1957 Johnson –White throttle/tiller handle difficult to turn

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  • October 7, 2026 at 10:22 am #329594
    LARRY CATON
    Participant

      US Member

      Hi,

      I’ve got a ’57 Johnson CD-15 with the white throttle handle.  It will twist through the full range from slow to wide open, but it requires way too much force (compared to my other motors).

      I disconnected the linkage at the top of the “control tower” to isolate any resistance coming from the powerhead, and have lubricated every accessible location along the shafts and gears.  The handle has a single screw that goes through the white plastic.  That screw won’t budge, even with an impact screwdriver & hammer.

      I keep reapplying penetrating oil to the screw daily.

      Any tricks for these white handles?

      1956 Johnson 15 Hp, FD-10
      1957 Johnson 5.5 Hp, CD-14
      1958 Johnson 5.5 Hp, CD-15

      October 7, 2026 at 3:38 pm #329606
      JACQUES
      Participant

        could be just hardenned grease… remove the handle at the  engine  and spray some  release agent down the handle if you can’t remove that screw .  it may  soften thing up  for you  while you  rotate  the handle back and forth) and  you won’t damage that screw

        give it a good rinse with some solvent  to flush out any old grease ( varsol, turpetine, fuel oil etc…)

        …  reinstall

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=ghYPW4-PJ8k

         

        Joining AOMCI has priviledges 🙂

        1 user thanked author for this post.
        LARRY CATON
        October 8, 2026 at 9:50 am #329674
        LARRY CATON
        Participant

          US Member

          Problem solved.  I got a helper to support the handle on a 4×4 post while I more vigorously struck the impact tool.  I’d been repeatedly applying penetrating oil to the screw and trying to get some under the handle too.  Letting it soak in overnight helped, and eventually I got the screw out.

          At first I thought the friction was limited to the handle because it was stiff with the control tower disconnected.  Once I got the handle loosened up, I could feel resistance where the armature plate rides on the brass ring.  This motor literally sat in a barn for over 20 years, and the grease up in there had dried out.  I gave it a liberal soaking spray with WD-40, and was able to get some fresh marine grease up in there.

          After much twisting of the throttle handle, the friction reduced to acceptable.

          A bonus of removing the handle was compressing the shift position indicator ring (slow, start, fast, etc.) so it stayed up against the stops on the underside of the handle.

          Hope this helps somebody else with a similar predicament.  Don’t think I ever would’ve got that screw out without a helper keeping the handle with the screw facing upwards, and holding a support underneath.  I might’ve got it if I’d removed the handle completely, but this motor already has a hairline crack near the pivot point and I didn’t want to use the impact tool close to it.

           

          1956 Johnson 15 Hp, FD-10
          1957 Johnson 5.5 Hp, CD-14
          1958 Johnson 5.5 Hp, CD-15

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