Clinton J5, How to change water pick-up?

[mckeemm]

Hi Folks,<br /><br />I just acquired a mid 60's (I believe) Clinton J5 outboard motor. I spent some time reading here and I have a parts breakdown/service manual ordered from Clinton Engines corp.<br /><br />Engine Model no. J5 1105<br />Serial no. 47750<br /><br />The motor appears to be complete however it needs some repair. I replaced the missing sparkplug with and NGK BM4A but still no spark so the flywheel will have to come off to take a look. Also the copper tube water pick-up in the leg was broken off inside at the top and I was able to pull it right out.<br /><br />My question is; where do I separate the leg from the power head, there appears to be two gaskets there? I expect I will be replacing the impeller when I'm in there. Any tips are appreciated.<br /><br />Also, if anyone can more accurately identify the age of the motor and the horsepower rating I would be grateful.<br /><br />Thanks, Mark

 

[steelespike]

Re: Clinton J5, How to change water pick-up?

In my book the J5 first appears in 65.It also states that some J5s are rated at 3 hp.at 4,500 rpm.the 5 hp are rated at 6,500 rpm.There are J5s<br />in 65, 66 and 67.also J9 same year rated at 5 hp.<br /> There are 6 bolts that hold the powerhead on.<br /> the 4 front 5/16 bolts should be torqued to 90-120 inch pounds the 2 rear 1/4 inch bolts to 80-100 inch pounds.Grease the drive shaft splines with a high melting point grease when you assemble.

 

[mckeemm]

Re: Clinton J5, How to change water pick-up?

Thanks Spike,<br /><br />Good info, I'm looking forward to getting this thing going.<br /><br />Mark

 

[mckeemm]

Re: Clinton J5, How to change water pick-up?

OK,<br /><br />Here's the update. I cleaned the points and reset them and I got the motor to run, rather poorly. I pulled the carb apart for a quick clean and put it back on and the motor runs much better. With this success and my new Clinton J5 manual in hand I proceeded to remove the leg to get access to the severed exhaust water tube assembly and the impeller. The water tube will be a piece of cake to fab up a new one, no problem.<br /><br />My surprise came when I saw the drive shaft had been somehow repaired by welding in a 2" piece approximatly mid shaft! I don't know what that is about. The second curiosity is that this J5 does not have a water pump, never had one, there are no threaded holes in the lower unit to mount the pump housing.<br /><br />So, did Clinton make J5's without water pumps? Or, has someone swapped on a lower unit from another model and lengthened the drive shaft to make it work. The manual only shows a model with a water pump.<br /><br />My damaged top cover carries the decal "Clinton III", so I gather it is a 3hp model.<br /><br />Thanks, Again

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Clinton J5, How to change water pick-up?

A lot of the old air-cooled motors just used the water flow created by the prop to force water up the leg for exhaust cooling. I'm not sure about Clinton's, but since yours doesn't have the mounting points for the water pump, I'd guess someone has swapped a leg from an older model onto a later model's powerhead.<br /><br />That, apparently, involved lengthening the drive shaft to match up. <br /><br />If your engine is running OK, I'd fix that water tube, bolt the thing together and get on the water.<br /><br />You would not believe what some folks have done to get these old air-cooled motors back on the water. They're not worth a lot of money, so they're perfect for experimentation. There are tons of hybrid outboards out there on little tin boats. <br /><br />Put it back together and use it. That's my advice. When it finally gives up the ghost, find another outboard...preferably one that's worth putting time and money into.<br /><br />I have a Clinton K500 5 hp, with the Sea King brand on it. It runs perfectly, after I put a carburetor from an entirely different 5 hp engine on the Clinton block. <br /><br />While it's kinda fun to mess with these old fellas, I'm looking for a nice 60's 6hp Johnson or Evinrude that needs a bit of work. Once I get that running, I'll have a quiet boat that doesn't try to shake the transom off every time I use it.

 

[mckeemm]

Re: Clinton J5, How to change water pick-up?

You hit the nail on the head. I don't have much invested so I'm just going to get e few gaskets and put the thing back together.<br /><br />Mark