1995 Johnson 175 Fast Strike

[mross]

I recently purchased a 1995 Champion 186 DC/SC with a 1995 Johnson 175 Fast strike engine J175GLEOM.

How can I identify the Contender from the Elite models?

The boat sat in storage for a year according to the second owner.
I have drained gas and replaced with fresh fuel, added some Star Tron treatment,
Cleaned and regaped the plugs #QL78YC to correct setting .030,
Rebuilt the carbs according to owners manual,
Reset my idle screw adjustment to each carb.

The engine idles at 900 RPM in neutral and 700 RPM in gear on the muffs in the drive way. I feel It idles smooth, I have only rev'd engine to 2500 RPM in neutral and in gear. That's all i've done so far to engine.

I will disconnect the oil tank and start to mix my own oil with gas. The VRO seems to work properly, but I don't want it to cause a problem in the future.

I need to replace impeller, but can not find the shift rod disconnect screw/pin. Can I get some help with the location of the disconnect?

Knowing what engine I have and what i have done so far, can I get some input on what I need to replace or check based on your knowledge with the motor. Also the boat seems solid, is there anything in your knowledge of the boat that I may need to address?

[Tx Champ]

Well, it's either a DC (dual console) or SC (single console). Elites had most all the available options, carpeted compartments and different switches at the console and bow. Post some pix of the boat, of the console area where there are switches and the bow panels. For the Johnson issues, you might reach out to ChampioNman, he's the guru on those.

[ChampioNman]

Pretty easy to do, there is a black plastic linkage arm that connects the shift arm to the shift linkage. Shift to forward and remove the cotter pin that connects the shift arm to the linkage, pull the hitch pin from the shift arm and push the shift arm to the left this will disconnect the shift pin from the shift rod you can then drop the lower unit. Order water pump kit 5001594. Shift rod height is 21 1/4" measured from the top of the gearcase deck to the center of the shift rod eye in neutral.
Before you disconnect the VRO pump add oil to the fuel tank and run it mix at 50:1 to insure oil is getting to the motor. Disconnect the two wire harness next to the starter for the low oil sensor from the oil tank and the 4 wire harness for the VRO pump no oil alarm, cap the oil inlet on the pump and plug the oil hose. You can use the oil left in the tank to mix with the fuel and pull the oil tank assembly from the bilge if desired. Read this article before you disconnect the VRO http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/VRO.html.

[Lea]

One would hope sales paperwork would show, but, Easiest way to tell Elites from Contenders (Etc) is by the material the passenger grab handle is made from. Shiny SS = Elite. Black material= non-Elite. Other differences are that some features are standard vs options...like upgraded electronics. But that can get confusing. Hulls are identical.

[mross]

Thanks for the input, its a 186 SC Elite based on the information you provided. The title is listed as a 186 DC/SC, the previous owner knew nothing about the boat. He bought from a person that has deceased before I acquired the boat.

[mross]

Thanks for the input, its sounds to easy. I had the small cotter pin off the plastic linkage, I took the hitch pin out of the shift arm, I shifted the shift arm left and right looking for a release screw.. I thought to myself, "is this it, that's all to it?" I kept looking for a 10 mm screw that would hold the shift rod in place. I did not know if i needed to be in reverse, neutral or forward. the shift arm will slide 1" to 1.5" side to side. Do I slide it all the way to left or starboard side? That will disconnect the shift pin from the shift rod? That's way to easy, will it click as it disconnects?

I purchased and received a Markgoo #5001593, thats contains a impeller and 4 rubber rings/seals. I try to buy made in USA parts, and of course this one is made in China! That irritates me!!! What online store do you purchase your parts from? You think I need to get the kit #5001594? Should I purchase it in case I have some other issues or just replace everything since it sat for a year?

After I have replaced the water pump/impeller, replaced my lower unit gear oil, do I need to do a sync and link? What other steps would you recommend if you knew that motor has sat for a year in storage.

I appreciate your knowledge and generosity in helping me ChampioNman!!

[ChampioNman]

Shift to forward there is no 10mm bolt it is a simple pin that gets pulled back in to the shift rod when you pull the shift arm back towards you. www.marineengine.com www.boats.net www.crowleymarine.com are my go to parts places. Was much easier when I was at a dealership just pulled it off the shelf. Always replace a complete water pump kit as you never know the condition of the wear plate or impeller cup. As you can see the pin is part of the shift lever the bolt holds the lever on the shift arm when the shift arm is pulled back it seats with the bushing and keeps the shift rod in place.

[mross]

[QUOTE=ChampioNman;12548591]Shift to forward there is no 10mm bolt it is a simple pin that gets pulled back in to the shift rod when you pull the shift arm back towards you. www.marineengine.com www.boats.net www.crowleymarine.com are my go to parts places. Was much easier when I was at a dealership just pulled it off the shelf. Always replace a complete water pump kit as you never know the condition of the wear plate or impeller cup. As you can see the pin is part of the shift lever the bolt holds the lever on the shift arm when the shift arm is pulled back it seats with the bushing and keeps the shift rod in place.


After replacing the impeller, that was easier than expected. I do appreciate the help and advise you have given me ChampioNman. As I looked into disconnecting the VRO and blocking the oil line, I found the oil line was already plugged. In a earlier time I had worked on the engine trying to understanding what I had purchased, I noticed the VRO was disconnected, not knowing anything about the engine I plugged it back in. In the past post I had mentioned the original owner has passed, so i can not get any information on what was done or not done. I purchased the boat from the 2nd owner who said it has sat in storage for a year. After learning that the oil has been shut down, I contacted the 2nd owner who said he ran the engine once for an hour, he did not know anything about the VRO or oil line capped. When I first started working on the boat/motor, I drained all gas prior to anything done, the gas was not mixed with oil. So i mixed my oil and proceeded to check the compression cold and warm. The cold compression readings were 100 to 110 psi, the warm reading were all 90 psi. I was told some Johnson engine heads at that time are high compression and some are low compression. I have not run the motor much, all test total of 20 minutes run times, all on the muffs. I proceeded to take the boat to the lake, 1st time in the water and I could not keep the engine on in gear without dying. Choked prior to start on some attempts, pumped gas line bulb on other. I am able to get the RPM up and hold when in neutral only, when put back in gear the engine dies after a few seconds.
All being said in previous post above, what direction should I go in now?
1. Replace gas line
2. Replace fuel filter
3. Replace fuel pump
4. Check timing

All advice is help is appreciated!!

[ChampioNman]

1991 and some 1992 engines had the high compression heads. After sitting that long it may be time to rebuild the carbs, pretty easy to do just take your time and check the float bowls for being warped. Rebuild kit for OEM parts is 0436852.

[mross]

Thanks for the information on the heads.

I have rebuilt the carbs, adjusted idle screw to link carbs. I checked float and they looked okay, did not replace them. I looked at the float bowls for warping, one may have had a slight bow in it. I have reset the gap on the plugs to .030, they where set at .035. I did not replace the plugs, I cleaned them with wire brush and carb cleaner.
I am kinda at a standstill on what to do next. Just looking for a little advice on what direction to go in?

[ChampioNman]

Check timing.