1977 Johnson 85HP questions from newbe

[N3UP]

I have a 77 85HP Johnson bought off craigslist for a project boat.

The model number on the bracket is 85ETLR77S

The motor had a power tilt setup on it that is junk. The problem is that it looks nothing like the PT/Trim shown in the repair manual.

The tilt cylinders were mounted on a bracket assembly that fit around the outside of the transom mounts. The factory setups shown in the repair manual are all "inside" the mount brackets.

I really don't care about the power tilt, the problem now is there is no reverse lock on the mount.
The mount looks like a manual tilt mount, but with no reverse lock.

The advice I got from the marine supply house was to find a junk motor with manual tilt and salvage the parts for the reverse lock.

My question is what year range can I get?
Do I need to get the same year (77) or can I go either side of that? If so, how many years?
Do I need to get the parts from an 85HP?
Will other HP ratings work? If so, what range of HP?

Thanks,
Ted

 

[whalerfreak22]

Re: 1977 Johnson 85HP questions from newbe

That motor is not a 77 if u have side trim (external trim motor on the side).what I would do if I had that motor is take that powerhead off and put it on a newer midsection that has internal trim.

 

[whalerfreak22]

Re: 1977 Johnson 85HP questions from newbe

Disregard my last it is a 77 but with side trim.but like I said put your 85 powerhead on a newer midsection years ranging from 1978-1996 motors.your range of hps are 85-140 that are crossflow motors.getting internal trim is way better than side trim trust me on that one.any other ?'s ?

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: 1977 Johnson 85HP questions from newbe

You may find it easier just to repair your current trim unit on your year engine. I suppose the engine could be a very early 77 with a 76 trim/tilt system. While they look unusual, they do the same job as the newer units. You might want to consider repairing your current trim unit, based on parts lists from a 76 model. Some parts are hard to find anymore, but you might be able to buy a complete used unit and swap parts. Check marine salvage yards and places like ebay.

 

[RRitt]

Re: 1977 Johnson 85HP questions from newbe

is this your system?
http://www.boats.net/parts/search/O...TRIM 70,75,85,115 WITH 20" TRANSOM/parts.html

It is a pretty decent system with a really long lifespan. The most surprising thing is how well it holds resale. Even though it's like 30 years old it is still one of the most expensive and in-demand trim systems going. Well, except for the Calco version pump. That's a solution that never found a problem and now - due to repair parts scarcity - it has become a bigger problem than the one it had hoped to fix. (If you have a calco don't waste money fixing it - just replace it with the prestolite/stringer version).

 

[N3UP]

Re: 1977 Johnson 85HP questions from newbe

RRitt,

That is the setup that I have.

I thought about restoring it but I have none of the wiring (the cable from the pump was just cut) and the support bracket across the bottom looks like is was broken at some point, and reconstructed, it's now a 2 piece affair with some sketchy looking welds.

Can I just get a manual tilt mount and do away with it?

Can the whole mount assembly be changed, or do I have to swap the whole midsection from the donor motor?

All this assumes that what I have will run.
I was told it ran, had good compression in all 4 cylinders and only needs a fuel pump.

I have the fuel pump, but I'm still working on the boat, so I have no place to put in right now where I can see if it will run.