1960 5.5hp fisherman.

[BIGcarpy50]

Got this from a guy who said it ran nice but not in gear......

i checked both plugs against the head and both had a nice blue spark....

.so i started it and it idled nice but when i went to put in in forward it wouldn't increase speed...

but back in neutral i can rev it up...

..THen i started by pulling the top plug wire and no change?

whats going on i thought if the coil was bad i wouldn't have that spark when i grounded the plugs?

 

[crxess]

Re: 190 5.5hp fisherman.

Re: 190 5.5hp fisherman.

If you pull the top plug wire and it keeps running, reconnect and pull the bottom wire. it is still runs, you have spark to both plugs.

Read the first post on this forum(Secret File). it will help guide you through the process of troubleshooting.

 

[BIGcarpy50]

Re: 190 5.5hp fisherman.

Re: 190 5.5hp fisherman.

it is only running on the bottom cyl but i get a spark from the plug....when it is grounded...is the coil 2 staged or something.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: 190 5.5hp fisherman.

Re: 190 5.5hp fisherman.

it is only running on the bottom cyl but i get a spark from the plug....when it is grounded...is the coil 2 staged or something.

The grounded spark plug test is not a reliable indicator. Just because it sparks outside of the combustion chamber does not mean it will spark inside of the chamber under compression. That is why it is recommended to use a spark tester with the gap set at at an unusually wide (up to 7/16") gap, to make sure it's a strong enough spark.

 

[BIGcarpy50]

Re: 190 5.5hp fisherman.

Re: 190 5.5hp fisherman.

thanks

 

[wbeaton]

Re: 190 5.5hp fisherman.

Re: 190 5.5hp fisherman.

Take off the recoil and remove the inspection plate on top of the flywheel. Look under there and take a look at the coils. If they are cracked, sweaty or discoloured they are bad. They may spark and run beautifully at idle, but fail under load (like when you put it in gear). If the coils are original (1954-63) then they are bad without question.

 

[BIGcarpy50]

Re: 1960 5.5hp fisherman.

TUrns out the coilw are bad....now is the question...the guy all of a sudden wants 100 for the motor....so with coils and a new Impeller it would cost me around 180 to get this thing going good....should i pull the trigger...i hate having to have 2 tanks on my boat due to the different mixture....

 

[wbeaton]

Re: 1960 5.5hp fisherman.

That's really up to you. The gearcase probably leaks too so tack on another $30 and an afternoon of your time. Fuel lines are likely old and brittle and of course, the plug wires should be replaced with the coils. A full tune-up using aftermarket parts (cheaper) usually costs in the neighbourhood of $200-250 in parts. You may get away with $200 if you really try to keep costs down. So figure $100 + $200 = $300. Can you get another comparable motor that's fully tuned and ready to go for $300? Is the motor even worth $300 in good running condition? Probably, but no more than that. I will say that for the investment you will at least have the piece of mind knowing that everything that needs to be fixed is and you can expect many more years of reliable service from it.

 

[lindy46]

Re: 1960 5.5hp fisherman.

If it were me, I'd check compression, make sure both cylinders are about the same (within 10 percent) and at least 80 psi. If that's okay, I'd offer him no more than $75 (probably start at $50).

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: 1960 5.5hp fisherman.

Also look at it this way: A new 4 HP Yamaha costs $1299. A 5 HP friggin Briggs and Stratton costs $899. A new 6 HP Yahama costs $1925.

I don't sweat the 200 bucks on maintenance items on the old engines, when I look at the new prices...and fishing without 2-stroke smoke just ain't right

 

[BIGcarpy50]

Re: 1960 5.5hp fisherman.

That's really up to you. The gearcase probably leaks too so tack on another $30 and an afternoon of your time. Fuel lines are likely old and brittle and of course, the plug wires should be replaced with the coils. A full tune-up using aftermarket parts (cheaper) usually costs in the neighbourhood of $200-250 in parts. You may get away with $200 if you really try to keep costs down. So figure $100 + $200 = $300. Can you get another comparable motor that's fully tuned and ready to go for $300? Is the motor even worth $300 in good running condition? Probably, but no more than that. I will say that for the investment you will at least have the piece of mind knowing that everything that needs to be fixed is and you can expect many more years of reliable service from it.

well he put a new fuel pump and lines on last year when we couldn't figure out why it was running rough...and the Lower unit looks mint i think i might pull the trigger..I have it at my house until i make my mind