hope it works for you too.
 
Fact---------The shift rod height is measured / set with the gearcase in nuetral.----------------Then on assembly you can move the control to line up the hole to put the pin in !!!!------------These are the simple facts.
 
RANDYOFWEIRSDALE said:
What was the final measurement? I am having an issue with mine too. With the shift lever in reverse and the transmission in foward I can get the linkage connected but it doesnt move. seems about 1/2" short.
Click to expand...

The answer is up above in post #2, however.......

1985 - 120, 140hp Loop Charged = (L) 21-15/16" - - (XL) 26-15/16" plus/minus 1/32". Have shift rod in neutral.

Measurement is taken from the top surface of the lower unit to the center of the shift rod hole.
 
Just out of curiosity, I searched this post and read it. I was motivated by the experience I had over the weekend when I tried to remount my lower unit on my 1986 225hp Evinrude. I think some of the above posts over complicate the procedure as Joe Reeve's post is exactly right. Measure the shift rod in neutral when the lower unit is off and adjust accordingly to the right length for your motor. Push it down to place it back in reverse (which is the way you removed it per the manual). When you push the rod up into the motor, it will stay down in reverse due to any contact it makes inside the tube. It should then line up with the bolt hole on the shift cam which should still be in reverse. I made the mistake of mis-reading the length as 26-5/16" instead of 26-15/16" and paid the price of having to remove the lower unit again, adjust the shift rod to the right length, and put if back on. Believe me, that is not easy on an older motor and my punishment was well deserved!
 
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