1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

[deville]

Just like the title says... I can get my hands on a '77 Johnson 115 OB with trin and controls. The lower is a funky seafoam green color with a matching upper??? I've only seen them in white. The PO says it runs fine but he had to replace the shift linkage and now it slips out of gear. He said he never adjusted the link because the 115 was coming off his bass boat anyway. It was way overpowered (bass boat rated at 85hp) Can this be adjusted out or am I looking at a money pit. Do you guys know of any pros and cons about this year and size johnson? I ask because this would be my very first johnsonrude and although I can get it at a steal, I am a bit skiddish. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

 

[AEROCOOK]

Re: 1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

If the motor is green it may not be a 1977 model. Can you get the model number off of it? As with any used outboard purchase, a compression test is a must. Just how much of a steal is it?

 

[deville]

Re: 1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

If I take It and the controls off, 400 bucks, which does sound fishy, but I have heard it run on muffs and it does sound strong. no bogs or misses, no smoke and no knock. It took a minute to put in gear but once it engaged, the prop does turn woth no clanks. I've got two days to make a decision cause the guy is goung on vacation, but Im just not sure.

 

[AEROCOOK]

Re: 1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

Did you get the model number? As I said before, if it's the original paint and it's green then it's likely older than 1977.
Since you've heard it run and it sounded good, thats a plus but without testing it on the water there is still an inherent risk that there may be a problem. There are a few things that you really need to check before buying it, compression is the first thing and this is a must! Also inspect the condition of the lower unit (gearcase) oil.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

If the motor does indeed have power tilt 'n trim, the trim unit (pre-'78) is worth $400 on ebay by itself.

I'd buy it.

 

[deville]

Re: 1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

OK. Heres the deal... I ran the serial #s and guess what.... Its a '76 135 seahorse. Imagine my suprise. Comp test shows good, gear oil is a nice no water stinky gear oil, new impeller, and this thing runs like a banshee. Yes, I bought it. I do have 2 problems however. the first is the tilt/trim motor (big suprise). I can get power to and i could hear it click, so I disassembled the motor. the brushes and armature look good and the pump in the lower spins free but together, the thing just wont spin. Any thoughts? The seconed is a steering cable issue. I have a Morse cable stationary mounted in a swivel type housing on the hull that is not long enough to mount to anything. I think Im missing something but i dont know what. I will get a pic or two this afternoon to show what I'm talking about.
Thanks for all the help. You guys rock!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

That motor has a tilt tube so any modern single cable steering system should hook right up to it. You don't need the housing on the hull. http://www.inkbox.net/whaler/parts/steering-arm.jpg

 

[deville]

Re: 1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

The funny thing is, my cable is rigid center mounted to that hull plate-6" dia. round w/ 6 or 8 screws. The actual "moving" part of the cable is not long enough to pass through the tilt tube even unmounted. The boat is an '80 Glastron-Carlson CVX16 that had a Merc originally. I've never seen a cable setup like this...... I'll post some pics this afternoon. This is the only thing holding up the splash and I'm getting real 'Prickly"

 

[deville]

Re: 1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

These are not very good pics (how do you make them view larger?) but they show what I'm working with. The original motor was stolen long before I bought the boat and I'm not too sure what I'm missing. This is my first outboard and by looking at my buddy's O/B and others, I've never seen anything like this. Does anybody have any ideas. Should I just breakdown and get another cable-but what about the crossover arm that attaches from the cable to the center 'tiller' arm on the motor? Please Help!!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

I have seen that steering setup before but I don't know what it's called. It was probably originally used with a motor that didn't have a tilt tube. A complete new steering system that will mate up fine with your motor isn't that expensive.

 

[deville]

Re: 1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

Well...at least I'm not crazy! I wonder what kind of system this is, how it works, and who makes it. I almost hate to replace it because its original to the boat and its in great shape...minus the parts that are missing ARRRGG!!!!. The wheel hub is marked Morse. I've not taken the hub apart yet but I wonder if a regular cable can mate with the hub, or if it will require a new hub as well. Thanks for the info.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

Boat steering systems are a wear item so I wouldn't beat myself up too much about replacing a "good" system. Who know how long the cable would remain unseized anyway. A complete system including the helm is like $120.

 

[deville]

Re: 1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

You make a good point. Well, I know what I'm doing this afternoon. I still need to know if the secondary link is included in the kits. From the pics I've seen online, they do not have this part. Please bear with me:redface:

 

[deville]

Re: 1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

I've got it now! Its called a motor well boat steering kit. I believe its adjustable so a new cable should work with the clamps and mounting bracket. I'll let you guys know.......

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

Cool. The only thing I've even seen available to buy was a "clamp block" http://www.iboats.com/Corrosion-Res...5764940--session_id.611379388--view_id.192758

 

[deville]

Re: 1977 Johnson 115 outboard ???

Thats very similar to what I've got. All it does is rigid mount the cable. I took mine apart last night and I found that the cable will indeed unscrew from the cable mount and screw into the tilt tube. Unfortunately the cable seems to be 6 inches too short. While crawling around in the gunwale, I found the end of the old cable buried in the expando flotation foam to the side of the transom. This just keeps getting better and better......