Sears Ted Williams 9.9HP

[toadfuss]

I came to these forums a few months ago and I have to say thanks for all the help. I'm a new old outboard guy. I'm not a mechanic and I have trouble fixing a flat bike tire, I'm still learning the ins and outs- but I'm learning. I started out with 20 buck 1947 3.6 Firestone-Scott Atwater thats running nice and I have 2 more old timers found over the summer that are great. My proudest moment so far was finding a beat up and obviously kicked 5HP Eska on a beach near Algonquin Park,ON which some one with a temper had left for dead and I actually brought it back to life and it purrs - probably out of appreciation! Its my favourite motor now, good for trolling and light enough to put on a canoe.

I understand that repairs can be a bit of detective work and a bit of common sense but I'm hoping experience will make things come together a bit quicker so I'm here to pick your brains.

I purchased a Sears Ted Williams 9.9 HP in the early summer and didn't check it out properly (noob-excuse) at the time and eventually found a crack in the powerhead but it worked great except some fuel coming through at high speeds so I figured I would replace the powerhead instead of going up in flames on the water. But it also had water coming through the spark plugs which was caused by the the crack also, I'm guessing.

Anyways, I found a powerhead and me and a friend put the motor together a couple of days ago. It starts on the second pull everytime. It ran nice in the bucket but when I took it out on the lake it over heated and conked out a couple of times.

I need your advice and expertise on this situation- it would be appreciated.

Here's the motor's info:
Sears/Eska/Ted Williams 9.9
1974
Model Number 217.58711
Engine Number 380A

Let me describe what happens:

The tell-tale works fine at low speed and the water is streaming. When I go faster the telltale disappears(lessens) and I guess the water is supposed to go out the back exhaust(?- is that true), because the telltale disappears and after I continue the engine over heats and only steam comes out the telltale. The engine is really hot and I have to let it rest for a bit before I can continue.

Now, I'm thinking because the telltale operated normally at low speed the water system isn't blocked and the impeller if good, but if that is true could it be the theromostat?

If that is so, where would I find a new one. This is the same thing that occurred in the other power head to cause it crack, I think, because the same happened with the old one.I could be wrong.

Second Theory:
The other thing I'm thinking is maybe the fuel mixture is getting low, I'm near the bottom of the tank at the end of the season here( I'm storing the motor soon and I don't want to fill the tank- I got about a quarter tank left.) and I was wondering if that would cause overheating.


I tried Certified Parts Corp ( www.certifiedpartscorp.com ) but their webpage isn't working are there other places that might have the part? If you think its the thermostat.

If you go to the Sears webpage ( http://www3.sears.com ) ALL the parts are listed there but when you check out you get "We're Sorry. Due to unavailability, the following parts can not be ordered." Well, whattayaknow.

Anyways, please let me know what you guys think.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Sears Ted Williams 9.9HP

Don't run the motor to overheat or you will be rebuilding your block.
In my after market manual it doesn't appear to have a thermoostat.
No mention of it in trouble shooting.
Check the water intakes just below the antivent plate.Mud dubbers etc. love to build in little holes If it seems clear pull the lower unit and check the impeller and water passages.If you don't have a service manual you should have one.It will save you time agravation and money.Got my aftermarket manual for many brands below 30 hp off eBay about $15 plus postage.
I just tried Certified parts and it works.Impeller is listed though not specific on application.$33.

 

[toadfuss]

Re: Sears Ted Williams 9.9HP

Hey! thanks for the quick reply.

I have a manual and the reason I'll thinking thermostat is that they mention that some models have one above the pistons on the back. I'm going to check out the old powerhead later today to investigate this. There is something similiar to the one pictured in my manual.

Also, when I purchased the motor the previous owner had said he just replaced the impeller. I'm wondering if this was true, but impeller investigation is also on my list.

Some questions:

Would a mud dabbler block one cooling system and not another?
Are there 2 different systems for water cooling?
One for high speed and one for idling?

I have to also mention here that I am trying to go by the book with my repairs, literally:

Eska's Mechanic's Manual - Being un-mechanical there are spaces that I need to fill in the practice.

Outboard Motors- Maintenance and Repair - Jean-Luc Pallas - Its great for beginners because it explains whats going on - but experience helps.

and Cheap Outboards- The Beginner's Guide to Making an Old Motor Run Forever
Max E. Wawryniak. - Great writer, and he makes things seem easy.

I recommend these books to all beginners, but as I say experience is the best teacher. Which why I'm here.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Sears Ted Williams 9.9HP

Cooling system is pretty straight forward.No primary,secondary.If there is a thermostat the cover will probably loosely resemble that on a car in miniature.
that is one place to look for corrosion.You can run it with the cover off to see if water is reaching there.Water out the telltale only indicates pump is pumping.No indication if it is going through the system.

 

[toadfuss]

Re: Sears Ted Williams 9.9HP

I opened up the old engine powerhead to see what was actually there and there was nothing. An empty chamber above the pistons, no rust - just a chamber with some holes leading into it on either side. I guess some have the theromstat but this one doesn't. I did get a chance to take the lower leg off but not to look at the impeller, I'll do that tomorrow. But the pump casement was covered with greyish-brown gunk and grease. I didn't look up the shaft but I'm sure its dirty in there. Any suggestions as how to remove this stuff or is supposed to be there. My first instinct was to take a power washer to the thing or degrease the whole inside. The engine isn't fitted with one of those hose attachments that I've seem on other motors, but is there another way to flush the system in a motor like this?

So, if the pump is pumping there's a blockage somewhere. How can I investigate the route the water is taking and find the block?

One weird thing I notice was that around the water intakes on the lower leg the paint was scratched off and there was some wear to the metal surface surrounding these water inlets. Like it was sanded. It seemed strange. There wasn't any screening on them either. I figured there would have been something as a first line of defense against and foreign bodies entering the water system.

Thanks for all your help by the way.

 

[LXIX]

Re: Sears Ted Williams 9.9HP

Another thing you may want to check is your impeller, if it streams water at low speeds but not at high the impeller may be unseating or the fins may be warn out and not making enough contact with the pump housing walls at high speed to push the water.

Brian

 

[ezra55]

Re: Sears Ted Williams 9.9HP

does anyone know someone who might want one of these outboard motors for parts?

 

[freddyray21]

Re: Sears Ted Williams 9.9HP

standard impellers operate differently at idle and high speed. If the pump housing is worn or you have a gasket leak in the pump housing at idle it will pump fine, but at high speed it will suck air and not pump enough to keep the motor cool. He may very well have changed the impeller, but not the housing then you may have the air problem. Not real sure on those Eska's not well thought of motors. Very hard to find parts for in some cases.

 

[ezra55]

Re: Sears Ted Williams 9.9HP

I have a Ted Williams 9.9 Hp outboard motor thats in great shape but i need all the Electronics for the ignition. can anyone help me. the engine is in such great shape and it would be a shame to scrap it. even if i could find someone who needed other parts or what haveyou to keep this thing alive.

 

[freddyray21]

Re: Sears Ted Williams 9.9HP

ezra start your own thread. it is bad manners to hijack a thread. try sears for parts.

 

[ddg]

Re: Sears Ted Williams 9.9HP

Re: overheating --
Another possible cause of overheating is a compression leak from any cylinder into the water jacket. When this happens, exhaust displaces coolant water at the top of the cooling system. It can overpower the water pump.

This is general info to watercooled motors, and not specific to the Sears Tecumseh 9.9

 

[xlflatbottom]

Re: Sears Ted Williams 9.9HP

I'm not a professional outboard mechanic but have worked on a lot of things for app. 45 years. If the guy that replaced the impeller wasn't a mechanic the first thing I would do is take it apart and look. Heck even if he was a mechanic, nobody's perfect.