What now!!!

[da83moon]

1979 55 HP Evinrude, 55975...
Well I'd gotten the newly rebuilt. powerhead and got it on and had used it for awhile. I could never get the idle right on and had taken it too my local omc becuase he was going to do it for 45 bucks. Well he's like buddy its going to be a little hard to do with the lower cyl having 138 lbs pressure and the top having 150. I was like great now what. He was nice enough to pull the head and look and the cyl wall was a little scoured. I called about the waranty work and they said sure send it on however if its at all liable that it was user error then I would ahve to either get it back in the parts or pay them 4 dollars hours + parts to finish. Plus they said the warranty doesn't covere shipping and it 85 dollars both ways. I've gotten my omc manual down and had taken the other powerhead apart that was torn up for kicks and giggles and have a good idea of what to do. Should I fix it now or should I wait and just monitor it? I haven't really even got to fish with this new powerhead much and just want to use it for the new season. Could I put it off until this coming winter and still be fine?

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: What now!!!

Powerheads fail usually due to having one or more carburetors foul, clog, gum up, OR weak ignition which leads to faulty combustion, OR a very slight gasket leak which might allow a very fine spray of water enter the combustion chamber that would result in pre-ignition to mention a few causes.

However, the most common cause is having a fouled carburetor(s) which results in a lean mixture, leading scored pistons, clyinder walls, etc. If this was the cause of the original powerhead failure and the carburetors weren't cleaned thoroughly and rebuilt/restored to new condition, a repeat of the failure to the "new" rebuilt powerhead would occur within a very short time. This holds true of course, whatever the cause, if not corrected.

As it stands, you're faced with tearing the engine down to a point so as to ship the bare powerhead back to wherever you ordered it from at a cost of $170.00 shipping total plus possible other charges. The other side of the coin is that you tear the powerhead down, which would void any guarantee completely, and rebuild it yourself. Do you really want to void the guarantee?

Put it off for awhile and still be fine? Not a good idea as the warranty may run out. Also, the cause of the problem will not cure itself and should be found and taken care of as soon as possible.

 

[da83moon]

Re: What now!!!

Thanks Joe,
Well i didn't mention that the powerhead to adapdapter gsket had gotten a kink in it and water was shooting out from that do you think that could have caused it? Also the people with the warranty said run it its still within specs. They are basically giving me the run around and they are going to find a way not to let me get it fixed. It was running great until the gsket thing happened and then IFixed it and thats when the trouble started.

 

[noelm]

Re: What now!!!

I seem to remember that the '79 55HP models here is Aus had some big dramas with powerhead repairs, something to do with rings getting caught in a port if I recall, my mate had a pair on a Boat and both where rebuilt/replaced under warranty, I would have thought all would have been dead and buried by now, but just maybe you have an old original one, and unless the block was replaced at some time, then it will still have problems, we are talking miracles here, but you never know.

 

[da83moon]

Re: What now!!!

Alright in order to do the job right what all parts are needed? I know I need a piston and new rings. Do I need anything special to get the rings in the hole? Also I'm pretty dumb when it comes to oversizing, so how do I know how much to oversize it? I see there is a .20, .30, .40 looking @ this webstie http://www.boatpartstore.com/jandesearch.asp?cat=itemname&cval=4&hval=24&val=119 so how do I knowe which one I need, Or do I wait and get it bored out first? also is this the best option to take at this time? Is there any specialty tools I'll need? It appears I won't have to take the the rod off the crankshaft so I'm not going to touch it unless i have too because of those little bearings. I really like this little engine and just want it to run the next few years and want to do what is best for it. thanks for the input, and you guys know more than anyone else.

 

[da83moon]

Re: What now!!!

Alright in order to do the job right what all parts are needed? I know I need a piston and new rings. Do I need anything special to get the rings in the hole? Also I'm pretty dumb when it comes to oversizing, so how do I know how much to oversize it? I see there is a .20, .30, .40 looking @ this webstie http://www.boatpartstore.com/jandesearch.asp?cat=itemname&cval=4&hval=24&val=119 so how do I knowe which one I need, Or do I wait and get it bored out first? also is this the best option to take at this time? Is there any specialty tools I'll need? It appears I won't have to take the the rod off the crankshaft so I'm not going to touch it unless i have too because of those little bearings. I really like this little engine and just want it to run the next few years and want to do what is best for it. thanks for the input, and you guys know more than anyone else.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: What now!!!

1979 55 HP Evinrude, 55975...
. Well he's like buddy its going to be a little hard to do with the lower cyl having 138 lbs pressure and the top having 150 I was like great now what. He was nice enough to pull the head and look and the cyl wall was a little scoured.

I am not sure why those values are considered low, and they are well within 10% of each other.
What exactly is the problem?

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: What now!!!

The adapter plate gasket failing, allowing water to seep by would result in water entering the exhaust port(s). This would obviously cause piston & cylinder wall scoring.

Parts required will only be known after the powerhead is torn down and the faulty parts are seperated from the good parts.

The oversize question. Your service manual will state the standard size bore/piston. With that knowledge, let the machine shop advise you as to what the cylinder(s) must be rebored to.

 

[da83moon]

Re: What now!!!

Thanks ALL I have good news took it today to get bored, 50 dollars and all they do is marine engines. He said it wasn't bad @ all and he said he could've almost honed it out but just a little too deep. So I'm filling good about it now. Okay questions though. What kind of oil should I use for bearings to oil them prior to putting it all together? Also it says to use needled bearing grease to hold those little bearnings to the frame where do I get it? What is the best piston and rinds to get? Also am goign to replace the seals in the lu whil I'm doing it because it leaking and getting water in there? I was looking which seals is it I need? And the last question, what parts do I need to take apart to replace seal, because the OMC book has me taking it all apart. Thanks everyone, by the time I'm done this motor will be almost new. its crazy because my old block took me 5 hours to take apart, and this time 2 hours to take apart. Its amazing the simpliciity.

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: What now!!!

Use the regular 50/1 oil to lube the bearings, also to gently coat the sealing surface of the seals.

Needle bearing grease..... you can use vaseline but I think that's a little too slippery/thin. I have for years used the regular Triple Guard grease that is used for greasing the engine grease fittings. Never enountered a problem.

The main seals in the lower unit are in the seal/brearing head under the water pump, and the seals in the carrier assembly just in back of the propeller. However........

Before going to a lot of work and possibly overlooking something in that lower unit, first drain it. Now, apply 7 to 12 psi of air pressure. Any leakage should show up via sight and/or sound. The usual source of leakage is worn seals under the water pump caused by a possible worn bearing (bearing play).

 

[da83moon]

Re: What now!!!

Thanks Joe, will be working on it over the extended weekend which is thurs fri and monday. Appreciate it, i figured better to too much oil can't be worse than to little

 

[da83moon]

Re: What now!!!

Well to keep everyone posted. I called the guys today and they said they've done everything to save the cyl as is. However it was bored 40 over which is the biggest you can go. They state they would resleeve it for me and bore it out. It would be 250. I figured this is it I'l let them do it. Well then since I needed a piston for it and rings I asked if they has some good deals they could work. All in all new pistons rings and resleevning all for 375. Is that bad?

 

[da83moon]

Re: What now!!!

Thanks all well have a couple more questions. On attaching the rods to the crankshaft I was talking with someone and they said to use a special tool to make sure they line up. From what the book says it says to use a pencil. Do I need to use the special tool to align the rod caps?

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: What now!!!

No special tools need to align the rod caps on that model. You'll feel them snap into place. Be sure that the rod caps aren't switched between connecting rods..... they're a matched set..... cap to rod!

Just snug the rod bolts up tight first..... the matching (cap to rod) should just about disappear...... then torque the bolts. If you can catch your fingernail in the match line, reralign it.

If resleeving, I assume that you're speaking of having it bored to the standard size? That would be the way to go when resleeving.

 

[iwombat]

Re: What now!!!

You don't need to use the tool. Honestly, the pencil is better.

 

[da83moon]

Re: What now!!!

Thanks guys!!!! keep you posted. The guys that resleeved did take to the original size and used pro marine pistons in it for me. Were super nice guys check them out sometime you can ship to them and they will do a great job http://www.nicholsoutboard.com/

 

[da83moon]

Re: What now!!!

Well all things are going smoothly. I''ve got the engine together as we speak and the lower unit is torn down to nothing but the housing. I'm replacing all seals and bearings due to the pitting in them from the engine sitting and there are bad places in the bearings. However I have figured out why my engine has apparently overheated so that I didn't know. In the new rebuilt engine someone didn't take the time to replace the warning hot horn sender. Did the test put in hot water and zip nothing at 211 degrees. Then got the one that was in the old engine, and to my suprse looked very new which someone had to of replced. The plastic was like new. Anyways tested it and it goes off. I was like coincidence tried 3 more tests times as my hot water was evaporating and it worked. So I know I ahve a good hot horn that is goign to read correctly. Alright so my hot horn isn't working either. My question. Can I hook up just another buzzer horn remotly, or do I have to use the oem horn? it looks like I could just use a 12 v buzzer and run the leads to it. Can someone advised please. I was going to put in a attention grabbing one. Also can you install a light in case the horn quit working.

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: What now!!!

You can use another warning horn of your choice BUT do not use one that is going to draw a lot of power....... that is one that draws so much amperage that it would cause the power wires to overheat/melt.

How would you know if you had such a high ampere drawing horn? Short out the overheat sensor at the engine and hold onto the wires leading to the horn (near the horn), having the horn sound off for about 20 seconds (you would never leave the horn sounding longer than that anyhow). If the wires get hot, that would tell the tale.

Should you use such a high ampere horn, be sure to rewire as needed.

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: What now!!!

if you are going for lots of dB, that does pretty much translate to lots of amps. Might want to consider wiring in a relay and then use that to feed whatever you choose as your noise source..

 

[da83moon]

Re: What now!!!

Thanks for the answers, I've got a new horn and will be installing once I get everything together. I've tested the cooling system componets and made sure the thermostate opens correctly, the hot horn will sound the pressure relief valve is installed corrrectly. Also I've made sure and replaced gaskets on the exhaust port side and the cover with fresh ones. So hopefully overheating won't be an issue as I've cleaned everything thourghly including the tube. My question now is the scre for the fuel pump, when I wasa testing to make sure there was no binding there is air coming out from the fuel pumps middle screw. Is this supposed to do this?