1955 15 hp Evinrude Troubles

[rfevans]

First of want to say thanks for the help I received on my previous posts that was great. Ive been working on a 15 hp 55 evinrude new carb kit, impeller new points and coils, plugs and serviced the lower unit with new gear oil. I have this thing running pretty good...Starts good idols good ect. Yesterday was my first trip out to the lake for its final tuning of the carb and for its first fishing trip. I followed the directions for setting the carb from info I got here and all is well all tho I never could get the the boat to plain out. I think my fiberglass boat might be a shade to heavy but thats not a big concern on this lake very few places on this lake can you run wide open anyway. I tried all the trim slots and raised the engine up and down vertically till I got the best I could get out of it and let it go the boat is a 14 ft crappie rig ouachita ... The problem I have is that when I brought it home I checked my lower unit and found a milk shake for lower unit oil...I had changed it before I put in the water the first time and the fluid that came out was good...dirty but good...I am a little discouraged with the whole thing right now mostly because these seals maybe a little beyond my tools and knowledge level. I did notice when I changed the fluid the first time the drain and vent screws had fiber washers on them when I put them back I used o rings. I don't know if that could have not been the right thing to do...Well with that I am leaving it with you guys. Any advice would be great...thanks in advance...

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1955 15 hp Evinrude Troubles

The drain and vent screw require a crush washer, available from your dealer. They are a one time use.

Hopefully that is the issue, but very often these '50's OMC'S need the gearcases resealed on them. I do it on every one I get. It is not a terrible job, especially after you do one. You can get an aftermarket Sierra kit for about 25 bucks or so. You will need a seal puller, some 3M 847 sealant, and a tool for removing the shift rod bushing. You can either fabricate this if you are able, or purchase one from F_R on this forum. If you do decide to reseal, let us know and we can go deeper into it.

Good luck.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1955 15 hp Evinrude Troubles

+1. It's not a terrible job and you'll learn lots about your motor in the process. Here's a link that can walk you through a basic reseal job. It's for a slightly different model than yours, but all of the basic steps are the same. Do the best job you can, however don't be surprised if you can't quite get it to seal perfectly. These are 50+ year old motors and they may always have a small leak in them. You could probably make it perfect with enough time, money and patience, but then again you may not. Good luck. Holler if you get stuck.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=277190&highlight=lower+unit+seal+kit+installation

 

[rfevans]

Re: 1955 15 hp Evinrude Troubles

Thanks guys for the comments...I've been busy this week and have not had time to get back to it. I was pretty discouraged with this when I originally posted but no pain no gain I guess... I changed the o rings to crush washers yesterday and changed the fluid then took her out for a couple hour spin. When I got home I cracked the lower drain plug and had the Milk Shake again and it appears to be a pretty good water intrusion in to the case so I guess a reseal is in order. Today I am going to pull the lower unit and do a good visual inspection of this thing. I am not cracking the lower unit apart until I have parts in hand to put her back together. I think I am going to try to make pressure gauge to see if I can find out where the leak or leaks are first. Does anyone have any good Ideas on how to make one would be my first question? I also can seem to find the seal kit by sierra mentioned above just individually on the seals? I am a little concerned about getting the Prop shaft and bearings clutch dog reassembly back together correctly. I have a manual but its not a full service manual so I guess that is in order too. The tool I'll need to get that shift shaft out does not worry me too much I can make that I am pretty sure...Any and all comments welcome...Thanks in advanced..

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1955 15 hp Evinrude Troubles

Hi rf. Sounds like you need to reseal the LU. It's not that bad really. The hardest part is getting the old seals out. A seal puller and a vice are handy, but don't be surprised if you just have clip, chip them out. Try not to harm the aluminum housings they're seated in, however. You'll need some sealant as well. The factory recommends 3M 847, which is a little pricey and usually has to be ordered. Other, folks have used products like Permatex Ultra Black, Permatex Aviation Gasket sealer and other similar products. However, RTV silicone sealants do not hold up as well. Here's a link than can walk you through the job. It's for a slightly different model, but the basic steps are the same. Bear in mind that the motor is almost 60 years old, so you may never get it perfectly air tight :/ Lots of folks just keep an eye on the gear oil and change it as needed. Good luck. Holler if you get stuck.

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=277190&highlight=lower+unit+seal+kit+installation

 

[rfevans]

Re: 1955 15 hp Evinrude Troubles

Thanks KFA I pulled the lower unit off prop and water pump housing so I could see all the seals. I made a make shift pump out of a old emergency 12 volt air compressor and the filler end screw that you use to fill the lower unit and a valve stem off a old rim I had. Worked like a charm but here is the funny part no leaks.I pumped it up to 15 psi and tried the soap and water trick and still no leaks and it held pressure fine or at least 45 min. Then I went and got a 10 gallon bucket I had and submerged the lower unit in it still no bubbles. I put a little more air to it to the point I had to hold the drive shaft in the pressure was enough to make it try to push it out vertically and still no leaks...So I am stumped..the only thing I can figure is that it only leaks when the drive shaft or prop shaft is turning or its not leaking at all and that maybe the color of the oil I just changed came from the air mixed with the oil from a freshly ran motor. I saved the oil in a cup and I may let it sit and see if it separates it just seemed really thin when I drained it. I also may put back in the tank with a drill and see what happens that way. For now I have it under 15 psi and I am letting it sit for the rest of the day and see if it holds pressure....Any suggestions...

 

[dbuchinskiy]

Re: 1955 15 hp Evinrude Troubles

So i am new to this forum but i just bought my first boat yesterday, it has a evinrude fastwin 15 in it. 1955. But i started it up and it doesnt run good. it will start up good at cold but dies when i adjust throttle or choke. Starting it back up once its warmed up a bit is more difficult. i also dont know what fuel mixture i should use, i am currently using 24:1 but people keep telling me to use 50:1 or 40:1. So please help i dont know this forum to good yet.

 

[bbstacker1]

Re: 1955 15 hp Evinrude Troubles

dbuchinskiy, your best bet is to start a new thread with your questions, you will get more responses to your questions and welcome aboard.