need a head for a 1969 johnson 40hp

[C0Y0TE]

I have a 1969 40hp johnson, serial#J3024112,Model#40EL-69R,it has blown the top sparkplug threads out and already had an insert when i got it,motor ran great ,but i cant seem to find the same head ,mine has a thermostat,i have found a 33 hp head without the thermostat ,rather keep it original.<br />thanks for any help !<br />C0Y0TE

 

[CATransplant]

Re: need a head for a 1969 johnson 40hp

Check tcoutboard.com or any of the other outboard used parts outlets. They'll have one.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: need a head for a 1969 johnson 40hp

Oddly enough, new cylinder heads are also available for that model. I found one at ishopmarine.com. $193.47. Ouch!

 

[C0Y0TE]

Re: need a head for a 1969 johnson 40hp

thanks ,been looking the internet over and over ,never seen that site ,going now!

 

[C0Y0TE]

Re: need a head for a 1969 johnson 40hp

yea,ouch!

 

[C0Y0TE]

Re: need a head for a 1969 johnson 40hp

only got a $175.00 in the motor ,and it was used in fresh water only.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: need a head for a 1969 johnson 40hp

I'm sure you can find a good used one. As long as it doesn't have stripped plug holes and isn't corroded too badly, it should work out OK. I know that tcoutboards.com has almost exclusively motors that were used in freshwater, since they're in Minnesota. You can expect to pay about half of the new price there, though.<br /><br />From the sound of it, you got a decent motor for the money. It's definitely worth fixing up.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: need a head for a 1969 johnson 40hp

EDIT: Whoops! Re-read your post. <br /><br />Oh well, I'll leave this part:<br /><br />The 33hp head will not work, as the bore diameter is different, and like you said it's not configured with a thermostat. Totally different head in other words.<br />Best to surface the head before you reinstall it to make sure it's flat. Do not plane it though.<br />Head bolt torque is 180 inch/lbs. Do not use a ft/lb reading wrench since they're too inaccurate this low. This is the head-bolt pattern (go in three rounds, 1/2, 3/4 and full torque):<br />7----8<br />3| o |4<br />2 -- 1<br />6| o |5<br />10---9<br />After a heat-up-cool-down cycle, retorque the head gasket (it will need it).

 

[C0Y0TE]

Re: need a head for a 1969 johnson 40hp

it seems to push my 16 ft johnboat real well

 

[C0Y0TE]

Re: need a head for a 1969 johnson 40hp

paul ,i guess you didn't read the part where i said it had an insert put in it ,not helicoil ,it blowed the insert out ,which i think should be better than helicoil.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: need a head for a 1969 johnson 40hp

Yeah, I get you now.<br /><br />Keep an eye on ebay, they pop up all the time. Use these search arguments:<br />(40, 40hp) (evinrude, johnson) head<br />There's none right now except for a modern one. You need one from a '60-70 Johnson/Evinrude 40hp only. Also, if you can locate your local outboard junkyard, you're sure to find piles of them there. That was a very popular outboard.<br />Also, I think marinepartsoutlet dot com is near you.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: need a head for a 1969 johnson 40hp

Paul,<br /><br />Here's a question: When did they drop the compression release valves on those heads. My RDS-20 has them, and I think the '59 RDS-21 had them, as well. Did they go away when they went to 40hp in 1960?<br /><br />Seems like it was a fairly trouble-free thing, and it sure makes the 35 easier to start manually.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: need a head for a 1969 johnson 40hp

I don't know exactly. There were 40hp engines equipped with them, but they seem to have disappeared in the early '60s ('63 or thereabouts?) In the later years they were just on some of the 40s - like the Big Twin but not the Lark.<br />I have no idea why they gave up on it. Perhaps they wanted to encourage sales of the upscale electric-start units. Eventually, they dropped the rewind pull-starts from the electric start 40s.<br />On my 33hp, I'm debating whether to find a 35hp compression relief head & link, or to drop the entire manual start system. I think I'm going for a leaned down look on that one, but I havn't decided yet.<br /><br />That's one thing Coyote should look out for though that I overlooked. For simplicity try to find one without the compression relief. They can be identified easily by the obvious turning shaft that runs down the back of them.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: need a head for a 1969 johnson 40hp

Paul,<br /><br />I've seen a couple of those heads on eBay recently. There was a guy breaking a 59 35hp about a week ago. Stuff could still be on there. I debated buying some parts, but I don't really need them, so I passed.<br /><br />Seems like someone's breaking a 35 most of the time on eBay. I believe you'll have to buy the recoil as well, since it has the link to the shaft that opens the valves. No big deal, but another part to obtain.<br /><br />OTOH, I've actually never used the rope start on my 35, except to see if it actually would work. It does, but I doubt I'll need it. In fact, I'm more likely to fire up the kicker if the 35 won't start, anyhow.<br /><br />You could just strip off the recoil unit altogether and lose a few pounds on your 33, I'd think.<br /><br />On another note, I remember my dad rope starting his 59 Fat Fifty. Not a pleasant operation, as I remember.