Expert: chris Wethered - 5/8/2008

Question
i have a 1975 johnson 25hp im trying to use on a 15ft glastron till i rebuild my 90.the engine does not idle that low and after putting into gear the shear pin breaks do you think my boat is to big for that engine or the strain from shifting at an higher idle is causing the pins to break?also is their any way to swap out lower unit with a shock absorbing hub? thank u

Answer
Hi Steven,

If engine is not idling at it's designated speed then you need to fix that and then the shear pin wont break.

First disconnect the throttle cable
Locate the idle stop screw under the flywheel
Back the screw out to slow it down
The idle speed adjustment is under the flywheel.
Loosen the nut by hand and turn the handle clockwise to slow it down. This moves the timer base without changing the throttle adjustments. Tighten the nut to lock it in place and adjust the cable to match and reattach.

That should fix the idle speed of the motor so the pin doesn't break.

Chris