Evrinrude Fastwin 1960 sleepy motor

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Oct 10, 2011
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I bought, at auction a 1960 Evinrude Fastwin for $20 for my 14' Meyers fishing boat. I worked on engines before, and rebuilt a 2HP Evinrude so I was confident that because of the nice condition of this motor I had something that had a real potential of saving me lots of money. I had to buy a new tank and line, when I hooked it up to test, the motor seemed like it wanted to start but backfired through the exhaust (not carb). I checked for spark (autoquest spark tester) and it registered but I'm not sure how hot the spark is. I then went through the entire regimen as suggested in this and other forums, so far no luck. So, here is what I have.

> Model 15032, 18HP "Fastwin' in very good aesthetic and mechanic condition.
> Water pump, assembly and coils were shot.
> Lower gear oil was black and gummy.
> No smoke or oily residue on fiberglass shroud, all powerhead components were exceptionally clean.
> No rust or major corrosion present but I do see evidence that it may have been used in salt.
> Throttle linkage, controls, seals, etc are in very good working condition.

What I've done so far, according to manual:

> Replaced water pump, thermostat and assembly.
> Replaced coils, plugs wires and boots. All other electrical components appear new and were cleaned with acetone.
> Cleaned flywheel contacts and inspected for cracks and damage of which there was none.
> Rebuilt carburetor including float. Cleaned all components, under soft plugs, blew out with compressed air.
> Took apart fuel pump, cleaned and inspected and re-assembled. Replaced all fuel lines with new and replaced the spring clips with 1/4" hose clamps.
> Replaced plugs with Champion compatible brand and gapped.
> Cleaned fuel filter and glass.
> Pulled intake off, inspected and cleaned reed valves and they are bright and shiny copper. I set them exactly over the holes, they are tight. They look like a clover. I did NOT remove the head to inspect the cylinders yet.


What I now have:

An engine that once in every dozen pulls "kind of" tries to start. I get pressure in the fuel line. I pulled the outtake fuel line after the fuel pump and it spits as I pull. I see evidence of fuel getting to the plugs, it smells like gas is flooding but no run-off from the silencer and no major wet plug evidence. I tested again for spark and the tester lights up. I sprayed mix in the intake as well as the plug holes and the no response. One thing I did do was pull the plate off to get to the plug wires so I may have messed up the timing, however the manual states that this timing cannot be set. Regardless, I do get spark so from my experience this thing should at least TRY to start. I am ready to take it into the shop, I have someone who is pretty good but charges $80 an hour. Any ideas?

And for an even better description, here's a web link to photos just copy and paste the entire URL into your browser.

http://s180.photobucket.com/albums/x188/mvortex1/Evinrude Fastwin 18HP/
 
Last edited:

lindy46

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Re: Evrinrude Fastwin 1960 sleepy motor

Wow - $20 - what a deal! Nice clean motor. Did you check compression? Make sure you got the plug wires on the right plugs? Those condensers look like the old style, so points and condensers should be replaced if you didn't do that. Try spraying a little premix into the cylinders and see if she starts.
 
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Re: Evrinrude Fastwin 1960 sleepy motor

Thanks, yes I'm happy with the total cost....so far. I won't count the $130 into the tank, link and petroleum related stuff since that is all interchangeable however the $130 more towards rebuild stuff from outboard-marine is just for this project. So to answer; no I did not check the compression but I will say that you know when you pull it as well as when it kicks over for a second that it is strong. I know that is not an accurate answer but for now I'm not focusing on that as the problem. The plug wires were marked from the beginning, plus I swapped them and pulled several more times to make sure so that should not be it. I also spayed premix into both cylinders as well as the intake many times to eliminate fuel problems. As far as the condensers, you may be right. They are original I guess, but I still get spark and from what I know bad condensers will not allow any spark, right? Thanks!
 

F_R

Supreme Mariner
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28,226
Re: Evrinrude Fastwin 1960 sleepy motor

Backfiring out the exhaust is a sign of being out of time. One or more of the following is the problem:

Flywheel key sheared. You DID clean the tapers and install it dry and use a torque wrench to tighten the nut to 40-45 foot pounds-----Didn't you??

Spark plug wires on wrong plugs.

Coil primary wires on wrong breaker points set.

Breaker cam upside down.

Breaker points not as good as you think they are....or not set at .020"

Wires rubbing on flywheel.

Throttle not set at "start" position. Correct start position is with shift in neutral, open the throttle as far as it will go. It will only go as far as the correct start positon. No matter what the dial says.

Or something else that I can't think of.
 
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Re: Evrinrude Fastwin 1960 sleepy motor

Flywheel key sheared. You DID clean the tapers and install it dry and use a torque wrench to tighten the nut to 40-45 foot pounds-----Didn't you??

>> Yes, the flywheel key is perfect. Per the manual, I made sure the key, the ID and OD taper was cleaned with acetone. I aligned the key with the flywheel and torqued to 40 lbs. (I got a snapon torquometer at auction for $20 to do this)

Spark plug wires on wrong plugs.

>> Again, no. I not only made sure I marked them before replacing but also switched them to make sure the last person didn't have them all messed up.

Coil primary wires on wrong breaker points set.

>> But I still have spark but also not sure - please see the new pictures I attached to this thread however so you can see what I may or may not have done incorrectly.

Breaker cam upside down.

>> Unless the last person did it, no because I did not have to move it.

Breaker points not as good as you think they are....or not set at .020"

I checked them and they're close. Again, not something that is so way far out that the engine wouldn't even try and start.

Wires rubbing on flywheel.

YES - there is one that I see a slight rub on. Also, I loosened and re-tighented one of the mount wires away from the condenser so we may be getting close.

Throttle not set at "start" position. Correct start position is with shift in neutral, open the throttle as far as it will go. It will only go as far as the correct start position. No matter what the dial says.

>> Correct, I am starting it exactly as you and the manual state.

Or something else that I can't think of.

>> You have a lot of good suggestions so I hope it doesn't go past this! Thanks again - if you lived close by I would offer you a cold one...
 

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nwcove

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Re: Evrinrude Fastwin 1960 sleepy motor

hi james, stick with it, its usually something so simple you will just shake yer head when you find it! from your last set of pics, it appears that the coil on the right (cant see the setting to the left), is not even close to being mounted flush with the mounting "boss".....appears to be set back almost an 1/8 th of an inch. that will cause a weak spark. also the black ground wire needs to be tucked away from the rotating assembly, it looks as tho its almost touching the crankshaft, and will rub when the flywheel is reinstalled.
 

F_R

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Re: Evrinrude Fastwin 1960 sleepy motor

Well I'm about out of suggestions. The cam is right side up and the wires are on the right points sets. Just FYI, the coil most toward the front (forward) of the motor is for the top cylinder. I still question the points.

Just how good is that spark you say you have? Will it jump a 1/4" open air gap?
 
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Re: Evrinrude Fastwin 1960 sleepy motor

NW - "appears to be set back almost an 1/8 th of an inch", true but the way they were before I pulled them off, the actual coil mount was flush with an indentation that sets back about 1/8" before the base. In other words, if you look straight down, you'll actually see a ledge that comes out and I think that's what you're seeing in the pic - in fact I had one set slightly beyond and when I pushed down the flywheel for a manual turn it rubbed and I had to push it back. The black wire IS touching, I saw that when posting the pic so yes I will make sure I have that out of the way and may even shorten it. As for the spark, when I bought the tester I questioned whether it would actually test the strength of the spark rather than the fact that I simply had, a spark. I have recognized in several forums on both this and other sites that many enthusiasts use a "jump tester" and that is probably what I should get, or fabricate to really determine if I have enough fire to run this thing.

One question I have that has not yet been answered - can this ignition timing be set, taking into consideration that the armature plate is tight and fastened to the throttle arm ? If not, I am really surprised that it won't even try to run because I have held on to both plug wires and spun the flywheel and it isn't something I would want to keep doing for the fun of it! In other words, this thing is firing off spark! Thanks again all...
 

F_R

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Re: Evrinrude Fastwin 1960 sleepy motor

Ah, the old hang onto the wires story. How many times have we heard that. You can stick your finger in a light socket and it will knock you right out of your shorts, but that kind of electricity won't run an engine. Rig up a spark gap and see if it will jump a 1/4" gap. Then you will know. It doesn't have to be a fancy tester. Many times I have just stuck a phillips screwdriver in the boot and held it close to a head bolt for a quicky test.

I was just thinking, perhaps we are barking up the wrong tree. Maybe that thing is just flooded??? But establish whether or not you truly have a strong spark before going there.
 

HighTrim

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Re: Evrinrude Fastwin 1960 sleepy motor

As Frank just mentioned, those "light" testers are not adequate for ensuring that the spark will jump the 1/4" open air gap. Open air gap testers are cheap. Start there.

Im questioning the points/condensors. You say they are close, get them right on 020 so that the 022 feeler gauge will not slide in yet the 018 feels loose. Ensure they are spotless, even a finger print can cause issues, and they are not pitted or faulty from someone using sandpaper on them or something.
 

nwcove

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Re: Evrinrude Fastwin 1960 sleepy motor

still no compression numbers??
did you twist the new wires into the coils? (not push them in)
are the wires metallic core.....not automotive?
i read above...."champion compatible plugs", does that mean they are champion ........or ngk equivilants?
...hope someone confirms that the timing cant be set on that model.
 
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Re: Evrinrude Fastwin 1960 sleepy motor

IT'S ALIVE!!!!!!! YES YES YES!!!! Thanks for everyone's response, however let me pontificate, if I may for a moment to capture this thread for future users like me that are too dense to listen after the first time. Some of you stated, correctly I might add that the condensers and points were "questionable" so after a lot of resistance I finally ordered a new set of points and condensers. These were pitted, and burned and complete crap and the only way I knew it was after I remove them and really looked. You're damn right guys, unless you are adept at troubleshooting with the correct multimeter never EVER screw yourself out of time and patience by assuming these are okay. I used TDC on the flywheel shaft and then confirmed with the pistons location with the plugs out. An important mention: take the plugs out when you turn the crank to set these - I saw one little post on this but it's absolutely a time and effort saver. I never thought about it but it makes sense, take the plugs out and you can see and crank and just enjoy life without having a flywheel kicking over and tearing up your stuff. Now, once the points were set, I made sure all components were set properly, aligned, tightened, etc and then put the flywheel back on. I used an old pulley belt and a real thick glove and torque wrench to tighten to 45 lbs. I then rotated the flywheel to make absolutely certain that nothing was rubbing on the inside and that I still had a nice hot spark with the plug threads grounded. I then put the pull starter back on. I set the jets accordingly (1.5 turns for high speed and 1 turn for low) and pulled a few times....whoops, the thing was in gear, fired up with a roar and almost knocked me right on my ***. The entire floor of the garage was covered in water ..but....I was happier than you can imagine...finally!!!! I then let it warm up, set the high/low VERY SLOWLY and got the engine idling perfectly. I made sure the water pump was doing it's job and let it just sit there and idle. In it's own way, it thanked me for giving it another chance. Moral of the story, OLD ENGINE = REPLACE ALL IGNITION, WATER PUMP ASSEMBLY AND THERMOSTAT, or you're just cutting corners. It's freaking like new, I can't believe I did this well and I will treat this engine like gold as long as I own it. Thanks again everyone!!!
 

lindy46

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Messages
3,886
Re: Evrinrude Fastwin 1960 sleepy motor

Glad you got her running! Now that old motor will be good for another 50 years.
 
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