No Tell Tale?

[JENNIE116LOWE]

Hi, I know this sounds stupid but im still new to this old beauty, I got my 56 Evinrude bigtwin 30 running in the barrel but I don't see where the tell tale is coming out? I'm a little paranoid about running it with out proper cooling. Is the water outlet midway up the lower unit where my finger is or further down by the prop? Thanks jenny

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: No Tell Tale?

Yes, the only outlet that you would see is the one your finger is pointing at. The water should shoot out of that hole with a healthy force.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: No Tell Tale?

Just an observation...
Looks like the water in your barrel is a bit low.

I would raise it up to about the level that the lower unit meets the midsection.

 

[JENNIE116LOWE]

Re: No Tell Tale?

OK, so the bubbling I see in the barrel is exhaust?

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: No Tell Tale?

As "Roger" above suggests, if you have the water level low... raise it. The water pump sits just on top of the lower unit (bolt on section) and the pump is not self priming. The water level should be a few inches above that point.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: No Tell Tale?

That's right Jenny, the bubbles in the water are exhaust gas. You want to submerge the lower unit in the test tank until the water level is about 1-2 inches below the exhaust port you're pointing to in the pic. The motor will probably smoke like crazy and make the water really yukky, but that's normal and will go away when you're on open water. Here are some links to a vids of motors similar to yours running in a test tanks.

1956 Johnson 30 hp & 1956 15.5' Lyman Boat - YouTube
0261956 model 10hp Johnson Outboard running in Test Tank - YouTube
Vintage 1958 35hp Johnson running in test tank - YouTube

 

[JENNIE116LOWE]

Re: No Tell Tale?

OK I have pulled the lower unit twice to check impeller and started engine with no tell tale, the impeller is fine so I must have a clogged line? What to do now?

 

[JENNIE116LOWE]

Re: No Tell Tale?

OK I have pulled the lower unit twice to check impeller and started engine with no tell tale, the impeller is fine so I must have a clogged line? What to do now?

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: No Tell Tale?

There's no water coming out of that port at all?
You won't see a long steady fine "pee" stream like a modern outboard.

It should look like some one spitting out a mouth full of water while trying to make motorboat sounds.

 

[JENNIE116LOWE]

Re: No Tell Tale?

Yes no water at all, like I said I have checked the impeller twice and it is fine, when i got this motor a few months ago the first thing I did was replace impeller. The old impeller fins were in small crumbled pieces and the first time i tried to start there were small pieces of rubber that came out into the barrel. Could there still be a piece stuck inside? What would be the procedure to get it out?

 

[kfa4303]

Re: No Tell Tale?

HI Jennie there may be some pieces stuck in there. You can test by dropping the LU and holding a garden hose up to the copper water uptake tube. Turn the water on medium pressure. You should see water come out of the exhaust port. If you do not, then you have a blockage. If the passages are clear, then chances are the copper tube isn't lining up properly with the top of the impeller housing. It can be frustrating trying to get everything to line up just right, but it just takes trial and error.

 

[JENNIE116LOWE]

Re: No Tell Tale?

I hooked up the garden hose to the copper uptake tube and got water out of the exit hole but it seemed like it took a while and needed a lot of pressure. Put the lower unit back on and made sure the copper tube was inside the impeller housing and started it up with no tell tale. I then went and showed it to my local marine mechanic and he said I needed to pull the head off and look for a blockage? Is this going to be a difficult operation? Head gaskets are pretty cheap so that's not an issue, just want to make sure I can get it back together properly. I also noticed that i had a water leak from the cylinder head so I probably need to replace it anyway. When i get the cylinder head off how hard is it going to be to find a blockage? Thanks Jenny

 

[kfa4303]

Re: No Tell Tale?

Hello again Jenny. It's good that you got some water to come out, but there may still be a partial obstruction. You can also try removing the t-stat and pouring water down through the t-stat housing. It should also come out of the main exhaust port. Another tirck is to blow compressed air into the water uptake tube. If none of those help, you may need to pull the powerhead to gain access to the upper water uptake tube grommet. It can often become deformed/melt after years of dropping the lower unit. I think that's probably what your mechanic was referring to. However, unless the head gasket is blown, you shouldn't have to remove the head itself. I just removed the powerhead from my '66 20hp for the first time, and it wasn't too bad. Do you happen to have any pic/vids of water coming out of the exhaust with the hose hooked up?

 

[scottmm73]

Re: No Tell Tale?

Once you get the head off you will see the water jackets that surround the cylinders. Such as below.

The gaps you see around the cylinders are where the water flows. Be sure to use a flashlight to see deep into the block. I'm not sure if the old motors have it, but if they do, be sure to separate the head cover from the head to be sure there is no blockage there also.

 

[JENNIE116LOWE]

Re: No Tell Tale?

I pulled the head and found large chunks of old impeller inside the water jackets, no way these were going to get blown out. here are some pics. How do i prep the head for a new gasket? Also needs a decarb bad. I need to check the uptake water tube, the water jackets ant the exit tube. Is there any other places that impeller chunks could hide? Thanks Jenny

 

[kfa4303]

Re: No Tell Tale?

BINGO!!! There's your problem Good job getting it out. You're lucky none of the head bolts were frozen either. I'm at almost the same stage with my 20hp. You'll want to get a new head gasket and then dress the head. Here are some links that can walk you through the job. You'll want to re-torque the head bolts to the correct specs and in the correct pattern as well. I'll see if I can find the exact values. Here are some links and pics to check out in the mean time.



Small Girl Rebuilds Small Outboard, 2-stroke Johnson 15 hp, PART I - YouTube (cool all around series of vids)
http://forums.iboats.com/johnson-ev...-bolts-vintage-18-20hp-omc-motors-604338.html (link to my job in progress with some great diagrams and torque specs)

 

[JENNIE116LOWE]

Re: No Tell Tale?

I'm not sure what dressing the head means. Is there a link or tutorial than can explain it. Thanks Jenny

 

[nwcove]

Re: No Tell Tale?

hi Jennie, in kfa's first pic above, it gives the instructions, but i have never heard of "0" or "00" emery cloth....i just use 400 grit. ( wear gloves in case your piece of plate glass happens to break!)

 

[kfa4303]

Re: No Tell Tale?

"dressing" the head just refers to sanding/machining it to get the surface as smooth and level as possible prior to re-installation. You can see it being done in the first pic of my previous post as well as in part 2 or 3 of the vid link.

 

[JENNIE116LOWE]

Re: No Tell Tale?

Thanks KFA, great info.