Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

[cr9c1]

I need some help with another outboard of mine. Its a Johnson 5.5HP Model CD-17. I'd like to know what year it is.

The actual help that I need though is this: The black plate that the choke lever and the mixture knob go through isnt securely attached on my motor. I know there is a brass bushing that goes over the low speed mixture screw that goes through the air silencer tubes, then the black plate slides on over that, then the mixture knob over that. However, it is still loose and I don't see what I'm missing here.

Maybe someone else with the proper experience can enlighten me on this. Its also missing the knob for the low speed adjustment. Anyone know where I could get one or someone have one they'd be willing to sell me?

On a side note, it has the 2 bladed "weedless" prop. I think it would work better on my particular application with a 3 bladed prop. Did they actually make a 3 bladed prop for these motors? It'll barely plain a small 14 foot aluminum boat, that one person could lift over they're head themselves, and thats with weight in the bow to keep the bow down. It just seems to me a 3 bladed prop would push it through the water better, and the pitch of the weedless propellers doesn't seem to be fit to my application.

 

[F_R]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

It is a 1960. If I have my remembering cap on right, it is supposed to have some coil springs between the plate and silencer to hold the plate out against the hood front.

They did a pretty good job of designing the standard prop for an all-purpose use. Anything beyond that is trial and error.

 

[cr9c1]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

Ah I see. I see the springs .. perhaps they have lost their tension. It seems the only thing holding that plate back would be the mixture knob, and that doesn't exactly "fit" very tight at all.

As for the prop, my feeling was the same however I wondered if they had different prop designs.

 

[cr9c1]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

I found that Michigan Props has a replacement, 3 blade, part number 012067. I can not however find a picture of this prop ANYWHERE on the internet.

If anyone has a Michigan 012067 propeller, which was used on 5.5-6hp from 1954-1965 I'd like to see a picture of it. Thanks in advance!

 

[samo_ott]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

Are you sure you have good compression and the engine is running well? My 5.5hp barely planes a 12' boat with a kid in it. It almost sinks with me in it! You might not get anymore out of it. And I believe they all came with the 2 blade prop.

 

[cr9c1]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

Mine will plain (to some extent) my 14 foot boat with me and a rock in the bow. It runs fairly decent, but I had to clean the carb out. Some fiber type gasket had disintegrated in the float bowl and was allowing pieces of it to chunk up the jets on the carb so thats all back together, all I have left to do is get a core plug and plug it back up. Then I can put it back together.

I figured a 3 bladed prop would give it a little better plaining ability.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

OK now, I'm pretty sure as stated the stock prop is very close to right for most applications.Going to a 3 blade is not the solution in fact it will probably slow you down.More blades more resistance.Stock prop is an 8 X 7 1/4.
What you need is to get rid of the rock move the tank forward and get yourself an extension handle so you can sit on the middle seat.We had a 12 ft flat bottomed steel boat W a 5hp
Gale (same as your motor)With the extension handle and a 180 lb driver it popped on plane easily (within 50 ft). With a 125 lb driver and 2 40lb kids it also planed easily.Of course the flat bottom gets up easier than yours but with careful setup I think yours should be close.Be sure you don't have the motor trimmed out too far.
I believe the 14 ft boat is an advantage because the larger area helps get the boat up.and the length helps get the bow down.You might get a smidge more by raising the motor vertically by putting 1/4 in sticks on the top of the transom.(Just be sure it pumps water).Raise it till just before ventilation becomes a problem.

 

[superflydudebike]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

Interesting. I also have the two blade prop on my 1972 6 HP Rude and am curious about more speed with a loaded 12' boat. Are you saying that by raising the motor slightly it will increase performance?

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

Ya need to go through that motor. Start with a decarb, check compression, carb clean, good spark, etc. I have a 5.5 CD 18 (61).
Zero prob with 2 people on a 12' Alum on plane. Prop won't help, as the one on there is fine. In fact, before I finally found a good 15hp longshaft for a kicker on my 25 foot 5000lb boat, I had it on that as a kicker. Had an ignition prob, motor quit, and that little 5.5 got me back to the slip, believe it or not.
It was/has been a work in progress though. First got it, it needed a coil. Put new points in too. Hard starter, but a good clean out, re set the float, new main jet/float bowl fiber washer cured that.
Then the gear case leaked like a sieve. It pumps good water, but the bolts holding the power head on are rounded off (need to pull it to get the shift shaft screw loose to pull the lower). So as long as its pumps water, thats not a prob yet.
So I went to plan "B". Had a 57 7.5 lower in good shape (same case). So I flipped it over, popped the lower case (you can pull the shift pivot pin this way, and everything will stay in place..simple even if something does move to get it back..just sits on the shift fork), found out that some amatuer was in there, and they never seated the front bearing carrier on the locating pin (front bearing tab was not in position either). Held together with Permatex and a prayer. Cleaned that all up, did it right, and now its a great little motor again. Never did have the front carb plate, but I just went out and looked at it. Seems ya just need a new (hardware store..cut to fit) spring on the Idle jet and choke maybe to hold it up against the cowling.

 

[cr9c1]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

The fiber washer that sits around the main jet fell apart when I took it apart to clean. What exactly is its function?

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

Interesting. I also have the two blade prop on my 1972 6 HP Rude and am curious about more speed with a loaded 12' boat. Are you saying that by raising the motor slightly it will increase performance?

Don't expect miricles out of a 6hp, but a 1" board under the clamp is a 1 minute experiment..just make sure you are still pumping water on plane

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

The fiber washer that sits around the main jet fell apart when I took it apart to clean. What exactly is its function?

Seals the main jet/float bowl so the carb will function properly...get a new carb kit..Any J/Rude dealer..

 

[steelespike]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

Interesting. I also have the two blade prop on my 1972 6 HP Rude and am curious about more speed with a loaded 12' boat. Are you saying that by raising the motor slightly it will increase performance?

Yes,if you raise it 1/4" at a time you can find the sweet spot just before ventilation becomes a problem.Results all depend on how low the motor is at the start.If you can gain an inch you would probably notice the difference.
Bigger motors can gain 2 to 3 mph.Raising the motor can make it slightly easier to plane as well.
What kind of load are you running?
If your pushing 3 adults (450lbs) planing is not likely to happen regardless of what prop you use.You could keep closer to normal wot rpm but won't change speed too much as pushing a boat at displacement speeds takes a lot to increase speed even a little.

 

[cr9c1]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

Okay I got a carb it and rebuilt the carb tonight. Its obvious I mis adjusted the float (by not adjusting it at all, oops) and forgot one packing washer behind each of the low and high speed screws.

However, I can't find in the kit which washer I'm supposed to put over the main jet that sits in the middle of the float. Anyone have a picture?

 

[F_R]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

It is a soft gasket, about 1/8" or so thick. Fits onto the brass main nozzle. Without it, the fuel and/or air is allowed to bypass the high speed jet.

 

[cr9c1]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

Ok. I saw a picture of a carb rebuilt on the net and it looked like one was a red washer and then over that a small round thing that slides over the main jet and just sits there.

So is there a soft red fiber type washer and then the 1/8th in thick one or ?

I got a bunch of pieces I didn't need in my kit so Im at a loss right now.

 

[cr9c1]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

Ok. Got it together, all right as far as I can tell. (Carb)

Took it out to the lake today. I made some preliminary adjustments in a barrel before I took it out to try it.

It seems to me that the high speed runs best when the high speed mixture is screwed all the way in. Any other way it doesn't seem to run right at all. This doesn't seem normal to me, but perhaps it is? Anyone else care to chime in? All my motors in the past only had low speed adjustment so I'm not sure at all but as it stands its wound in right now as far as it will go.

I put two packing washers in each low speed and high speed needle. I wasn't able to tighten the high speed bushing all the way because the needle wouldn't turn if I did. Same on the low speed.

It seems to run ok, it planed my 14 foot boat with just me, a 3 gallon tank of fuel and a 30 pound rock in the bow. With two people, two coolers full of ice and beer, it seemed to do alright for a 5.5HP, but having that high speed screwed all the way in concerns me.

Someone please chime in and give me some input here.

 

[cr9c1]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

Also too, I've been running 50:1 mixture, but apparently this motor needs 24:1.

Should I be running 24:1, and could this explain the high speed mixture needing to be bottomed out?

 

[F_R]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

Yes, 24:1 is called for.
Either your high speed needle isn't really screwed all the way in or you are still leaking around the main nozzle. Or the hole where the high speed needle seats into is all buggered up.

 

[cr9c1]

Re: Johnson 5.5HP CD-17 help needed

Interesting.

I made especially sure all the holes were clean through and through, and that no dirt or grime got in during reassembly. I did find the right gasket to go over the main jet and seal up when the bowl is screwed back down.

I figured the mixture being leaner is why I needed the high speed needle in all the way. It runs great this way, no hiccups or stalls or nothing. Smooth from idle to full throttle.

I verified also that the high speed needle is in all the way and bottomed out.