Re: old wards sea king identification help
What a coincidence! I just this weekend finished refurbing one of these for a buddy who's retiring and bought a 12' aluminum rowboat to go fishing with. Here's the writeup I gave him with the motor, written 2 days ago:
This is a 1948 5HP Gale outboard motor model 2W7. It is made by Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC), the parent company of Evinrude and Johnson outboards. It uses many (but not all) Johnson and Evinrude parts. Gales were made in the old Johnson factory in Galesburg, Illinois. They were sold as Gale motors at private hardware and sporting goods stores that did not have Johnson or Evinrude dealerships. They were also sold as Buccaneer, Sea Bee, Champion, and (like this one) Sea King by Montgomery Wards. The Sea King model number is 84GG014A.
This is a twin-cylinder water-cooled 2-stroke motor. It is way better than the one-cylinder air-cooled outboards made by Eska and sold as Ted Williams or Eska or Golden jet or dozens of other names into the 1980?s. Avoid those things unless they?re really cheap. OMC?s are more powerful for the weight, quieter, cooler, smoother running, and tougher. These old Gale 5HP motors are still highly sought after by duck hunters and fisherman who want a solid, dependable outboard for their boats that they use on small lakes and backwaters. It is ideal for a 12? rowboat or jon boat. A runner like this will fetch about $200-$300 on eBay, plus shipping, so take care of it. It is NOT old junk.
GAS: I mix the fuel and oil at 24:01. You can mix it at 32:01 if you want it to smoke less, since modern oil is way better than the stuff they sold in 1948. Use a ?TCW? (Twin Cylinder Water-cooled) rated two stroke outboard oil. They sell it anywhere. Wal-Mart?s fine. Do NOT use a 50:01 mix or you?ll burn it up. You can use ?50:01? oil but don?t mix it at 50:01. This motor has brass bushings, not roller bearings or needle bearings. It needs oil. It will smoke. They do that.
IGNITION: Use Champion J6J or J6C sparkplugs gapped at .030. No other brand will do. No generic ?marine? sparkplugs! This motor has old sparkplugs in it. They are fine. No reason to replace stuff that works. Under the flywheel are the points, coils, and condensers. Don?t mess with them unless you have a manual. The coils are not as ?hot? as newer styles but they last for decades. The points are the same way. This motor has good ones; I spec?d them out. A modern outboard shop would probably scratch their heads looking at this old style setup. If it loses spark you?ll need someone with an old manual and common sense. It?s a good setup, but it?s different than modern ones.
CARBURATOR: This is about the simplest carburetor there is. One jet. No choke. Turn the knob all the way to the left and it depresses a plunger that forces the float down and primes the carb. Let the knob go and it will spring back to its richest setting. As you turn the knob clockwise you set the jet leaner and leaner.
THROTTLE: Duh ? it?s a lever on the front of the motor. It opens the throat on the carb and it advances the magneto as you push it from slow to fast. Very simple. All the way to the left grounds the points and shuts the motor off.
GEARBOX: This is a direct drive motor. No neutral or reverse. You start it in gear and go. To go in reverse you turn the whole motor around on its mount. Very simple. The gearbox is currently filled with assembly grease. I had it apart so I was able to pack grease in there. Normally you unscrew the drain plug on that bulge that the propeller shaft comes out of, drain the oil, and refill it with 80W-90W hypoid gear oil. They sell that stuff everywhere, too. There?s a bleeder screw on the other side of the drain plug that you take out to let air in so the oil will drain. You should takes the drain plug out about mid-summer and tip the motor and see if any water comes out. You don?t want water in there to rust the gears. Drain it and fill it with fresh gear oil if there?s water. If nothing comes out and you can see coffee-colored gear grease then there?s no water getting in and the assembly grease is keeping things lubed so just leave it alone. If the assembly lube has melted a bit and the gearbox isn?t full then you can top it off with some hypoid gear oil. Be sure to check the gearbox oil at the middle and end of every season.
WATERPUMP: This motor has a ?wobble pump? with a rubber ?rotor? attached to the prop shaft instead of the now-common impeller style pump on the driveshaft. Those rubber rotors are hard to find. I dressed the old one up with a file and it pumps water fine. When the motor is running there should be spit coming out of the louvered vent a third of the way down the ?leg? on the propeller side. That?s the water outlet. Keep an eye on the outlet and listen to the motor as it runs. If it ?bogs down? and starts running slow and then quits then it may be overheating due to bad water circulation. That is the leading cause of death for old outboards. They quit pumping water and people run them anyway and they burn them up. Pay attention to how the motor is running! It is not a lawnmower. To get 5HP out of something this light it needs to be water cooled. Period.
TO OPERATE: Starting instructions are on the transom mount. Basically you open the vent on the gas cap, open the fuel petcock, turn the throttle to Start, prime the carb for 10-20 seconds by turning the carb adjust knob all the way counterclockwise and holding it there, and then leave the carb adjust knob at its rich setting. After the motor is running you slowly move the carb adjust knob clockwise (to lean) until the motor runs at its best. When it starts ?sneezing? you?re too lean ? turn it back counterclockwise a bit. You?ll find the sweet spot where it runs at its best with the least smoke and most power. When you?re done for the day, close the fuel petcock. I usually leave the gas cap vent open because the gas expands & contracts as the temperature changes. I close it when I?m transporting the motor.
NOTES: I did not change the starter rope. It may last a long time or it may break right away. Bring a screwdriver with you and if the rope breaks you can take the starter recoil off and there?s an emergency pawl underneath to wrap a piece of anchor rope or broken starter rope around and start it to get home. If you hear rattles it?s most likely the cowls or the gas cap. Tighten them. When you take the boat out of the water it should pee out of the little holes in the leg. If it doesn?t they?re clogged. Poke them clear with a toothpick. To store it for the winter close the fuel petcock and run it until the carb?s out of gas. Mixed gas left in the carb will evaporate and clog the jet & float valve. Enjoy!
