getting a old clasic back in the water

[donaldjoyner]

I have a 1963 40hp johonson super seahorse,the motor has no control box so just a bunch of wires hanging out the side,i hooked the big red and black wires to a batterie and the motor started turning over so it is not locked up and the hoses are not dry rotted,but there was no fire,so i was thinking points and condenser and maby magneto.but all said does anyone think it would be worth the money to get back running or am i waisting my time? thanks

 

[oldcatamount]

Re: getting a old clasic back in the water

Points, plugs, and condensers won't cost much (maybe $25 or so). I would suggest doing a compression test though before you spend any money.

 

[donaldjoyner]

Re: getting a old clasic back in the water

what should the compression be at? the pull start is hard to pull so it seams to have some compression.

 

[lindy46]

Re: getting a old clasic back in the water

With the electric starter, compression should run 100+psi and even between the two cylinders.

 

[nwcove]

Re: getting a old clasic back in the water

could the wires hanging out the side....not connected to anything be the cause of the lack of spark?

 

[BonairII]

Re: getting a old clasic back in the water

could the wires hanging out the side....not connected to anything be the cause of the lack of spark?

I doubt it. Those old outboards were designed to have wires hanging out all over the place.

 

[Rick.]

Re: getting a old clasic back in the water

I would suggest you get some oil in the cylinders prior to turning it over again. Best of luck. Rick.

 

[samo_ott]

Re: getting a old clasic back in the water

Those are a common not highly desirable engine. Even running they are not worth much so hopefully you are fixing it as you want to use it, not to sell it. Is it electric shift? What is the model number? And you should read the top secret files at the top about awakening a sleeping outboard.

 

[donaldjoyner]

Re: getting a old clasic back in the water

The model is a rds-25d and I don't think it is electric shift it has a shift leaver on the side

 

[Chris1956]

Re: getting a old clasic back in the water

Those old 'rudes had a external metal box that contained the starter solenoid and voltage regulator. They also had connections for the keyswitch and ammeter.

If that box is missing, and the black point wires are unconnected, you will have spark provided the coils are good, the points are clean and gapped properly and the condenser is good. As was mentioned, these are cheap to repair, if they are faulty.

So if the compression is good, and she is manual shift, it might be worth a few bucks.

 

[donaldjoyner]

Re: getting a old clasic back in the water

Having a hard time getting the flywheel off any tricks I have two types of pullers but no luck the thing wont move

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: getting a old clasic back in the water

Hopefully you are using the harmonic balancer type of puller with the 1/4-20 , grade 8 or better bolts into the flywheel. Remove the flywheel nut, crank the puller tight, apply some penetrant and let it sit. Tighten it up again, then tap upwards on the lower edge of the flywheel using a piece of wood and a hammer. Be patient, but it will pop off. The flywheel gets torqued down to 100-105 ft-lbs or the flywheel key may shear.

Those manual shift motors are pretty well bulletproof and can be made into good reliable runners for about 150-200 bucks provided the compression is good and it shifts. If I was bringing it back to life to run on my boat, and I had no idea of the motor's history:
Replace coils, plug wires, boots, plugs, points and condensers.
Rebuild the carb. Replace all fuel lines. Try to get rid of the cork float.
Replace the water pump impeller
Drain and refill the gearcase oil and put new drain plug gaskets in. Re-seal the gearcase if it leaks.
Rewire the motor. I have no use for the generator (if it has one) and just use a deep-cycle/combo and keep it charged up. It is really simple (for me at least) to take out the old wiring and put the required new stuff on to run the starter, electric choke, and kill wires.

This may sound like a lot of work, but it can be done in one weekend if nothing disastrous happens.

 

[samo_ott]

Re: getting a old clasic back in the water

I concur with the above. Well said. If you can, use an impact on the flywheel puller... It'll make quick work of it. That is one thing I find on the 40's though, 105 ft lbs is friggin tight! And when they pop it'll scare the begeezus out of you!

 

[donaldjoyner]

Re: getting a old clasic back in the water

Tanks ill try that

 

[donaldjoyner]

Re: getting a old clasic back in the water

i got the fly wheel off and the points were new and shiney so i just cleaned the contact points and gave it a nother shot and it worked,so i gave it some gas and it fired.so what sould i do now i dont have a gas tank to see if it will run and idle and i did not change the impeler not sure what the next smart move would be without waisting money..

 

[kfa4303]

Re: getting a old clasic back in the water

The good news is that you've basically done the hardest part, which is getting the flywheel off. Now that you know the points are ok and the motor will turn over, make sure it has good compression in each cylinder. If the comp is ok, the rest is easy. Assuming that the compression is ok, it's worth it to go ahead and get a gas tank. You should be able to get a 6 gal., plastic tank and pump with OMC fitting for $40ish. Wally world sells them as well as boating stores. You want to run 50:1 fuel mix too. Now that you know the points are ok, you can strike them off the list. However, I would highly recommend new s'plug wires and plugs. I just changed mine and it made a HUGE difference. If you do decide to change them be sure you only used COPPER core wires, not modern automotive, graphite wires. You can get 7mm copper core wires from NAPA for about $3 a foot. You'll probably need 8ft worth (2 x 4ft lengths) to be safe, and a couple new boots. Be sure you twist them onto the coil posts too rather than just poking them on there too. With new wires and plugs along with the good points/condensers you essentially have an entirely new ignition system for less than $50. After that all you need to do is drop the LU and install an impeller and drain and fill the geracase. You can get one right here at iboats for about $25ish. Lots of threads on how to install them. Here's a great link that can walk you though bringing one of these old monsters back to life. Keep us posted. Good luck.


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