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No reverse in 225 Johnson VRO

S

suzyjpq

New member
Took my boat out two days in a row. Ran fine day 1, day 2 no reverse, sounds like its grinding or slipping. Checked the lower unit oil and it's definitely milky. Visually observed the mechanical shift rod move. Anybody know what would be the best procedure to troubleshoot this? Thanks--SuzyQ
 
Well....I guess i would drain the lower unit oil first. Examine the magnetic plug for metal shavings. Examine the old oil for metal.
It is normal for the magnetic plug to have some fuzz of metal on it, but if you have mucho shavings, even big pieces, then you may as well plan on major gearcase problems, either a replace or rebuild.
Re-fill the gearcase before proceeding.
Even so, the water in the oil is a problem that must be addressed.
So, the next thing I would do is put it in the water on the trailer, or even just free floating, and remove the shift cable from the linkage. STBD side, the lower cable, one 3/8" nylock nut and washer, slip it off the pin it connects to. Then manually shift the gearcase, engine running, into both gears. What you are trying to determine is if the reverse is fine if you manually move the linkage to it's full travel. If you have good reverse by manually shifting it, and you have no shards in the oil, then it is likely OK, except that you have the water intrusion.
If it shifts into reverse and holds (no grinding or slipping) then the issue is with your shift cable adjustment.

At any rate, you will have to remove the gearcase, and pressure test it to determine where the leaking seal is. Possible areas for leakage are the propshaft seals, the driveshaft seals, and the shift rod seal. Immerse the gearcase in a tub of water, pressure it up, and watch for the bubbles.
Search here for gearcase pressure testing procedures.

If you are good mechanically, you can re-seal the gearcase for less than 75 bucks in seals....but it is kinda tricky doing the propshaft, simply because the carrier has to be pulled out. It can be done at home tho.
 
Thank you very much for the response. I will follow your instructions and see where I end up. Not necessarily mechanical, but I can read and follow instructions, and yours seem very thorough and logical. Thanks!
suzyq
 
So I drained the oil in the lower unit which was unremarkable for bits of metal shavings. I replaced it with 80w-90 marine oil, took a look at the throttle to see if there was a way to make an adjustment there (there wasn't), just generally cleaned everything up, put on the rabbit ears, and she goes into reverse now, but with a rather loud noise. Also noticed (alas) that while I ran this test, no water came out of the telltail. After breakfast, I plan on attempting your shifter-cable adjustment. Wish me luck and any other suggestions?
 
Ok good progress.
There IS an adjustment. It is where the cable enters the lower STBD side cowling. There is a metal clamp, and a round black adjustment wheel that you can turn to adjust both the throttle and shifter cables. Loosen the clamp, turn adjuster wheel, tighten clamp.
Put the linkages in their idle positions, shift in neutral, and throttle in idle, and the cable end should just slip right over the threaded pin with no force, tension or pull in either direction. That is a good starting point for the adjustment. You may have to tweak each one for the exact and proper feel and operation later.

There should be a solid "CLUNK" when you shift. There should ne no grinding noise. Do not "linger through the shift". Shift quickly to prevent that grinding noise, and prevent premature wear of the clutch dog inside the gearcase.

But before all that, please ensure that the engine shifts to reverse when you remove the cable end and operate the shifter linkage by hand.
That is critical to help determine if you have gearcase damage. The "unremarkable for bits of metal shavings" is a very good result.

(You in the medical field?)

Do not forget that you must correct the water intrusion into the gearcase if it has a leak. It will be OK for now, while you are debugging this "no reverse" issue. Sounds more and more to me like a cable adjustment is needed.
Now, there IS another possibility. The shift rod height itself might be out of adjustment. But, let's eliminate the shift cable adjustment first.

You will see that the telltale fitting is surrounded by a large plastic nut (13/16") which you can remove very, very easily to clear out the telltale fitting if clogged. In fact, that whole fitting/nut assembly is for flushing the engine with a hose if you wish.

Keep posting on your progress, please.
 
Sorry to confuse, I meant there was no adjustment I could find at the remote throttle location.
Good news, I did exactly what you said to to: I removed the cable end and operated the shift linkage by hand and no problem! Also, the telltale also seems to be working fine. That problem may have been the result of a kink in my garden hose. Sigh...Do I feel stupid?!
(BTW, I'm not in the medical field, my older sister is.)
I have three times in the past dropped the lower unit. I love the instructions in the owner's manual, which, states, "This may sound like it is necessary to do four things at the same time, and so it is. Therefore, make an earnest attempt to secure the services of an assistant for this task."
I had my elderly father and one of his range bull friends helping me the first time. Took us two hours to try to properly seat the unit. Finally I convinced them that my smaller female hands could more easily make the adjustment and properly seat the unit and guide the rod up while they did the grunt work of supporting the weight. I can do it in under ten minutes now. But hope it is not a skill I have to continually refresh!
I will address the water intrusion issue, but wonder if it's something that can wait until I take the boat out of the water, which will be October 15th. Up here in Maine, I can only get out to fish after work (and it's getting dark fast in the evenings) or weekends, and then I have to compete with canning my tomatoes...So, not a lot of use in the next month. Do you think that will be a problem? I recall reading somewhere that the oil can properly operate with up to 10% volume with water? Back to work! It's a sunny day here in Maine, and if I can, I want to get her back into the water...
 
What year is that 225hp?

In the past, dropping the lower unit for one thing or the other.... did the shift rod get turned out of adjustment? The adjustment is critical usually within 1/32". If moved out of adjustment, the only solution is to re-adjust it.
 
I think you are going to be OK. Look at shift cable adjustment, as it is right there, no hassle of dropping the lower.
BUT!!! You are going to have to remove the lower anyway to re-seal it properly....so, six of one, half dozen of the other.

I will not recommend running it, cause I don't know how fast it is leaking....you might be Ok, you might not...
Very helpful on that one wasn't I?
Oh, and the use of "unremarkable for bits of metal shavings" sounded very doctor like...

Good luck.
 
"Maybe yes, maybe no." (Are you in the legal field?--very lawyerly answer!)
I will defer to your wisdom and see if I can track down the source of containment. But probably won't be able to do anything now until next weekend. I will post when I have a chance to do more. Thanks to everybody who posted with thoughts and suggestions--suzy
 
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