3hp Johnson/Evinrude '60's twins.

[haddles]

I have 3x3hp Johnson and Evinrude Lightwins ranging from '62 (Evinrude) to '66 (Johnson and Evinrude) I believe. Although the Johnson and Evinrudes are different in shape and leg design i'm wondering whether the powerheads and other assorted internals are interchangeable. The lower legs which all feature the angled (Weedless?) prop are identical on all 3. All motors are complete and in very good condition but they all seem to have different problems preventing them from being reliable. Also I can't seem to see a telltale for the water cooling. There are 8? small holes in the legs of all 3 motors where water and exhaust dribble out on only on 2 of the motors but not in great quantities. These motors were made in Australia by Outboard Marine Australia Pty Ltd but i'd imagine that they are similar if not identical to their American counterparts.

 

[lark2004]

Re: 3hp Johnson/Evinrude '60's twins.

Before you start ripping the motors apart, and trying to make just one go, list the problems that each one is having, and maybe we can get all three working properly for you.

 

[haddles]

Re: 3hp Johnson/Evinrude '60's twins.

Ok, here we go..<br />The '62 Evinrude runs perfectly for about 5 minutes then stops. I think it might be overheating as no water coes out anywhere. It will start again after it stops but only for a few seconds. It also get's water in the gearbox.<br />The '66 Johnson currently has no spark although it did but everything else looks perfect. The '66 evinrude only sparks on the top cylinder (at least when i turn it over by hand) but seems to run ok considering. I'd love to get all 3 going but obviously don't want to spend alot on motors that really only have curiosity value to me. None of the motors have any pieces missing. I'd consider sacrificing one (the '62)if needed to get the other 2 going if it was looking like a money pit getting parts. Also, what's the go with the mixture controls? the Johnson has a high and low speed and the others just have low speed. Looks like a good way to make a mess of your carb settings. Is there a base setting to put these on to work from?

 

[MCM]

Re: 3hp Johnson/Evinrude '60's twins.

It sounds as though you should be able to get all of them running without much more than some time and a few parts. The '62 would need a t'stat and water pump kit to start with, actually all three should have this done.<br /><br />I would suggest you do as Lark suggestd and pick one motor and concentrate on it and then move on to the next. You should be able to do a complete tune up for less than $150.00 for each motor, that would include 2 carb kits w/float, water pump kit, tune up kit (points & condenser), coils, plugs, etc. The '62 may just need the water pump, and the lower unit oil changed.<br /><br />These links have some info that will help. <br /><br /> Awakening a sleeping O/B, oil/fuel mix, Small outboard tune up. Keep in mind that the floats in your motors were made of cork and didn't hold up well to time, the newer floats are made of a better material, also the Sierra brand carb kits do not come with a float, only the OEM kit does. <br /><br />Hope this helps

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: 3hp Johnson/Evinrude '60's twins.

On the '62, start by makeing sure you have adequate flow from the fuel tank to the carb. There is originally a fuel filter up inside the tank which will clog on you. Remove the large brass nut just above the fuel petcock to reveal it.<br />To test for overheating, put a drop of water on the cylinder head. If it sizzles you have an overheat problem. We can diagnose from there.<br /><br />Ignition coils are a common source of problems on these engines as the original ones' insulation would crack. That would cause the ignition to fail either by arcing over as the RPMS picked up or by getting water into them, which would kill spark altogether. You can buff out the points yourself and save the cost of them. Condensors from this period only rarely had problems so you can pretty well assume they're all right. New spark plug wires might be a good idea if your old ones are cracked. Use metal core plug wire only!<br /><br />Since the ignition coils were so frequently a problem, new ones are easily and cheaply available. The factory one sells here for about $25 CAD each, while the aftermarket (Sierra 18-5181) sells for about ~$20 each. I personally think the aftermarket one is superior to the factory coil, but both are much better than the originals. Lark2004 may know where to find these parts local to you.<br /><br />The initial setting for the carbs is, take the knobs off and screw both controls all the way in until they seat (gently!). Then unscrew the low speed ones 1 and 1/2 turns, and the high speed 3/4 turn. This will be rich, so you'll have to turn them in.<br /><br />The 3hp engines are really great running engines. There's tonnes of good information on them over at Tom Travis' site, including a '52 3hp owners manual: http://www.outboard-boat-motor-repair.com/ <br /><br />Oh, and last, there is no tell-tale on these engines. Just feel for a mist coming from the holes on the midsection where the idle exhaust comes out. If your hand doesn't get wet, shut it down. If the water pump impeller hasn't been changed in a few years, it's due. Especially if they're used in salt water because the bolts will seize. Fortunately, changing them on that engine is dead easy, so long as you do not pull up on the driveshaft when the water pump housing is off.

 

[haddles]

Re: 3hp Johnson/Evinrude '60's twins.

Thanks all for your help. There is a wealth of information out there. I'm just glad I found this site. I'll try and resurrect all 3 if I can but the '62 has had some repairs to the skeg in fibreglass that may be causing the water leakage into the gearbox and it's for this reason I was thinking of making it an organ donor. If I can get the other 2 going easily It might save me sacrificing it although I know it has 2 good coils so I may 'borrow' some parts from it in the interim. Thanks too for the links.

 

[haddles]

Re: 3hp Johnson/Evinrude '60's twins.

Also with the demise of leaded fuel which these motors were designed to run on i'm assuming it's fine to run them on standard unleaded but I was wondering whether ethanol blend is ok with it's higher octane. Here it is limited to 10%. I'm just using semi synthetic quicksilver 2 stroke oil to mix in as it is probably 10 times better than what would have been around back then.

 

[lark2004]

Re: 3hp Johnson/Evinrude '60's twins.

The motor's are two-stroke, unleaded will not hurt them. Ethanol, I'm not sure how that will react with the oil. Any oil that is tc-w3 rated is fine. Just be sure about the ratio. It should be printed on the cowl on these motor's. I think.<br /><br />The damaged gearcase/skeg on the 62 can probably be welded. Most welding shops will do something like that for about $20 to $40.<br /><br />Also, there is an outboard wrecker at Brendale, STEPHAX MARINE. They will probably have most of the parts that you need, they can also get head gaskets and stuff a little cheaper and faster than the dealers seem to be able to.