Evinrude 18hp shift issue

TinBoats.net

Help Support TinBoats.net:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

cloud

New member
Joined
Jul 24, 2014
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Well folks it seems I'm the newbie on this forum and all forums seem to be a bit different ,so bear with me please. My question is in regards to an Evinrude 18hp 1967 vintage. Having just purchased a 14ft v bottom aluminum that has this motor on it. It runs fine, after a carb fiddling, but the issue is with the shifting. Reverse is perfect but forward wants to chatter and not engage. It will engage fine with engine off and started. Lower end lube looked fine with no particulates, but I changed it anyways. Suggestions? As an also note, I have visited this site many times as a guest and found this forum to be truly what a forum should be. Thank you for that and for being such a great group of folks.
 
I had a problem with the shifting linkage on my '57 Evinrude 18hp when I first got it. After a little oil and grease on all the pivot points, it worked like a dream.
 
Cloud,

I have the same motor. There is an adjustment screw on the shift lever, above the grease fitting. You need to loosen it, and play with the adjustment until it will stay in forward gear.

The pin on the lever that rides in the detents on the shift lock should travel pretty much the same distance up and down. If you look at it while you move it, you will see what I mean.

Good luck.
 
I would suggest, also, that you check the connector at the bottom of the shift rod. Down on the 'leg' there is a small access plate. Take off the 2 screws and lift off the plate. Save the gasket without breaking it for re-use. Check the brass connector. These get mis-handled when the lower units are removed for service. Pretty soon there's no threads left and they can fail.

If your linkage is adjusted correctly and all the pieces are OK, then you may have a worn clutch dog in the gearbox. This is something the previous owner may not have wanted to mention. If it happened to you the first time out...then it happened to him the last time out. In any case the lower unit will have to come apart for replacement of the dog, probably seals too, etc.
 

Latest posts

Top