1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

[zuke]

i just traded my lil jon boat for this nice boat...<br /><br />anyways.. i just took it out today for the first time, and i got it off the boat in reverse, then tried to put in dr. but it wouldnt do it... i then shut it off and started it in nuetral then put it in drive, and it worked... <br /><br />the previous owner sais that there is a rod that needs adjusted but it is something that can be easily ruined if not worked on properly so i took his advise and havent worked on it yet... does this sound like something i could fix/should i take it in? how much would it cost?<br /><br />p.s. this is a 1959 sears/gale seaking 35hp motor, it runs great and there is only one more problem, one of the lower unit seals has a small leak that leaks small amnt of oil.<br /><br />thanks for any help in advance.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

best I recall that 35 seaking was made by OMC and most the mechanical parts were the same, I owned one about that year, good motor but a tad hard on fuel but will make a 1470 jon fly. <br /> it had a throttle interlock someplace I belive but if the gearcase leaks its time for a seal kit and pump kit before it destroys itself.<br /> post again in the jonnyrude section as Paul and some others have a bit of experience with them.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

Presuming that you're operating the shift right on the motor and not from remotes:<br /><br />There's really no adjustment to be made in the rod, but perhaps he hasn't got the shift rod connector put together right. The upper and lower rod must be completely inserted into the connector - which is only possible with the bolts totally removed from the connector. (you can do them one at a time). There's little grooves in each rod that the bolt has to fit through.<br />Oh, the connector is behind the "window" on the port side of the outboard's midsection.<br /><br /><br />The only adjustment that's made is done by loosening the two screws on the shift handle itself, and turning the handle relative to the shaft the handle is clamped to. Once netural is found by turning the shaft part, you can set the handle so it's on the centre detent of the shift quadrant (big brass bar).<br /><br />About the oil leak - is the lower unit oil turning milky or are you just seeing black stuff dripping around it? If it's getting milky, have you tried replacing the fill and drain screw gaskets?<br /><br />If one of that seems to help, post back!<br /><br />EDIT: Hello rodbolt. How was Venezuela? And that's fanaticism, not experience!

 

[rodbolt]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

Paul, the tarpon and snook fishing was great but not as good as the peacock bass on lake guri <br /> I hope to have some pics posted in the next few weeks <br /> I used to collect the old seakings,gales and big twins, they work well as motors on beach launch dories as the did not clog with sand so easy and would run wore out.<br /> I still have a 33 about 65 or so that I run occasionally on that 1470, the biggest 2 problems are keeping gas onboard and cavitation burns on the prop.<br /> however in my area they are mostly all gone now.

 

[zuke]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

no milky oil coming out just black, and i am going to find a gasket kit for all the places that seem to be leaking... as far as the putting in gear goes i think im just gonna take it to a shop and have it looked at... as i am afraid of making it worse...<br /><br />thanks for help...<br /><br />p.s. what should it cost to have a diagnostic run on the motor ( so i dont get screwed out of any extra $$$ )...

 

[zuke]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

well, now the oil is milky... i see where it leaks from and i am just going to get a gasket/o-ring kit and fix it... as far as the gear thing goes... the guy i bought it from said that he adjusted the shifter rod through the viewing port( on lower unit ) ... so i am wondering if any one knows how to adjust that rod... i have the book but it doesnt seem to show that part.<br /><br />any help is welcome, and any sites you can recomend are great too...<br /><br />and here is the info on motor...<br /><br />1959-1960 gale seaking<br />model# gg8997c<br />ser# 95x741709<br /><br />thanks zuke

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

Yeah, that would be the problem. You see, there isn't an adjustment there, so he must not have gotten it in correctly if he claims he's adjusting it there. Here's a visual aid:<br />

<br />The only way to put that connector together properly is with the bolts indexed into the rod. In that position, there is no adjustment possible. You see what I mean? <br /><br />As for the milky oil you're seeing, is it in fact oil you have drained by removing the drain screw, and not just oil dripping out of one of the weeping holes?

 

[zuke]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

i just now drained it and it infact had water in it... the water came out as did milky oil...<br /><br />i am going to look at the thing you just showed me, and ill let you know if its together right...<br /><br />the reason i decided to fix seal and gear issue my self--- shops want an average of 500$ just to do work not including parts...

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

Yeah, I thought you might get some PFO bids. Not many shops want to work on old and what they think is unsupported outboards. For good reasons mind you.<br /><br />If you want to try something, try just replacing the plastic fill and vent screw gaskets. They're the most frequent source of leaks.<br /><br />If you want to be sure though, pull the lower unit off. You already know how to disconnect the shift rod. It's just 7 bolts from there (6 small, one big) and it should pull right off. Then carve an old tire valve stem into a point so you can thread it into one of the fill/drain screw holes. Hook it up to a bicycle pump, submerge the lower unit in a kiddie pool or what have you, and see where the bubbles come out. Go no more than 5psi on the case.<br /><br />Resealing these is pretty straight forward and the kits and such are all still available cheap. You'll need a couple "special tools" but they're really stuff you would find at the hardware store. Best if you can find an old time Johnson/Evinrude dealer for parts though, as they might have the Gale parts catalogs.

 

[zuke]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

ok, i took off the little plate that covers that pic you posted... and i could see right away that the lower pole that goes into the lower screw unit was more than a quarter inch too low... so it appeared the screw was clamping the shaft in place rather than holding it in place... so i fixed that part of it, and that was the part that the prev owner said he messed with and it started acting up... so ill take it to the lake tomm and see how she does... as far as the leaks, i am gonna get some silicone sealant and some gaskets and fix that too... ill let you know how it goes.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

Stay good and far away from silicone sealant if you want to wrench an outboard. Practially everything you would want to seal on these needs to be gasoline proof or resistant to the EP additives in l/u gear oil. Both those things turn all forms of silicone into goop in little time.<br />You'll need to get your hands on a service manual as well as a l/u reseal kit. There actually are no gaskets in the kit, but o-rings, shaft seals, and some "spagetti". We'll be here to walk you through it. <br />Best bet for the manual is to get a copy of the original from kencook.com, maxrules.com, theoutboardwizard.bizhosting.com, etc. They're real pricey so you may need to borrow an aftermarket one from the local library for now. It may have to be a Johnson/Evinrude one. Next most important tool is a manual impact screwdriver.

 

[zuke]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

what negative effects can water have on the lower unit when it does leak in through the leaks.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

Main thing is the bearings get trashed from corrosion. Since they're roller and ball bearings, any pitting can rapidly lead to failure. If you're real negligent the gears can get it too. Quality lower unit lubes will lubricate just fine with a certain amount of water in them. Milky is definitely not good but actual water is far worse.<br /><br />If you're reasonably certain that the leak is just slow, you can try buzzing around with it, so long as you replace the lube afterward. Usually when it's left sitting around the real problems happen.

 

[zuke]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

good to know... i see what you are saying about the chemicals in the oil eating up the silicone... i plan on going tomorrow to the boat shop down the street and getting the plastic o rings and a seal kit if they have one... and im going to see what special tools i need if any...<br /><br />i had planned on going to the lake tomorrow, but i think ill wait till next week. unless i get it all done early tomm. im going to ride around the lake a while and come home and drain the lower unit oil and see if im still getting water...<br />p.s. is 90wt gear oil the right oil for my lower unit?<br /><br />thanks for all your help.. not only are you saving me tons of money, but now i can use the money i had set aside for repair for cool boat accessories...<br /><br />thnx<br />zuke

 

[zuke]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

ok... so i put the shifter rod in possition like the picture, seeing as it was about a quarter inch off the picture. i took it to the lake and it went in and out of gear with ease...<br /><br />as far as the leak...<br />i replaced the two drain plug nylon gaskets, and went to the lake with fresh gear oil in lower unit... when i got home this time, i noticed the oil was only on the propeller... it seems as though its leaking from behind the prop... is there a seal back there? is it hard to replace?<br />is something i could do with my regular tools?<br />any help is greatly appreciated.<br />thanks

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

Yes, there is a seal back there and it's frequently the culprit. If some fishing line gets wrapped up around the prop it'll cut right through it. But generally it's a good idea to replace all the seals at once when you pull it apart. <br />Iboats, etc, and your local J/E dealer will sell a kit that contains the shaft seals (drive, prop and shift), the various seals you need to reseal the drive (o-rings, "spagetti", etc). Iboats wants about $20 for it. <br />You also need to pick up some sealer. "1000 sealer" or what your dealer has is the right stuff. Do not use RTV. I use and used to recomend Permatex Aviation #3 sealant as a subsitute, but recently someone here had some serious trouble with it. He ended up using Permatex motoseal grey.<br />Tecnically there's no special tools you need other than the punch for the shift rod seal bushing, but an "Impact Screwdriver" (~$15) is a real investment in your sanity. This is a screwdriver that you bash with a hammer, and it turns the bashing into rotary motion. Great for all outboard repairs.<br />You can subsitute a lenth of 5/16" threaded rod as a subsitute for the shift rod bushing punch.<br /><br />Get your hands on a manual and run through the instructions. Some manuals say to dab RTV at the end of the spagetti - if it does ask about it here (that will make a lot more sense later ).

 

[zuke]

Re: 1959 gale seaking motor trouble getting in gear.

sounds good, <br />i will let you know when i finish that part of it... im going to go down to the boat shop and see what the kit looks like, i allways feel better if i tell the guy what i want, and if its wrong its his fault , but if i do it online its all me. so hopefully i can get it all fixed this weekend, if not, it will be next weekend, ill let you know how it goes... for now i have been replacing the gear oil after every trip to the lake, i have only been 1x's since i fixed the shifter rod thing, and ill probably only go a few more times till its completely fixed, and ill just keep replacing the gear oil everytime.<br /><br />thank you so much, paul, for all your help.<br />i will keep you informed.