57 12hp Sea King

[dwilliam]

I just purchased a 1957 12hp Sea King and have read a lot about cleaning the "carbs". What does this consist of? How is it done? And how does one know when it is time to clean them?

 

[winman99]

Re: 57 12hp Sea King

I'm not trying to discourage you in any way, but the best advice I can give you is to get your hands on a service manual. A Johnson/Evinrude manual from the same time period, or a generic outboard manual that covers that era of motor would be good.

As for knowing when to clean the carburetor, it's hard to say. If you are not comfortable disassembling/cleaning/reassembling the carb, you may be better off leaving it alone if it is running good. (wow, that wasn't very encouraging, sorry).

The good news is that if your motor is in good shape, it can be a good running dependable motor, and is fairly simple to work on.

If you feel it is required, and want to tackle it, there is a good generic link in the FAQ section http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=244013

As a matter of fact, there are lots of good FAQ's to read there.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: 57 12hp Sea King

Yep, you need a manual or carb diagram. The guys on the Ask A Member board at www.aomci.org, or here, might be able to post the diagram. Not hard carbs to service, if you have some skills with a wrench and patience.

 

[steelespike]

Re: 57 12hp Sea King

There are a number of versions of the 12hp Sea King.Some are closely related to the Evinrude Johnson motors other not so closely.A model number off the mounting bracket will help us tell what you have otherwise a dascription.,no shift,full gear shift,remote tank etc.Number will begin with GG.

 

[dwilliam]

Re: 57 12hp Sea King

The model number is GG8971B

My motor seems to be running fine but I am new to the old motors and 2 stokes for that matter so I'm just not sure how to know when its time to have them cleaned.

 

[steelespike]

Re: 57 12hp Sea King

If shes running well; leave well enough alone just do a good refurbishing.
Impeller replacement,gearlube change general tune up.Coils are the weak point on thses motors you can inspect them through the port under the plate on the top of the flywheel.Any discoloration or cracks then they need replacement.Readily available(under E/J applications) in a number of places including here at iboats.
Motor is based on the 12D15 Gale about as close as the smaller morors come
to their E/J cousins.I believe it came standard with a single hose fuel pump fuel system.About 4 years ahead of the similar sized E/J motors. A service manual would be a good start.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: 57 12hp Sea King

Run some seafoam through it, not to clean the carbs but to clean the innards.

 

[dwilliam]

Re: 57 12hp Sea King

Seafoam??????

 

[steelespike]

Re: 57 12hp Sea King

One of the additives for fuel that actually work.Can be used to maintain the fuel system and by following the directions to remove carbon on the internals.
Pistons,rings,cumbustion chamber etc.Just search SeaFoam on google.

 

[alangf]

Re: 57 12hp Sea King

I just purchased a 1957 12hp Sea King and have read a lot about cleaning the "carbs". What does this consist of? How is it done? And how does one know when it is time to clean them?

Your 12 horse has only one carb which is short for carburetor. Cleaning consists of removal, disassembly and soaking in a commercial carburetor cleaner (Berryman Chem-dip is one of the better ones). If an engine is properly stored this is rarely required. Sadly, proper storage is rare and carbs tend to get gummed up as the volatiles in the gasoline evaporate and leave a coating of varnish behind. If the engine runs and the varnishing isn't too severe the problem can be fixed by running a tank of fuel through it with Seafoam added. No disassembly required. Sea Kings of that era were excellent engines. They were built by the Gale division of Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC) for, I believe, Montgomery Ward. They were comparable to Johnson for quality and reliability but didn't have the initial price, or resale value, of a Johnson.