1968 evinrude....spark plugs

[ceasarea]

Hi there everyone...I love this site. I just took out the boat for the winter and winterized it....(I bought it in the summer). I changed the lower oil and it was a light beige....obviously oil mixed with water...so i drained it and refilled it....To be honest i am not sure when it was changed last.Should i replace the screws or the small washers that go with the screws. Secondly both spark plugs had a lot of oil on them.I run it 40/1. It runs and starts beautifully, however it seems a coil or the points need redoing ( according to the mechanic who sold it to me) . The compression was tested and it was fine when i bought it.The reson i say the coil or points are out of whack is because it no longer runs full speed.I would say half speed...enough to plane the 14 foot aluminum cresliner . You could feel hesitation in the motor...It was a decent speed but you could feel it would sometimes speed up and then slow down and then one day it simply kept at the lower speed. Any help would be appreciated....thanks...

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1968 evinrude....spark plugs

what hp? model? there were many 1968 hp's. the lower unit screw seals are a one time use item, change them. i would check spark again, and clean the carbs. read the TOP SECRECT FILE.

 

[ceasarea]

Re: 1968 evinrude....spark plugs

I was trying to locate the serial number to confirn the year of the motor....without luck...It's a electric start 40 hp....regular shift....not electric.
I never knew you had to replace the screws annually..thanks.

 

[Vic.S]

Re: 1968 evinrude....spark plugs

I never knew you had to replace the screws annually..thanks.

Just the sealing washers ( ocassionally O rings) not the screws themselves.

Model number will confirm the year. It should be on a plate on the transom bracket and also on a disc on the powerhead.

'68 40hp Evinrude model numbers are 40802,40803, 40852, 40853, 40872 & 40873 with a variety of suffix letters

 

[OptsyEagle]

Re: 1968 evinrude....spark plugs

Also, from what you are describing it sounds like you are only running on one cylinder. These things run remarkably well on one cylinder, but like you said, they lack the power and if that cylinder is intermittant, it will surge up and bog down as the cylinder goes in and out.

Easy test. Start it up and pull the spark plug boot off each cylinder, one at a time. When/if the motor stalls out, the other cylinder is the one that has failed. If the motor keeps running after both cylinders are tested, then your problem is something else.

By the way, use insulated pliers to pull the boots, since the high voltage of the spark will sometimes send a jolt through the boot insulation. Not too painful, but annoying all the same. Another way to test your spark, but not the recommended way.lol

 

[ceasarea]

Re: 1968 evinrude....spark plugs

Thanks for the easy test....I have put it away for the winter but will certainly try that in the spring....thanks.

 

[OptsyEagle]

Re: 1968 evinrude....spark plugs

When you do the test and get your results, come back. It's possible that you only have a fouled spark plug since you mentioned about all the oil on them. If this is the case the other was probably about to fail. Now if this is the case (and it is a big if since most 2 stroke motor plugs get oil on them) you will appear to have fixed it by simply putting in new plugs (which you should do regularly, anyways). Make sure you are using Champion J4C spark plugs, gapped at 0.030". However, if you are fouling plugs the problem may still return if you don't fix it. Come back and we can help you keep it from happening again.

 

[ceasarea]

Re: 1968 evinrude....spark plugs

Thanks so much for all the great advice......I bought the jc4 plugs this past weekend and will install them in the spring....The existing plugs are not the right size...L7 something..and were gapped at .020.