old 5.5hp that runs great till in gear...

[zuke]

i got this old johnson evinrude 5.5 out board, i took the carb apart and cleaned it all out, changed spark plugs, then changed out oil in shaft with kit from walmart...<br />it ran great. i was using an old tank that came with it, the one with the air and gas lines to it. i took it to lake it ran ok, then i put it in gear and it ran for about 5 mins then stopped. everyone i talked to said it was lack of fuel... so i bought this fuel pump that some website said was for this motor. i hooked it up and it ran even better at home. then i took it to the lake and it started right up, but as soon as i put it in gear it ran for about 5 minutes and got me a ways out, then just died...<br />is there something i should know about this old motor? and what do i do with the mixture knobs? lean/rich high speed slow speed. if it idles great, shouldnt it run great?<br /><br />thanks for any help you can give.

 

[MCM]

Re: old 5.5hp that runs great till in gear...

Welcome to the forum zuke, Maybe if you post the model#, yr. etc. it would help. I think the 5.5 were made from about 1954-1964 which leaves a lot of open ground as far as your problem goes.

 

[fireman57]

Re: old 5.5hp that runs great till in gear...

Zuke, welcome to iboats. Sounds like it may be overheating. I say this because it happens in about 5 minutes each time. Check or better yet change your water pump if you don't know the last time it was done. Also make sure that your tank is holding pressure. you may have a bad seal on it.

 

[R.Johnson]

Re: old 5.5hp that runs great till in gear...

There is no fuel pump for this engine. The engine supplies pressure to that double line fuel tank, thats' what feed's the fuel. Can you keep the engine running by pumping the primer on the fuel tank? By the way! where did you find a place to hook up that fuel pump?

 

[zuke]

Re: old 5.5hp that runs great till in gear...

the fuel pump... there was this little glass bulb that the fuel went to.. i took that off and put that air driven fuel pump there... i took the air line and put in the air input and hooked up the fuel lines accordingly... as far as the tank having a bad seal, this new tank doesnt have a air input so i unscrew the vent plug to ensure proper fuel flow... and as far as over heating... the last lake trip it ran for about 10 minutes or so, then stopped, when i pumped the primer the gas/oil evaperated out of the carb intake...

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: old 5.5hp that runs great till in gear...

Ok zuke, it sounds like you've got a pre '60 5.5hp withouth the fuel pump (as R.Johnson said) and you've now attached a fuel pump to it using the pressure line off the intake manifold just under the carb.<br /><br />Is that right? A model # here would help tonnes. If it is, you've partially converted from pressure tank to single line. Which tank have you got? If it's a single line tank (which I think it is, since you say it's new), you're almost done. You've just got to defeat a check valve that's cramping your style. Have a look here:<br /> http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/05/columns/max/5/index.cfm

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: old 5.5hp that runs great till in gear...

If you've added a fuel pump, then you have to make the air feed a one-sided source and allow it to pulse in AND out. If you just added the air line that used to feed the pressure tank, then you've got an air pulse going out only...<br /><br />- Scott

 

[zuke]

Re: old 5.5hp that runs great till in gear...

thanks paul... that website seems to have the info i need and describes the problem i am having because i didnt remove the check valves and other things it says, i will retry the pump install with the new info...<br />thanks, ill let you know how it goes in a few days...

 

[Solittle]

Re: old 5.5hp that runs great till in gear...

If you have fuel comming out the carb when you squeeze the primer you have a carb problem. Rebuild and adjust it. Use the search at the top of the page and/or get the shop manual.

 

[jahughes]

Re: old 5.5hp that runs great till in gear...

I second the water pump suggestion, even if the fuel pump is the source of the current problem.<br /><br />Also if you follow SoLittle's excellent advice on getting the manual, you'll find in there an explanation and proccedure for setting the high/low speed fuel mixtures. Get that dialed in and you'll be surprised at the power you'll get from this little guy.

 

[mikeyzx2]

Re: old 5.5hp that runs great till in gear...

And then you can meet me at a neutral site and have a go against me and my Merc Super 5 when I get it running (very soon!) <br /><br />I really hope you enjoy that little motor, and don't let the old motor bug bite you too hard. I can say I'm totally thrilled with my project so far. Heed these guys' advice, especially about the manual. <br /><br />Time to face the OMC firing squad.......