Newbie with an Evi

[mustrook1]

Hi guys. I have just come into the posession of a 1970 4hp Evinrude. I have been reading some posts and learning lot. I have a few questions before taking this out on the lake. I see an "oil level" screw/cap on the lower unit, I opened this up and did not see anything there. I was wondering what type of oil do I put in here? I also wonder where I change the oil for the motor. I do not see any oil plugs or markings on it at all. The next question is how do I change the plug wires? It appears that I need to remove the flywheel. Is this true? If so any special tools needed?<br /><br />Thanks in advance,<br /><br />Chris<br /><br />P.S. Any other tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JB]

Re: Newbie with an Evi

Howdy, Mustrook.<br /><br />Welcome to iboats. <br /><br />Do not mess with that engine until you have studied a Service Manual. It will answer your questions and a lot more that you haven't asked yet. That is one of the best little outboards ever made, but it MUST be treated correctly.<br /><br />You can get an aftermarket manual here: http://www.boatmotors.com/manuals.html <br /><br />Or a reprint of the OEM Manual from several places, including kencook.com.<br /><br />If you just can't wait for the manual, try your local library.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[mikeyzx2]

Re: Newbie with an Evi

other than what JB mentioned it's a two-stroke so you don't change oil on it. it's 50:1 gas/oil mix, don't use the oil for air-cooled engines. you'll need the book as far as dealing with spark plug leads cause there's more to just replacing them. and you might wanna change the impeller and sparkplugs as well as carburetor overhaul. so it is wise to get the book first before hitting the water with a motor that you know nothing about as far as maintenance.

 

[TTravis]

Re: Newbie with an Evi

Chris,<br /><br />The "Oil Level" plug you are refering to is for the lower unit grease. Actually there are two of those plugs, an upper and lower plug. You should go ahead and change your lower unit oil just so you know you have new in there. This is inexpensive and easy to do. <br /><br />Both those plugs look about the same. They are about the size of a time and have a slot for a straight edge screwdriver. Be careful not to unscrew any of the other screws because one of them might hold your shift linkage in place and is a "bXXch" to get back in place.<br /><br />Remove both plugs and drain the oil out of the lower unit. Pay attention to the what the oil that comes out looks like. If it is milky, it could be a sign that watter is getting into the gearcase through a bad seal. If you see this, change the lower unit oil again after you first trip out and see what it looks like.<br /><br />Buy "outboard lower unit gear lube" oil from just about anywhere. This is a picture of what I use:<br /><br /> http://www.outboard-boat-motor-repair.com/Johnson 5.5 HP Seahorse Outboard Boat Motor/Remove33.jpg <br /><br />With both plugs out, stick the tip of the lube container in and squeeze the oil into the lower unit untill the level comes up and oil starts comming out of the top hole. At this point, quickly put in the bottom plug and then the top. Hopefully you have your plugs back in before too much oil drains back out.<br /><br />All the small Johnson/Evinrudes are quite similar. You might enjoy reading and learning about a couple of mine at http://outboard-boat-motor-repair.com Also, do a search on 4 HP in this forum and read wome old posts and you will learn a lot. Don't heasitate to ask questions as there are plenty of helpful people here.<br /><br />Hopefully you will get to the point where you will be able to tune up your motor and then you will have someting you can enjoy.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: Newbie with an Evi

There's a little cheap pump you can get that makes changing the lube much less messy than the squeeze bottles. It threads on to the top of a bottle of oil and has a fitting to thread into the lower unit fill screw hole. 90 weight outboard gearcase lube is the correct stuff.<br />Also, you should also replace the nylon gaskets on the fill/level plugs every time you change the oil. Reusing old ones is a notorious source of L/U fluid leaks.<br />You're outboard has a lot in common with Tom's 3hp. The 4hp is a refinement of the 3hp. Have a look at his site.