1966 Johnson 33hp Super Seahorse not circulating water...

[Scovbert]

Hey guys, new to the site and looking for some help! I recently was giving a 1966 33hp Johnson outboard...i brought the motor home and immediatly started to work on it. This is my first outboard motor, but i consider myself a pretty mechanical guy so I didnt hold back. The first thing i wanted to do is just hear it run and go from there. The motor had been sitting since 2004 so i replaced the plugs and reterminated the spark plug wires. After 4 pulls the motor fired right up, but i noticed that there was no water coming out of the exhaust and the motor was extremely hot so i shut her down. I then dropped the lower unit and opened up the impeller housing and of course the impeller and housing were both shot. This motor has been ran in salt water its whole life so i expected there to be some corosion in the housing and salt build up. I went to my local OMC dealer and bought a complete water pump rebuild kit. I cleaned up the lower unit and installed the new water pump. Excited to see this thing run with no problems i fired it up in a tub of water and to my suprise no water flow. I dropped the lower unit again and checked the water intake for blockage and found nothing, while i had the pump housing opened up i did notice some grey creamy liquid in the new housing(idk if that means anything). I also ran a hose through the pick up pipe to make sure there was no blockage to the exhaust and it seemed like it took the water a while to reach the exhaust port. I also noticed water coming from the top of the pick up pipe(is that normal)? Anyway everything seemed clear so i put it all back together and fired it up...sure enough no water out of the exhaust...what do i do now!? I believe the impeller is in the right direction(is there a right direction)? I would think a rubber impeller would right itself is it was installed in the wrong direction. I did put some grease on the impeller the second time around so i didnt burn it up if it wasnt getting water. Anyway i think i've told you everything so hopefully you can help! Thanks!

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1966 Johnson 33hp Super Seahorse not circulating water...

HI scovebert. Welcome to iboats. I used to have a '66 33 hp myself. It sounds like you've given the cooling system the once over. I suspect it's one of two things. Either the impeller pin is not installed properly, so even though the driveshaft spins, it never engages the impeller. The other problem may be that the copper water uptake tube isn't seating properly on the top of the water pump housing. The impeller itself doesn't have an up/down side, just be sure that you only ever rotate the drive shaft clockwise while installing it. Also, be sure you only ever run your motor in a test tank with water filled to about and inch or two below the main exhaust port. You can't run these old motors on muffs like their modern counter parts. They don't have tell tales/pee streams either. They just expel cooling water mixed with exhaust gasses out of the back. However, you can add one if you want. I just added one to my '66 20 hp. Here are some great links to familiarize you with your "Big Twin" motor. Best of all, once you can work on one of these great old vintage OMC motors, you can work on them all. You can get any routine parts you may need like carb kits, tune up kits, etc...right here at iboats for about $20 each. Good luck. Holler if you get stuck.

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/04/s/columns/max/24/index.cfm

http://www.marineengine.com/parts/v...ntage-evinrude-johnson/381417/38141700001.htm

http://www.outboard-boat-motor-repa...on 3 HP 1952-1967 Ignition System Tune-up.htm (great ignition tune up link)

http://www.outboard-boat-motor-repa...hnson 5.5 HP 1954-1964 Carburetor Tune-UP.htm (great carburetor rebuild link)

 

[Scovbert]

Re: 1966 Johnson 33hp Super Seahorse not circulating water...

the pick up tube does seem to be loose in the new gromet but i thought that might be normal...when i installed it there was zero resistance going in and when i removed it the second time it put up zero fight unlike when i removed the one that came on it. As far as the impeller goes i do think its locked in place...thats just my suspicion, but ill test it tomorrow in a tub with a drill. The other thing ive noticed is that when its running in the tub the water is bubbling like its in gear...most of the water over flows out of the tub, but i have it in nuetral. Lastly, water level in the tub matters? Obveously it needs to be over the intake. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Scovbert]

Re: 1966 Johnson 33hp Super Seahorse not circulating water...

also, somthing i thought of just now...this motor has the long shaft extension so the pick up tube is a two peice...is it possible that the gromet that came witht the kit i bought has a bigger ID(inner diameter) than the one that was in there when i got it? Im gonna check that out too! you guys think that could be it? if so i how can i make this a tight fit? Oh and most importantly thanks for the warm welcome!

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1966 Johnson 33hp Super Seahorse not circulating water...

hello Scovberyt. Yes, the water level in the tank matters. It needs to be about an inch or two below the main exhaust port. I use a large trashcan or 55 gallon drum. The water bubbling is due to the exhaust gas which is released below the waterline. The copper water uptake tube should seat snugly on the top of the water pump housing too. Here are some vids of motors similar to yours running and idling in a test tank to give you an idea of what to expect. Don't be alarmed when/if the water gets oily and murky that's normal. It may smoke quite a bit too, but that's also normal and will be greatly lessened once you're on the open water.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhy5EEF_gSU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGORMArNcLI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FzTgANXSHo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oafapl_nmCI


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnTx_WtUpig&feature=related

 

[samo_ott]

Re: 1966 Johnson 33hp Super Seahorse not circulating water...

My guess is that you do not have it in deep enough water.

 

[Scovbert]

Re: 1966 Johnson 33hp Super Seahorse not circulating water...

Ill take some pics of the water level today...I really think its the pick up tube is to loose in the gromet on the water pump housing. If that is the case how could i tighten that connection up? Thanks for the videos kfa! very helpful!

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1966 Johnson 33hp Super Seahorse not circulating water...

No real way to "tighten them up". You just have to have the correct size grommets on both the top of the water pump housing and on the underside of the powerhead. However, it's not uncommon for them to become worn, or crimped over time, in which case they may need to be replaced. The good news is that the water passages themselves seem to be nice and clear, the rest is just a matter of getting everything lined up. An extra pair of hand is helpful.

 

[Scovbert]

Re: 1966 Johnson 33hp Super Seahorse not circulating water...

hey guys so this morning i pulled apart the lower unit again and attacked my suspicion that the pick up tube was loose inside the gromet of the water pump housing. I was right it did have a little play in the gromet so i took the tube(it was a bit out of round) and i rounded it out perfect so when i put the tube back in there was a nice tight fit. Started it up and nothing...i'm really starting to get frustrated. I took a pic of the water level at which im running it at...just remember this is a long shaft.
View attachment 166207

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1966 Johnson 33hp Super Seahorse not circulating water...

Hello again Scovbert. Glad the tube is now nice and snug in the waterpump housing. Make sure it is also seated properly on the underside of the motor. You generally seat the tube into the upper grommet first then slide the lower unit on, taking care to see that the tube seats on the housing. The fact that it is a long shaft doesn't matter, assuming the uptake tube is the correct length, of course. I couldn't open your pic, but here's a pic to show you how much water should be in your test tank. A big trash can and/or 55 gallon drum work best.


(a pic of my '66 20 hp running in a test tank (a.k.a. big old trash can))
(a "Big Twin" motor with water level line indicated)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f5zTihAsCw (vid of a motor in a shop test tank. Note the water level)

 

[Scovbert]

Re: 1966 Johnson 33hp Super Seahorse not circulating water...

yea i have plenty of water for the motor to operate correctly...my pick up tube is a two piece tube. the tube from the power head down has a bell on the end in which the second tube pushes into and the other end into the housing. Im going to drop the lower unit one more time and try to power the drive shaft with a drill to make sure the impeller is actually pumping water.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1966 Johnson 33hp Super Seahorse not circulating water...

Do you have a pic by any chance? Probably just not lining up properly, or something simple like that. Make sure you only ever rotate the flywheel CLOCKWISE and remove the spark plugs, or the motor will fire up when you give it the drill.