Popping out of Gear

[Maximum12]

General question:

I have a '67 9.5HP Johnson that runs beautifully & is really easy to work on when it doesn't. Last time out, it popped out of gear repeatedly when I opened it up - I could go max about 1/2 speed. Any thoughts on what that might be before I start tearing it apart?

[Finlander]

Don't run your motor anymore until you get that fixed! If you do run your motor in that current condition, you will ruin your gears!
It is your gear dog. And what that is, is a gear that puts your motor into forward or reverse from the lever above.
You will have to buy a new gear dog and maybe have to put shims where the forward and reverse gears are located to get the proper fit between the gears to prevent future problems.
Hope this helps!

[musky hunter]

Finlander is correct. You're gear dog is only barely catching on the edge of the teeth. The likely cause is the linkage adjustment. There is a rod and linkage that works the dog from forward to neutral to reverse. Likely it's shifted so it goes way too far into reverse, just barely into neutral, and, of course, barely makes forward. Most motors have a screw adjustment for this, but if you are not mechanically inclined, either go to the library and check out the repair manual for that motor or take it in.

[Maximum12]

Thanks for the help! Hopefully the little motor that could will be running perfectly again after a very short operation.

[Rainman]

That would be the CLUTCH DOG! I just replaced mine two days ago on a 69 20hp evinrude!

[Surface Tension]

I've had the same thing happen when going WOT. Nothing like doing a noise dive into the bow when the outboards slips out of gear. I think Clutch Dog too but you could luck out and find the coupler located in the lower unit has loosened up similar to what Musky Hunter suggested. This coupler has 2 set screws and its purpose is there so you can free up the shift linkage while dropping the lower unit. Some manufactures like Mercury use a splined shaft instead of the coupler.

[Knotwood]

You might be able to get by with just the clutch dog, take a good look at the wear on the gears, a small amount of rounding over can be dremeled out with a square ended carbide bit. Make sure you take off equal amounts or the dog will ride on one surface, instead of two. Do not angle the gear cogs or it will happen again. Some say there is a surface hardening, but in twenty plus years of fixing these, I've not seen it matter if matched carefully. Some of the older gears were expensive and hard to find if not already obsolete. Always remember when you shift, to shift quickly and do not allow the gears to "ratchet". Make sure neutral is totally free wheeling, and the shifter goes completely into whatever gear you are supposed to be in, not just partially grabbing the cogs.