Shift Rod problem

[whale]

Looking for some guidance.....I removed the lower unit on my 1999 Johnson 115 (J115PXEE) and replaced the impeller in the water pump. Now, I have reinstalled the lower unit and it went on fine. It is all bolted on.....BUT, I can't reinstall the shift rod link retaining pin. To remove the lower unit you pull the pin then push the shift rod link toward the powerhead to disengage the shift rod. Now, I have pushed the shift rod link back as much as I can but the hole that the retaining clip goes in is not clear enough for the clip. Any ideas? I am wondering if maybe something is not lined up correctly? I guess my next step would be to drop the lower unit and try again. Is there a specific direction the shift rod should be? Maybe it is not lined up right? See photo of the shop manual page for this procedure.


http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s106/whalenkm/shiftrodlink.jpg

[cterrebonne]

by far brp's are the biggest pain to remove/install l/u on. but what might help is to disconnect the shift cable from the linkage and that will allow you to put the linkage further fwd allowing the pin asy to go port side even further giving you the room you need. also the l/u is probably in gear now from getting pushed un when you were sticking the unit back up. you will have to get some long needle nose pliers and pull up on the shiftsahft to get it to the right height so you can line it up with the pin. what i would do is remove the 4 3/8" bolts holding the cowlings on. remove them so you can see and get a getter postion on trying to do all that.

[whale]

Thanks ct.....I removed the lower cowling and disconnected the shift and throttle cables. I was able to get a much better view of what was going on and got everything lined up properly with some nice long pliers. Thanks for the advice!

[Blue_Runner]

You gotta luv it! About a 1 inch by one inch hole to look through, just big enough for part of one finger! Good job on the resolution.

[randlemanboater]

You gotta luv it! About a 1 inch by one inch hole , just big enough for part of one finger!

Thats what she said.

[cterrebonne]

Thats what she said.

oooohhhhhhh



no problem whale glad you got it up there. you saved yourself at least $200 in labor at a shop