Stuck in gear.

[Bad Wolf]

Johnson 15hp 1984 electric start.
Well, not really stuck just hard to move with the engine off.
Now that I’m up and running I’m looking into the finer points of outboard motor usage. I’ve very careful to shift to neutral before shutting it off, but a couple of times I’ve had it die while in gear and low idle. It’s hard if not impossible to shift it back to neutral, and I don’t want to break anything. It’s apparently far enough toward neutral that the engine will turn over but it’s hard to start. I have to fiddle with the choke, all the while drifting down river, but have been able to get restarted.

Ideas?

Thanks

 

[JMichael]

Have you checked the lower unit oil, lubricated all the shift linkage and checked for binding in the shift linkage?

 

[nccatfisher]

And remember electric shift uses a special lower unit lubricant.

 

[Pappy]

nccatfisher » Yesterday, 00:55[/url]"]And remember electric shift uses a special lower unit lubricant.

There was never an electric shift 9.9-15hp Jo/Ev

 

[Charger25]

nccatfisher » 06 Aug 2013, 00:55[/url]"]And remember electric shift uses a special lower unit lubricant.

I think he meant electric start

 

[JMichael]

Charger25 » Yesterday, 23:08[/url]"]

nccatfisher » 06 Aug 2013, 00:55[/url]"]And remember electric shift uses a special lower unit lubricant.

I think he meant electric start

I've never owned a Johnson so I have no idea if this is true or not, but it makes no sense to me. Why would the starting method (electric or pull start) have anything to do with with the lower unit or the type oil the lower unit used. If this is true, what is the reasoning behind it?

 

[lovedr79]

You should always put in neutral before shut down. Atleast that's what I have always done. Is this a tiller or remote? I would open the lower unit check for debri on the collar that slides back and forth for forward and reverse, change the oil and try it. If you leave in gear when u shut it down that means when you try to start in gear you are also turning the prop making it that much harder to start. And my merc if left in gear you can't start it.