1961 Johnson 3HP rebuild

[thejh]

I inherited a 1961 Johnson model #JW-17 3HP outboard. It is in desperate need of a complete tear down and rebuild. My friends tell me to junk it but it was my uncles and he is no longer with us. I know it is not worth the money to rebuild but I see it as a challenge and I like old engines it would be nice on a small skiff that I may build. I now have a $100 rapped into it after ordering the parts, owners and shop manuals, should be here this week. It will not turn over, pistons are seized. I started the tear down last night. Got the tank, bracket, carb, plugs, and head cover off. Sprayed the chamber and I am going to let it set for a couple of days until I get the manuals. Am I going to have a hard time finding parts for this motor? I know I’m going to need all new rubber, carb rebuild kit, spark cables, rings and several bolts and screws. Any one knows what the original paint color and decals are for this model. What kind of paint should I use? I know I can do all the work my self but I am just starting to do research on parts. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[JB]

Re: 1961 Johnson 3HP rebuild

Howdy, thejh.<br /><br />Welcome to iboats. <br /><br />You have one of the greatest little outboards ever. Good luck in the restoration.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: 1961 Johnson 3HP rebuild

Belive it or not, if the spark plug wires are not cracked they're just fine. But if you want to replace them, go ahead.<br />Normally we run into trouble with cracked insulation on the ignition coils. They are worth replacing. The condensors rarely are a problem, and the points can always be cleaned.<br />Parts are very easy to find, as long as you're looking for commonly replaced stuff. Water pump, head gasket, carb kit, etc, are all easily available as both aftermarket and OEM parts. Some OEM parts are better than aftermarket (carb kit), and vice-versa (ignition coils), so ask. Price is comparable. Iboats carries aftermarket parts.<br /><br />Here's a few helpful sites:<br />maxrules.com/fixtuneitup.html<br />Tom Travis' website<br /><br />And this is for my 4, but very much the same as your 3hp:<br />4hp Info .<br /><br />Paint and decals:<br />nymarine.ca<br /><br />Hope that gets you started. If you run into trouble, just ask!<br />(PS - you're going to want to hone out those cylinders if there's any rust at all, as I'm doing there with my 4hp).<br /><br />EDIT: Ooops, I guess this is headed to the J/E forum.

 

[regularman]

Re: 1961 Johnson 3HP rebuild

Hi, I'm new here. I too have a JW-17 and am in the middle of restoring it. I took it apart about 6 months ago and went through it all and then ran into a dead end. I need a set of piston rings for it. I have no idea where to find any, but the old ones were stuck and cracked. I have already put more time and money into it than it worth, but I would like to finish it. If anyone knows where I can get the rings at a decent price, I would appreciate it.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: 1961 Johnson 3HP rebuild

Welcome to Iboats, regularman.<br /><br />In the future, go ahead and start your own topic rather than posting into an existing one. Although your subject relates to thejh's, they have a habit of diverging and getting confusing. Unfortunately, sometimes the original poster gets left behind.<br /><br />That said, a good running 3hp is worth it's weight in gold. The really are great outboards. <br /><br />I belive the original P/N for standard size rings is 203152. Belive it or not, it superceeds to 378412, which is available from any Johnny/Rude dealer for about $25 a set. At least I think 378412 is a set - it might be by the each. Nymarine.ca is selling them for $41 Canadian a cylinder, so I think it's a set.<br /><br />Hope that helps you out!

 

[regularman]

Re: 1961 Johnson 3HP rebuild

Originally posted by Paul Moir:<br /> Welcome to Iboats, regularman.<br /><br />In the future, go ahead and start your own topic rather than posting into an existing one. Although your subject relates to thejh's, they have a habit of diverging and getting confusing. Unfortunately, sometimes the original poster gets left behind.<br /><br />That said, a good running 3hp is worth it's weight in gold. The really are great outboards. <br /><br />I belive the original P/N for standard size rings is 203152. Belive it or not, it superceeds to 378412, which is available from any Johnny/Rude dealer for about $25 a set. At least I think 378412 is a set - it might be by the each. Nymarine.ca is selling them for $41 Canadian a cylinder, so I think it's a set.<br /><br />Hope that helps you out!

Thank you paul. I wonder if a set is rings for both pistons or just one? Otheriwise that is outragious for what it is. Sorry I did not start my own thread, this one just caught my attention. I bought a spare powerhead but the rings were shot in it as well. I think I already have more in this motor than it is worth. I have an old 1948 gale that works well for my kicker on the sailboat right now and when I bought this motor I originally thought that it had a neutral in it, which is what I really need so I can warm the motor up a bit before going away from the dock. The old motor I have now is cold natured and may have to be started a couple times to get running good. I hate to have the motor start and run about 10 seconds and get us away from the dock and then stall, then the boat starts blowing up onto the the shore or into another dock etc. It would be much easier to warm it up and get it running good first.

 

[steelespike]

Re: 1961 Johnson 3HP rebuild

I would think though not convenient you could easily warm an engine in gear with the boat tied at idle speed or even a little higher.These little motors have almost no thrust at reduced speeds.Have you tried a careful adjustment of the high and low speed mixtures on your Gale?

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: 1961 Johnson 3HP rebuild

378412 is a set of two. Just looked it up.<br />I've never known a healthy 3hp to stall after it's been started. It's that kind of engine. I wish we had that kind of reliability on my brother's sailboat, but he has a later model merc that is plain old natured: both warm and cold. Too bad a 3hp won't push it. Madly paddled oars work against a lee marina though.<br />I think you'd be suprised what a 3hp with fresh rings, impeller & ignition will fetch. New outboards are expensive.<br />You haven't seen outrageous prices for rings yet. I was quoted $160/cylinder from a major ring manufacturer for my 28hp. And they were serious!

 

[regularman]

Re: 1961 Johnson 3HP rebuild

Originally posted by steelespike:<br /> I would think though not convenient you could easily warm an engine in gear with the boat tied at idle speed or even a little higher.These little motors have almost no thrust at reduced speeds.Have you tried a careful adjustment of the high and low speed mixtures on your Gale?

Yeah, I love that old motor and have done about all one can do with it. Its starts well, but the start position is way above idle and it goes when it starts and so does the boat. A lot of times I can catch it and keep it going with the choke when it starts to fade out before it gets warm, but half the time it will quit and have to be restarted and its not a recoil, so it takes a bit. Once it runs for about 30 seconds, its good to go till the tank runs dry.

 

[regularman]

Re: 1961 Johnson 3HP rebuild

Originally posted by Paul Moir:<br /> 378412 is a set of two. Just looked it up.<br />I've never known a healthy 3hp to stall after it's been started. It's that kind of engine. I wish we had that kind of reliability on my brother's sailboat, but he has a later model merc that is plain old natured: both warm and cold. Too bad a 3hp won't push it. Madly paddled oars work against a lee marina though.<br />I think you'd be suprised what a 3hp with fresh rings, impeller & ignition will fetch. New outboards are expensive.<br />You haven't seen outrageous prices for rings yet. I was quoted $160/cylinder from a major ring manufacturer for my 28hp. And they were serious!

A set of two rings or a set of rings for two pistons? Sorry, I'm so slow So the 3hp is not so cold natured? That is one reason I picked up this Johnson, I figured that a twin might be easier starting and warming up because of the two pistons firing. It weighs more than my old gale by about 10 pounds or so, but I have lost 25 pounds myself so maybe the boat won't know the difference. I have bead blasted every part and done about all I can do to it until I run into some rings.

 

[Pony]

Re: 1961 Johnson 3HP rebuild

thejh, If you are still reading this thread your motor should look like this. It's a thumbnail so just click it to see a full size image.<br /> <br /><br />As far as decals go, I just ordered a set from cutnupvinyl.com . He specializes in Johnson/Evinrude stuff. His gallery of decals is pretty impressive. I havent recieved mine yet, but I am pretty confident I will get what I looking for.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: 1961 Johnson 3HP rebuild

Sorry, that's a set of two rings. You'll need two 378412 to do the engine. Usually their fine runners as long as they've got healthy compression and spark. The intake is really important, especially the little screen that goes between the carb and the intake. Some people toss it thinking they'll get more power, but it helps keep the right pressure at the venturi. <br />The reason those rings are still available is that they sold scads of those engines. They were very popular. Starts in '52, they made some changes in '69 to get 4hp out of it, and then some fairly major changes in the late '70s when they made it into the 4.5hp. Productions of those goes into the mid 80s when they started fresh with a F-N-R gearbox.<br />What size sailboat are you running it with? Protected waters?

 

[regularman]

Re: 1961 Johnson 3HP rebuild

Originally posted by Paul Moir:<br /> Sorry, that's a set of two rings. You'll need two 378412 to do the engine. Usually their fine runners as long as they've got healthy compression and spark. The intake is really important, especially the little screen that goes between the carb and the intake. Some people toss it thinking they'll get more power, but it helps keep the right pressure at the venturi. <br />The reason those rings are still available is that they sold scads of those engines. They were very popular. Starts in '52, they made some changes in '69 to get 4hp out of it, and then some fairly major changes in the late '70s when they made it into the 4.5hp. Productions of those goes into the mid 80s when they started fresh with a F-N-R gearbox.<br />What size sailboat are you running it with? Protected waters?

Oh, yeah. Freshwater lakes only so far. Its a 14 foot catalina capri 14.2. Just the right size for me and my wife.