new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

[registeroot]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

hey kfa. i wasnt sure if they would work. they are 7mm diameter copper. the original wires were 7mm, with about 2mm of copper wire in them, and 5mm of insulation around them. but these babys are 7mm copper. i thought maybe they would have too much resistance or i dont know what , but i have spark so i guess they work!.
the spark plug caps are from the local car parts shop, they are NGK and they fit real well.my new spark plugs complete the setup! SPARK! hahahahah.
next step fuel tank, gear lubricant and pull it!

 

[kfa4303]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

Hello again registerroot. I'm not electrical pro, but I've never seen anyone use wires with that much copper. While they should be 7mm, you really only want/need them to have the 2mm copper core + 5mm insulation as you described. I'm afraid that yours will get very, very hot as your motr runs for long periods of time. I've been able to buy it at NAPA and Carquest for about $3 a foot, but other autoparts stores may have them too, or you can get them right here at iboats and/or a local OMC dealer. You'll probably have to get a couple of crimp on 90 degree spark plug wire terminals and boots too. They shouldn't be more than $5, or so.

 

[registeroot]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

yeah im not sure about it. you think they will resist too much? i thought as long as they worked they will be fine.
the red boots i have on them can come off the wires easily enough.

 

[registeroot]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

ok. i took the plunge, reassembled the flywheel, filled the gearbox with lube, bolted on the recoil and pulled it.
it would hardly budge. two hans and it moves very slowly.
i removed the recoil, and tried to pull start it with a rope. no change. it spins freely enough with the plugs removed.
is it possible to have too much pressure in there?
not sure what the problem is?
any ideas?

 

[AlTn]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

how difficult was it to pull through before you begin this work?...common causes are coils too close to the flywheel and are rubbing...impeller to pump body friction from not lubing the impeller vanes or impeller incorrect for application..lower unit binding.
Too much compression?..unlikely...possible I guess if the head has been shaved too much or too often
A 40 hp. is gonna be a hard pull anyway.

 

[registeroot]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

i know it will be hard to pull. but not this hard. the impellor was replaced by me, its greased up massively. besides it pulls better with the plugs out?

 

[registeroot]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

btw, can everybody else see the pictures in this thread? i cant anymore???

 

[F_R]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

The site is in maintenance mode. That's why the pictures don't show. If your motor spins easy with the plugs out but difficult with them in, that's just compression. Normal and necessary. I wish the pictures could be seen, I wonder what you put in there for wires. Is the copper conductor 7MM? Wow. Aren't they awfully stiff? They have to flex easy when you operate the throttle. BTW, large wire has less resistance than thin wire, not more.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

I remember that the new wires looked like very large copper speaker wire that you would use in a professional car audio system. It guess they were 7mm, but they seemed to be solid, braided copper with very little insulation, rather than the wires I'm used to seeing which are mostly insulation with a relatively small copper core. Good catch on the resistance. Same water (current) bigger pipe (wire), therefore less resistance. (would that effect the spark enough to keep it from firing properly?) That old 40 is gonna be tough to pull over with both plugs in, but as F_R said, that's a good thing. You want/need that compression for proper detonation.

 

[registeroot]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

thats good to hear thanks guys. ill bolt the engine to thr transom and try again. couldnt get a good pull on it on my stand.
the wires were 7mm copper from an electronics shop and actually very flexible. they sparked the plugs when i pulled the flyeheel with a rope and the plugs out.

 

[registeroot]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

ok i fixed my recoil starter with some new tension springs. very pleased.
i still cant pull this engie over.
i pulled it no problem with both plugs removed to check for spark again. also i noticed that i dont have to pull it too hard to get spark.

but i just cant pull it hard enough!

i have tried loosenig the plugs to ease the compression but still no good.

i have still not bolted it to the transom tough, so im hoping i can get a better 2 handed pull at it when i do.
also one of the threaded holes is broken on my transom bracket. can these be replaced easily if i can find one on ebay??

pics

 

[registeroot]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

also when i was pulling it with the plugs out to check for spark, i got a lot of yellow/brown fuel running from the carb. i had the choke on. is this a problem?

 

[kfa4303]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

HI root. Don't worry too much about the fuel. It's not uncommon for a bit of fuel to leak out of the front of the carb when it is choked. Although, I'm not sure why it would be yellow/brown. Mine has sort of a bluish cast because of the type of oil I add, but yours may be different. Glad you got a nice strong spark too. As for getting it running, It sounds like you have compression, spark, and fuel so you just got get her spinning fast enough to fire up. If you don't have a starter that can do it, you'll need to hit the gym, or find someone with a strong back and weak mind to help you out It should help once the motor is firmly and securely attached to a mount or transom. I have to give my 20 hp a pretty stout pull to get her going, so I'm assuming that big 40 hp is gonna take a bit of effort too. You may also want to try squirting a bit of fuel/oil mix into each cylinder before you fire it up. This can "prime" the pump and help get it to fire a few times. Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

[registeroot]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

OK KFA thanks man. ill give it a good go when it is bolted on to the transom. i think once i start it for the first time it will get easier. i think the ywllow/brown stuff is old fuel maybe. the 2 stroke oiil i add to the petrol is also purple/blue.
ill let yall know what happens.

 

[kkoors]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

The audio wires you used for the plug wires are normally used for running a fairly high current at 12v. Spark plug wires carry a small current at a very high voltage (~20kv, iirc). The reason for so much insulation on spark plug wires is that the voltage is so high that it will jump an air gap (in the spark plug). If that thin insulation gets weakened anywhere the wire will short out. Add this to the fact that the plug wires move with the throttle, it won't be long before the insulation gives out and you have a spark somewhere under the cowl. Best case is you'll lose the fire on that plug. Worst case would be a little boom under the cowling.

Given how cheap plug wires are and how much time you are investing in this, I would change it over to the correct wires.

 

[AlTn]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

concerning the hard pull....the motor is in neutral, right?..you can spin the prop in either direction?...sounds like a dumb quaestion, and it probably is...just thought I'd throw it in

 

[registeroot]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

The audio wires you used for the plug wires are normally used for running a fairly high current at 12v. Spark plug wires carry a small current at a very high voltage (~20kv, iirc). The reason for so much insulation on spark plug wires is that the voltage is so high that it will jump an air gap (in the spark plug). If that thin insulation gets weakened anywhere the wire will short out. Add this to the fact that the plug wires move with the throttle, it won't be long before the insulation gives out and you have a spark somewhere under the cowl. Best case is you'll lose the fire on that plug. Worst case would be a little boom under the cowling.

Given how cheap plug wires are and how much time you are investing in this, I would change it over to the correct wires.

ok . i think i will change them. just in case. btw, what would the 'little boom' be?

 

[registeroot]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

also it pulls fine now. i pulled it out of the boat, with the pull chord at shoulder height.

 

[AlTn]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

good deal on the pulling issue

 

[oldybutagoody]

Re: new to me 40hp johnson 1969? stuck in gear

I would agree that the audio wires should be replaced with proper solid copper core 7mm SPARKPLUG wires. I found Tracker Supply sells a box of six for about $15.