vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

[cyberrkatz]

Hello to all
Ok I have this 1953 2 hp elgin outboard
and was wondering if anybody could tell what the tourq of this motor may produce or what kind of speed I could expect to get out of this motor.

 

[F_R]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

Hello to all
Ok I have this 1953 2 hp elgin outboard
and was wondering if anybody could tell what the tourq of this motor may produce or what kind of speed I could expect to get out of this motor.

Beats rowing.

 

[Ned L]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

Actual torque would be irrelevent and have no bearing on the performance of the boat you put the outboard on. As for speed, it will push a small boat (lightweight & up to maybe 14') at about hull speed (4 - 5 knots at best if you are lucky). Or, as F_R said, beats rowing (really, a fair bit better).

 

[steelespike]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

2 of us use to ride with a little old lady in her 1940s 12' steel boat we were
about 60Lbs she about 125.It was like rowing and faster than you would want to row for any distance.It was fun to look over the side and watch the river bottom go by.Probably would have been in about 53.

 

[cyberrkatz]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

I am going to use this motor on a 10 ft jon boat.
currently using a small 32 ft lbs trolling motor.
do you think it would be better than the trolling motor?
with the trolling motor I carry 2 68 pound deep cycle batteries.
The motor only weighs 35 lbs. so it's got to be an advantage to just use this motor.
Thanks for your input
Cyberrkatz

 

[Ned L]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

You should see quite an increase in performance over an electric trolling motor (though you will loose quite a bit in the 'quite' operation aspect).

 

[cyberrkatz]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

Thanks Ned
I just got the elgin in the mail today.
This thing is very hard to start will start and run for about 3 sec then boggs out and stops. will have to keep trying hope I can get to run to see how much better it will be than a elect. trolling motor.
Thanks Cyberrkatz

 

[steelespike]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

If your motor hasn't been in routine operation right along you probably will need to go through the fuel system with attention to cleaning.
Especially the passages and jets on the carb.
Have you worked on an outboard before?Are you mechanically inclined?

 

[Ned L]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

As Steelespike said, I'd go throught the carburetor. All you need is a $1.50 can of spray carburetor cleaner, a screwdriver, wrench, & a bit of time (hour or so). Dis-assemble the carburetor completely, and spray the cleaner through all the passages. When you unscrew the main needle valve (the 'rich - lean' knob on the front) I find it a good idea to either carefully count the number of turns required to completely (but gently) close the needle valve (and write it down for reference), OR carefully count the number of turns required to remove the needle valve (and wriite it down for reference). This way you can easilly get the setting beck to roughly where it belongs when you re-assemble it. Just take your time & don't force things, a single edge razor blade may help separate things & save the original gaskets.That is a simple little outboard & should be easilly put back in good runing condition. (I picked one up last fall for $15 that had been sitting outside with no cap on the tank for at least a couple of years. Went throught the carb. & it starts on the first pull & idles nicely). Good luck.

 

[cyberrkatz]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

To Steelespike and Ned L
Yes I can work on outboards some. not a pro by no means but like you stated it seems to be a simple motor. I installed a new spark plug added the
lead additive and got the air cooled oil mix correct pulled the rope and about the 4th pulled it ran....... but only will run with the choke on full and has a very small back fire but does'nt seem too bad. I do think that a complete carb cleaning is next. And then probally clean the points up a bit. Do you know if you can get carb gaskets for this motor? Or do you have to make them out of a sheet of gasket paper.
Thanks for all of your help and Input
Cyberrkatz

 

[steelespike]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

It is a tillotson carb MD series (MD59A) I believe the basic carb is adapted for West Bend and basic parts are the same except for that for the specific application.A small engine shop may be able to help also ask at www.aomci.org

 

[cyberrkatz]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

Hey steele and Ned
Cleaned the carb very good and found out that the start,run , lean needle
was bent and wasn't seated in the housing so I took my best shot at geting the needle bent back as straight as I could.
Put the carb back together fine tuned the idle needle and the lean rich needle.
and .......... it wouldn't run ......Just kidding THIS THING RUNS LIKE A CHAMP
IDLES SMOOTH MAN I WAS SOOOOOOOO HAPPY CANT WAIT FOR THE WEEK END TO TRY THIS ELGIN ON MY 10 FT JON .
Thanks for your time and input. Helped me out so much.
Thanks cyberrkatz

 

[steelespike]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

Congratulations,let us know how it goes.

 

[cyberrkatz]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

Hello
hey Steelespike and Ned L
Just wanted to let you know that I took the elgin to the river couple of days ago and tried it out for the first time. Man this motor really runs great!!
little had to start with it in the water but got it started motored on down the river and all I can say is Wow Just like you said Beats Rowing. did really well.
runs very smooth will idle down very low very happy.
Thanks for all the help that you and ned gave me
Cyberrkatz

 

[Alphawolf45]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

Does your boat feel like it could run up-current against a headwind?..I'd like to see a video of your rig running wide open throttle..Will you be also taking along a trolling motor and its battery? or you think the gas engine will also serve as a trolling motor? hmmmm,, have reverse on that engine?
.
.I have a couple 70 year old 2 hp engines I've rebuilt recently but yet to ever have on the water.I am wondering how a 2hp engine will actually do....One of my 2hp Muncie engines, I made gas tank on it that engine is narrow when laid on its side so that I can store the engine under seat in my flatbottom boat..Its to be my backup engine if main engine (60-ish years old Firestone) breaks down....I hoping 2 hp does a good job 'cause I am also building one from scratch, making patterns to make most of the pieces cast bronze.

 

[cyberrkatz]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

Hello, Alphawolf45
Sorry it took so long to reply.
I will shoot a video of the boat motor running up river for you.
if you would leave your email i could send it to you and if that doesn't work
I can leave a link in another reply for you to go to youtube to see.
just keep checking back to see the new post. I will try to take it out sunday.

 

[cyberrkatz]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

Sorry about the delay here's a link @ you tube where you can see the motor run wide open. elgin 2hp motor is on a 10 jon boat with me a friend trolling motor and battery. i was impressed I figure between me and him and trolling
motor and battery we were pushing 400lbs.and still got about 3.5 to 4 mph.
check it out-----> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IPMMk1-468

 

[64osby]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

You needed a shot of the big ole smile on the captians face on that video.

nice job getting her going.

 

[Alphawolf45]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

cyberrkatz
I have watched that video several times now.Its enlightening... She scoots along at brisk pace.Does real well with your 10 foot boat... I wonder how 2hp would do on a 14 foot boat. I sometimes fish a little mudhole where some guys dont even use a gas engine , just use trolling motors..I'll have to try a 2hp on my 14foot flatbottom next time I fish that spot.....I am going to snap up a 10 or 12 foot boat if I see one cheap..I really like the old motors.
.
Uhmmm..Your Elgin was running WOT. Seemed loud. It does exhaust underwater doesnt it? I made similar video of my 1947 7.5hp Firestone running 3/4 throttle and it made noticeably less noise or maybe its just a difference in the recording equipment..I dunno..

 

[cyberrkatz]

Re: vintage 1953 Sears Elgin 2 hp outboard

Hey,Alphawolf
Yes my elgin seems kinda loud and yes it does exhaust under the water.
and was wot.
I made my vid with my treo phone and was kinda close to the motor.
but I kinda figured the the motor would prob be loud but does the job and sure beats using a trolling motor.LOL I was very suprised that the motor runs as well as it does the guy I got it from said the last time it ran on a boat was
mid to late 60's so I asked him what he thought was wrong with it and his reply was i dont know...... said it would run for about 15 seconds the die
so I broke the carb apart and cleaned it and found that the idel needle was bent and wasn't seated to direct the fuel up to the jet would just flood the fuel bowel.so I bent the needle straight to seat in the housing and put it back together and headed to the river.