1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

johnny rotten · Jun 3, 2005

New member here. Just bought the above. The wiring is a total mess and after rebuilding/rewiring snowmobile motors, I'm not scared. There just seems to be sooo many different electrical things on this guy - and I'm a Licensed Electrician. Anyhow, any help/ideas would be great. Will do my best to 'repay' any help given. Of course I am going to buy the manual. [attachment] Johnny

nimmor · Jun 3, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

Your ideal for getting the manual should answer all your questions. It has a wiring diagram in the back. I have the Seloc which I am told does not go into as detail as an O.E.M. but it has pretty good wiring diagrams in the back. You might check E-Bay. Every once in a while you can find a good used one there for a bargin.

johnny rotten · Jun 3, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

Thanks RANimmo. Canadian Tire Corp. has every motor manual you could imagine in stock. I will pick one up tomorrow. They only cost $20 Cdn., or about similar U.S. dollars lately. They actually had the manual for my 1974 Yamaha GPX 433 snowmachine. I do believe 'Hanes' is the name on the book. It goes way beyond normal. Johnny

Paul Moir · Jun 4, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

Johnny, RANimmo is giving you great advice. I'm pretty familiar with the manuals out there that cover your engine and while the Seloc (Chilton) is pretty good, the factory one is far better. Unfortunately, I don't see any on Ebay right now, so you would have to order a reprint from kencook.com, marineengine.com, theoutboardwizard.com, or maxrules.com. It's worth the extra money. If you want to get an idea of what the aftermarket manuals are like, you can probably find one at your local library. If you do go for an aftermarket one, the Seloc one is the second best still in print, IMO. It's a good idea to pick up a service manual. There's all sorts of torque and tuneup specs that are critical on these engines. Hope this helps!

CATransplant · Jun 4, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

Those are nice motors, and there are several folks here who have them, so there's plenty of help available. You definitely need the manual, though, as Paul said. The wiring isn't really all that complicated, but it's sure different from a snowmobile. Get that manual, then get back to us. We'll be happy to give you whatever help and advice we can. Once you get that RDS running, it will just blow your mind. It's powerful and whisper-quiet when running. A very nice outboard, despite its age. Yours is a 1960 model.

johnny rotten · Jun 19, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

Thanks everyone, bought the manual yesterday. May try to start it today. What do you recommend - put the bottom end in a barrel of water? John

CATransplant · Jun 19, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

Yes. A barrel or trash can. The water should cover the lower unit at least a couple of inches above the water inlets. More is better in this case. Don't skimp on water in the barrel. Good luck. Let us know how it comes out.

johnny rotten · Jun 29, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

Thanks CA. Only have spark on one side, so will trouble shoot that this weekend. Starter has issues - only turns once-in-awhile. The screws on the side that hold the brushes seem to be siezed. Any ideas? John

CATransplant · Jun 29, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

If you're careful, you can probably clean up the commutator on that starter and free up those screws. Use a little WD-40 on the screws, but keep it off the rest of the starter. If you need a different starter, you can probably find one on eBay or at an outboard wrecking yard. That starter fit a number of different motors for a number of years, so a good used one should be pretty easy to find if needed. As for the spark, you may have to do as many of us have had to do and pull the flywheel. Look for cracks in the two coils, dirty points, etc. But...before you do that, track down the two black wires that come out from under the flywheel. Make sure they aren't grounding themselves somewhere. One comes from each set of points. One goes to the vacuum cutoff switch on the starboard side of the engine. The other goes directly to the plug on the engine. There's another wire going from the vacuum cutoff switch that heads for the wiring harness as well. Check all of those, since any of them can cause lost spark on one cylinder.

johnny rotten · Jun 30, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

I believe the manual purchased was the Seloc (don't have it in front of me). It covers every engine from about 1956 to 1976, so I agree with Paul. One has to read several paragraphs before getting useful information. Oh well. Thanks again CA and Paul, will try that with the starter. Have taken wire harness off, and this bizarre looking shorting bar must be the 'kill' switch on the motor itself??? Anyhow, will let you know. Do I need to mark the flywheel before I pull it off, or does it only fit one way like many snowmobile motors? John

johnny rotten · Jun 30, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

oh yes, what is a good spark plug to use? i ruined the centre fire plugs thinking they were broken. John

CATransplant · Jun 30, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

The flywheel is keyed, so it can only fit one way. Use J4C plugs for mainly high-speed running or J6C plugs for long bouts of trolling. I use the J6Cs because I do a lot of trolling. See the thread below for good info on pulling and installing a flywheel on that engine: http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=28;t=029310#000017

Paul Moir · Jun 30, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

I can't seem to place a "bizarre looking shorting bar" on your outboard. Someone may have been tinkering with the electrics, which is going to confuse things. There is a little key that indexes the flywheel to the crankshaft. So there's only one way the flywheel fits on. Plugs should be Champion J4C gapped at .030" That replaces the old J4J plugs. There's a few common pitfalls with the Seloc manual. We can steer you around them. If something doesn't seem clear in it, just ask here.

Paul Moir · Jun 30, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

(darn post collisions) (CATransplant, your addiction can't be that bad until you know how to fix this BBS software for yourself when it screws up...

)

johnny rotten · Jun 30, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

This bar, so to speak, is on a hinge and near the spark plugs. There are two strange looking contacts coming from the motor that have springs. When you rotate the bar it makes contact with these two points. I assume it shorts out the coil/coils. Will send pictures, how do i do that? John

CATransplant · Jun 30, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

Hah! That "shorting bar" is the compression release unit, I do believe. A very handy item when you have to rope start the engine. C'mon Paul, let me have this one....

CATransplant · Jun 30, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

Ha! I beat you, Paul. Wierd shorting bar, indeed!

johnny rotten · Jun 30, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

ok, should have know better, but it did look odd. As the starter needs TLC, have been rope starting (just pulling currently) this thing. So should the decompressor bar, if such, be pulled away, or tightened down on the 'points'. It sure would make testing for spark allot easier when we don't care if it starts of not. John p.s. Happy Canada Day weekend, and cheers to you both. Thanks so much.

CATransplant · Jun 30, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

At rest, there should be a small gap between the arms on the compression release and the little springs you mentioned. You should be able to move the thing a little without contacting the valve stems on the head. That said, there should be a moving link on the recoil starter that connects to the top of the compression release bar. When you start pulling the rope, it should make the arms on the bar push against the two valve stems to open the little valves and relieve compression. What often happens with these old fellows is that someone replaces the recoil starter unit with one from a later (or earlier) Big Twin. If the actuator isn't on the recoil unit, no decompression. You don't absolutely need it to rope start these engines. In fact, OMC discontinued the compression release at some point. As for checking the spark with the recoil starter, just pull the plugs. That releases compression very nicely. Isn't antique technology fun? I have rope-started my RDS-22 precisely once, as a lark. I shall not try it on the boat. I believe that is why I have the little kicker motor attached to the transom. But, so far, my 35 has not failed to start since the first time I launched it.

johnny rotten · Jun 30, 2005

Re: 1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

Thats rather awesome. I understand that totally. There may be a missing piece or two. There is no recoil starter, there is no belt drivin charger. Sooo, have been 'tying a knot in rope' and wrapping it around the flywheel - and pulling. I love vintage technology. John

1960 Johnson RDS-22 40HP

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