Golden Meteor

[S.A. Baker]

Johnson Meteor

Today my step father in-law dragged home from an auction an old glass Mariner runabout with this outboard on it. Johnson Meteor V-4 electromatic 100 hp. Anybody know anything about these? The ser no. is J2657553.. ... mod no. V4ML-12R . Early sixties? How does the shift mechanism work? Has OMC elect tilt. Any info on this old dog would be appreciated! I know the boat is old enough it has no coast guard placard with any info on it.

 

[oldboat1]

Pics would be fun if you can do it, S.A. Passed on one of those a bunch of years ago, and wish now I had messed with it. I'll just look on.

 

[S.A. Baker]

Yeah....well I'm techno challenged ...not a clue how to do pics with just this dumb I-phone.

 

[S.A. Baker]

For starters it's stuck ....somewhere.... Flywheel s so rusty it could be that ...or cyls. Not sure it's even worth wasting time investigating! Lots of corrosion and mouse chewed wiring on engine. It has one cable going from control unit to engine . Control moves....nothing on engine does! ...and prop stays in neutral. That's where I assume the mystery elec shift part comes in!

 

[S.A. Baker]

Anyone kno anything about these? Johnson 100 hp Golden Meteor V-4 electromatic . Tried the Johnson forum days ago ....no replies. Some one must know about these! Years made etc. I'm guessing it's very early 60's vintage. Mod no. is V4ML-12 R. Ser no. is J2657553. Anyone have any info? Like how the heck does this electric shift work? Only has one control cable and throttle does not open up when lever is advanced. Prop stays in neutral. Not familiar with this set up...and I need the year. Thanks!

 

[hardwater fisherman]

Year is 1966.

 

[steelespike]

66 -68 models are somewhat different than the older models.You will definitely need a reprint factory service manual
that may be available here at iboats.It's also possible special tools may be needed for disassembly and assembly.
2 electromagnetic coils activate the forward and reverse gears. only 2 wires go to the gear case.If it refuses to shift there may be no voltage present.
Special OMC type C lube is used.
The after market ser. manual has 14 pages covering the 90 and 100 hp motors not really enough.You need the reprint factory manual mentioned that should be available here at iboats.

 

[jbcurt00]

SA, try not to start multiple topics about the same problem in multiple forums.

I know it can be frustrating to ask a question and wait for replies, but sometimes it takes longer for the right person to open and read a topic.

I merged the 2 topics about your Meteor and keft them in the Johnson forum. IMO, its the best place for you to get replies.

In the future, if you'd post again to the inital topic a:

Bump

Or a

BTTT

reply in your topic, it will move your topic back to the top of the list of recent topics. Try that once or twice, and if you decide you'd like to try asking the same question in another forum, PM a moderator and ask them to move it.

Thanks

Steele's right, a factory service manual would be invaluable.

Thanks

 

[racerone]

That is an excellent motor to own.--------High horsepower with conventional battery / coil / points ignition.---Near bullet proof electric shift lower unit.--All easy to work on with few special tools required.

 

[S.A. Baker]

Is the elec shift initiated in the control unit itself when you move the lever then? I piddled around with it a bit yesterday. It was very minor stuck...a bit of WD-40 in the spark plug holes freed It right up. Starter is either rusted up or shorted out, and the starter solenoid is non functional. Apparently this thing sat out unprotected for a long time. Thanks guys....

 

[racerone]

There is a switch in the throttle control---Puts 12 volts to green for forward and 12 volts to blue for reverse.---Despite what some will say those electric shift units were very good and rugged,---Same gear housing as the 245 hp sterndrive units,---Note , same housing but not the same gears.

 

[S.A. Baker]

Ahh....thanks! I did notice a wire harness going down the leg . Quite a bit differnt than all my other old stuff. But not that tough to sort out I don't think. My newest outboard is a 1975 model.

 

[F_R]

Let's start at the beginning. You asked if anybody knows anything about them. I do. racerone does. Several other people do also. Then you go on to describe all the ills it has--stuck, mouse damage, won't shift, etc, etc. And we start to think why are you messing with that junker. Those were very good motors for their time, but restoring one can be very expensive. Condition is everything. Condition is everything. Condition is everything. Shall I add completeness? At least you have the remote control, which contains a shift switch. Those shift switches are getting rare, and if you do find a new one, they run in the neighborhood of $400. Carburetor repair kits are also rare and expensive. Likewise, the wiring.

So, trying not to be too wordy, if you expect or want to restore it anyway, go ahead and do it. But expect it to be a labor of love, and hang the expense.

As for your questions, try to ask specific ones, not "How does this motor work". I doubt anybody here is going to sit and write out a service manual for you.

But I'll try to answer your question about the electric shift. The lower unit contains two gears rotating in opposite directions any time the motor is running. Selecting forward or reverse sends an electrical voltage to one of two electric clutches, and the selected one connects its associated rotating gear to the propeller shaft, which in turn causes the shaft to rotate in the same direction as the selected gear/clutch. One bit of warning here: NEVER send a voltage to both clutches at the same time. Doing so will cause both clutches to engage and try to rotate the propeller shaft in both directions at the same time, which of course is a physical impossibility. When that happens, either the motor must instantly stop running, or something is going to break.

Possibly not what you wanted to hear, but hope this is some help.

 

[S.A. Baker]

F_R... Thanks for the electric shift explanation. As far as why bother?....I'm retired ,not much else to do! I have made progress already. Yeah, lots to fix ,but there's no rush. I was a service tech in the powersports industry for 42 yrs. I am a master at repairing anything with nothing! ....once I figure out how it is supposed to work! The electric shift is about all I wasn't sure of. I worked on a few of the V-4's in the 60's....maintaining the ski boats at a resort marina I worked at...but no elec shifts..and that was LONG ago ! Thanks for the input..... Steve