'57 Johnson 18hp problems

[bjarnold1]

I am having a couple of problems with this motor <br /><br />1. Engine siezes from just setting a few days<br />2. Aluminum "spacer" that the low speed needle screws into falls out and needle will not tighten down due to the spacer spinning around.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: '57 Johnson 18hp problems

1. Check for signs of water intrusion into the cylinder (IE, a blown head gasket). It should be fairly obvious by looking at the spark plugs but a compression test might show too. If that doesn't turn up anything, check the lower unit oil for signs of water.<br /><br />2. It sounds like you are missing the brass packing nut for your low speed needle. Is this the case? To get the bushing to grip again, score the outside surface of it with a sharp chisel with a tap from a hammer. This is called "staking" and is how the bushing was originally held in. I suppose you could use a loctite red too, but usually it's best to shy away from goops with carbs. If you are missing the packing nut & packing, you'll never be able to get the engine to idle right.

 

[bjarnold1]

Re: '57 Johnson 18hp problems

The engine siezes out of the water and was not started. The brass packing nut is there.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: '57 Johnson 18hp problems

Yeah, I think something is rusting together. Specifically the piston's rings and the cylinder wall. This will often happen when you have a small head gasket leak.<br /><br />I misunderstood you about the bushing. I thought you were saying the whole needle was falling out during operation. Just stake it and put it back in, then some packing and the packing nut. The packing will help hold it in. When you stake it it'll need to be threaded onto the needle (that sounds odd.. ) for support naturally.

 

[joaklay]

Re: '57 Johnson 18hp problems

Have you tryed fogging oil in the cylinders? If never put in water and it's getting stuck just sitting there, I'd have to think the cylinder walls are dry (no oil). Is it stored in a damp location?<br /> I have the same outboard and ran into it getting stuck after running it in water, then tilting the outboard up (water dripped from the top) so I have another sealing issue (one of my many winter projects). Penetrating oil in the cylinders got mine unstuck. Mine was supposedly "rebuilt" but apparently not too well done.