1973 Johnson 50 HP How are They? May Pick one up for a Ground Up Build.

[JesterGrin_1]

I am brand new and trying to learn. I am looking to pick up a Johnson 50 HP Outboard or to say a 50ESL73R and was hoping that I could get some feedback on how good these old Johnson's are? And how does the 50ESL73R Break Down? I got the 50 at HP and the 73 as year but nothing else.

I plan to pick it up for a Saw Dust Project or to say I am going to build a Wood Boat from Scratch from a Designer by the name of Jeff Spira or Spira International http://spirainternational.com/ of the Panga type design.

And when I say From Scratch I mean Scratch as I will admit I know almost nothing but reading till I need glasses lol. Thank You Everyone for any Help.

 

[eavega]

Hello,
So, the old Johnson/Evinrudes are as good as the care and maintenance they have received over the intervening 40 years. If it has been abused, the engine will not perform well. If the previous owners have kept up with the maintenance, not overheated them, not run them hard every day year after year, they are pretty good motors in the right application. There is always the chance that one of those motors came off of a boat that was run a few times a year, so there is not a lot of hours on it, in which case it would still be a fairly well-performing motor. 1973 gets you past the hydroelectric shift years, which simplifies things somewhat. Parts on the 73 are fairly compatible with similar power motors up through 1978 or so. Not sure about the model number letters, but I *think* the E indicates Electric Start, and the L indicates Long Shaft. Don't know what the S refers to, possibly Standard rotation?

Your best bet on a motor of that vintage is to approach it as everything is suspect. Do the basic checks of compression, spark, fuel. Check/clean the carbs, or even better would be to just rebuild them. Check/change the LU oil as well as the impeller. If the fuel lines are original, you may want to replace all the fuel lines from the tank forward. Also verify that the fuel pump is pumping fuel correctly. The issues I have found when getting one of these pre 1990 motors running has been the carbs are gummed up, the fuel lines are rotted, the fuel pump diaphragm is stretched out, and the impeller is worn and brittle. A weak point I have found in these older motors after running them a while has been the power packs will fail if the power pack has some age to it.

Good luck with your build.

 

[F_R]

That was the third year for the two-cylinder loop charged 50hp. They were state of the art at the time. It has Mag-CD ignition and powershift. Very good motors and good performers. But some problems that came up were water pump impeller separation (look out for burned paint on the cylinders/head, indicating severe overheating), and low or no compression caused by piston breakage. Both of those things can be fixed, but the piston problem is a total powerhead job.

Actually, I'm not sure what year they redesigned the pistons. It may not have been a problem by 1973.

 

[JesterGrin_1]

Thank You all for the Good Information. I plan to go look at it and pick it up on Sunday. I was informed that it has good compression but I will check that to make sure. I think it should be between 120-130PSI Correct? But I also know it will need at least a Water Pump Impeller. But from what I have read and watched on You Tube it should not be much of an issue to change and keep a spare just in case.

But I would like to ask more about the Power Shift as compared to a standard Mechanical Shift? Are there problems associated with the Power Shift and if so are they hard to fix and or replace if need be?

 

[racerone]

It is a hydraulic assisted ( oil pressure ) shift and not electric at all.----They are rugged and quite reliable.

 

[bonz_d]

They are rugged and quite reliable.

couldn't agree more. Currently own a 1975 50hp, 1983 60hp and a 1987 50hp.

 

[JesterGrin_1]

couldn't agree more. Currently own a 1975 50hp, 1983 60hp and a 1987 50hp.

Thank You So much it makes me feel a whole lot better about the purchase.

I might be wrong but I feel the Older engines are better made then what is currently out there?

Well except for all the electronic gizmos and such but the absence of these for myself is a positive aspect.

So really in the end if I needed to rebuild the Engine from top to bottom it can be done and at a reasonable cost if I do most of it myself correct?

 

[F_R]

Depends on what you consider reasonable. Parts prices are staggering, no matter what year/model. That's the price you pay for having a boat. I'm doing a 1962 5hp right now, and have more invested in parts than I paid for the whole motor. And it didn't need all that much.

 

[SeaKaye12]

If you are "in it" for the experience....then higher costs are justifiable (maybe).

Otherwise....try very hard to choose an engine that is mechanically sound. No point tearing into a crankcase with the associated risk of making some small mistake in the learning process which will render the whole project a bust.

Any engine of that age will require the basics just to get it reliable. Thoroughly clean the fuel system and see that the cooling is functional. Use quality TCW-3 oil at the correct ratio. If it is lubricated properly and also cooled properly you can try running it for awhile and see what you've got.

No point in spending tons of $$$ when there are so many other engines out there that are already in good running order.....priced at less than the parts required to rebuild a worn out one.

 

[JesterGrin_1]

SeaKaye12 Thank You for the information. And I fully understand how things can get deep real fast lol. But at this point the 73 Johnson is Moot as the person turned into a Flake so I am looking at a 86 Evinrude that does not have the VRO.