1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

[LoudDog]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

Found them! Thanks. There are four of them. Not sure if they were plugged or not as they are free now after I sprayed the bejesus out of them with carb cleaner earlier.

There were salt like crystals in there and some gunk.

This is going to sound really dumb, but please keep in mind I've never had one of these. Say I get it started, how do i shut it off? I don't see an off switch?

 

[samo_ott]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

50/55 psi is low... might be ok... might be low... when (if) you do get it running, try a decarb to see if you can bring that up at all (search on 'decarb' on this forum)

to stop it usually you just need to throttle down to zero... if this fails then pull the choke out... if you want, you can easily add a kill switch but you'd need to pull the flywheel and run a couple of wires to a switch... real easy if you already have the flywheel off... most later models had this... earlier models did not... it is the best way to shut down an engine...

 

[wbeaton]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

Just turn the throttle all the way down. It will stop.

Decarb as samo says. I have run motors like that down into the 60's psi, but never that low. Could just be your tester. If you feel compression you are probably ok.

 

[LoudDog]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

Thanks for helping me through this!

So I can see the reed valves working, but they don't open very much at all. Is that normal or a symptom of my low compression?

Also, peeking into the cylinder through the plug holes it looks pretty gunked up with carbon. Can I remove the head to clean it out without having to replace the head gasket? I know, it's probably a good idea to replace it anyway...

I'd rather get everything fixed that I can now while it's all apart rather then pull it all apart again.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

The reed valves shouldn't open much at all, that's normal. I would go through the decarb procedure as it is in the decarb threads. Don't know what else to tell you until you try to crank it. I would say to be sure to clean (blow out) the passage in the float bowl if there is one 'cause that one bit me once since I forgot to clean it.
Anxious to hear if you got it running,
JBJ

 

[LoudDog]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

Well, when i tried to start it before taking it apart it never even sputered. It was getting spark and the carb float bowl was full. I haven't found anything wrong yet, but I really wish I'd had checked the reed valves before blasting them with carb cleaner as I'm thinking that may have been the problem?

Some good news today, by turning the flywheel and shifting gears I verified that the shifter seems to work.

I really hope I can get her fired up. I have friends coming in town for thanksgiving and they want to go fishing. I don't want to row and you guys will shoot me if I turn my attention to the Ted Williams

I started looking for a place that may carry a new head gasket. Any advice? Lots of dead ends thus far.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

If you're getting good spark, try sqirting some premixed fuel and oil into the carb throat. If you're getting spark, it Will crank pretty darned quick. If it does but only runs for a second or two and then coughs and dies, you're not getting enough or too much fuel. Try turning your slow jet about 3/4 turn from being closed--be gentle. the fast jet affects idle too, so it'll need to be close to set right to run smooth but will run even if it's way off, it'll just be rough. If it won't start on premix squirted into the carb throat, you're probably not getting enough spark. Believe me, a johnson 5.5 is probably one of the best motors ever built and easiest to work on. To be blunt, that Ted Williams is not worth putting a wrench on. Even if it were running great, I wouldn't trust it to go across my pond and back. Chunk it in the trash so you'll stop thinking about it. That crystallized deposit you mentioned makes me nervous about your 5.5 but I'd be shocked if you had spark and couldn't get it to run a few seconds.
Good luck,
JBJ

 

[samo_ott]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

I agree. try some premix and squirt it in... if there's any type of spark at all, it'll sputter and be a sign of carb work needed...

 

[LoudDog]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

Some success!!!

I put it all together and was able to get it to sputter. So I filled my bucket and tried to get her started. Previously I couldn?t even get a sputter, so this alone was progress.
After opening the choke I could get it to run for 4-5 seconds before it would cut out. After that it would not fire up unless I let it sit for a minute or two, and then again only 4-5 seconds.
I had the throttle all the way open, the choke all the way open and had it set pretty rich so I may have been flooding it? My goal tonight was just to get it back together so I didn?t try too hard. I also need to replace the fuel lines as they are pretty dry and I?m sure they are not sealed real well.

However, one item of concern. There was what looked like gas/oil coming out of the hole half way up the shaft. I?m guessing this hole is where the cooling water shoots out, so this means there is a leaky seal somewhere? Thoughts?

 

[jbjennings]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

Don't worry about it, it doesn't mean a seal is leaking. A 2-stroke motor running 24:1 fuel puts out a disgusting mess when you run it in a trash can. Get your carb adjusted right and see what happens.
JBJ

 

[wbeaton]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

Yes, adjust the carb, but it sounds like it still needs a good cleaning. Congrats on your success so far.

 

[LoudDog]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

First off, you guys rock!

Changed out all the fuel lines, fined tuned the carb and she's purring like a kitten. We even took advantage of a sun break, slapped her on a 14' aluminum boat I have been bringing back to life and putted around the lake! She runs pretty stong. Doesn't get on plane but plows nicely.

I couldn't have done it without you guys.

 

[samo_ott]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

Excellent! It must be warm where you are as it's kinda chilly here to go out on a lake these days!

 

[jbjennings]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

I'm really pleased you got 'er running. I'd have just had to try it with only me in the boat to see if it would plane!
Is it pumping plenty of water? If so, sounds like your in business!
Don't catch all the fish...
JBJ

 

[LoudDog]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

We're north of Seattle, about 50 degrees today. We tooled around the lake for about 20 minutes. Ran nice and smooth, didn't smoke too much, very nice for a nearly 50 year old motor!

The water coming out was more of a spray, should it be pouring out like a faucett?

 

[jbjennings]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

I'll try and include a pic of my '53 10hp so you can see about what it should look like. If the impeller hasn't been changed fairly recently (3 or 4 years), it really needs replacing or it may not be functioning good enough and possibly burn your motor up. After running wide open for about 200 yds, pull up the cowl and feel the head, if it burns the cr_ _ out of you it's too hot, if you can hold your finger on it for a couple of seconds that's a good sign. Just sitting in the same position in the water pump for a while can cause your impeller to mess up. It's only a 15 dollar part and probably the most important! Only takes about 30 minutes to change. Now that you have the hard part fixed you ought to change it, it really is easy. Just don't lose the little key that fits into the shaft and turns the impeller.
JBJ

 

[samo_ott]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

JBJ, the paint on that ole 10 looks great... did you redo it?

 

[jbjennings]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

yep, It's not original color but I really like how it came out. Problem is, I'm so worried about scratching it that I don't run it now, it just sits in my living room so my wife can gripe about it and the other ones in my living room. And yes---I just might be a REDNECK.
Thanks for noticing,
JBJ

 

[samo_ott]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

In the living room? Awesome! And my wife complains when they're in the garage! got a photo of them in the living room I want to show her it could get worse!

 

[jbjennings]

Re: 1959 Sea-Horse 5.5hp (CD-16)

In the living room? Awesome! And my wife complains when they're in the garage! got a photo of them in the living room I want to show her it could get worse!

She should know those old motors get lonely when they're out in the garage.. I just can't imagine letting my sweet babies sit outside in the cold..
Here's some pics. Tell your wife to enjoy.
And yes, it's going to be worse, I'm painting on my '58 18 right now and have a spot all picked out beside my '57 Johnson 18hp.
Do you think she'll claim 1/2 my motors after the divorce?
Also, if you put 'em right in front of the A/C intake like I have mine, you can smell 2-stroke oil early in the morning when you wake up while you're waiting on the wonderful wife to make breakfast.
Mine can cook, clean, and looks like a fox, too--and 5 yrs. younger than I am. That's the key, ya' gotta start 'em off young so they can come to appreciate the good things in life (with a little direction, of course.) If your wife is not vomiting yet, I'm very disappointed.
The truth is,
I don't know how much longer I can hold out until she and my mother-in-law sneak them out of the house while I'm gone duck hunting. I'll be heartbroken!
Have fun,
JBJ