HELP!! 1961 Seahorse 5.5 CD-18

[61_Johnson]

Hello all!

Glad to find this forum, it seems really cool. Anyway, I acquired this johnson 5.5 free in a boat deal, so I thought I would tinker with it. I installed a new carb kit this week and it cranked on the 2nd pull! It ran good for a few minutes and then just quit like it seized up. I never put it in gear, it was in nuetral the whole time. Now, the prop shaft is "seized" and the motor seems to be seized also, I can't pull the rope. The lower unit is blue, like it came off of an evinrude. Is that possible to interchange evinrude/johnson lower units? Anyway, I'm lost and don't know what to do. I've got a seloc manual and a parts manual. Also, I can't figure out how to get the power head off to remove the LU, the manual is not very good. Thanks for listening, and any help would be appreciated.

 

[freddyray21]

Re: HELP!! 1961 Seahorse 5.5 CD-18

depends on a lot of things what is seized up. If you did not have it in water or if the impeller was bad it might not have been getting any water and you overheated the engine locking it up. If you did you got a free boat anchor. The lower unit could have not had in lube in it and it could have locked up. The power head comes off with about half a dozen or so screws on the bottom. A good manual will help.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: HELP!! 1961 Seahorse 5.5 CD-18

There should just be about 5 or 6 flathead screws around the bottome of the pan and maybe a couple of nuts on the base of the powerhead under the carb area. Maybe a big screw going in from the bottom. You may have to turn the transom bracket to see it. As for the seizing, while you were running it were you making SURE it was pumping water out the exhaust relief and feeling the head to make sure it was staying cool? If not, you probably overheated and possibly ruined your powerhead. those 5.5's are very tough, though, so don't give up. After you remove your powerhead and disconnect the shift shaft you can see what's going on. Yes, johnson and evinrude lower units are interchangeable.
You were running it in a barrel with PLENTY of water up close to the exhaust relief in the midsection, right? BTW, most folks recommend changing the water pump impeller on an unknown motor before ever cranking it.
Good luck,
JBJ

 

[61_Johnson]

Re: HELP!! 1961 Seahorse 5.5 CD-18

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I forgot to ad that when is was running it the water pump was working fine, that was the first thing I checked. I have taken the power head off now and it turns over now, so I feel like it is good. Now, as far as the lower unit goes, the shift shaft was bent, and maybe it is supposed to be, and there was a sizeable chunk of metal floating around in the lower unit. The gears seemed to look good, normal wear, no broken teeth or anything. Anyway, I think I might just look for a new lower unit. Any ideas on where to get one?

 

[freddyray21]

Re: HELP!! 1961 Seahorse 5.5 CD-18

the metal came from somewhere. Either gears, clutch dog or something. I have a set of gears and ect from a 1954 7.5, but don't know if they will work.