Will a 1979 140 powerhead fit a 1988 88???

[rrw]

Hi, just wondering if anyone knows if my newly acquired 1979 Johnson 140's powerhead would bolt up and work on my 1988 88 outboard? Any help is appreciated! Also I didn't notice when I looked at it(havnt picked it up yet), does the 140 most likely have the primer solenoid setup?

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: Will a 1979 140 powerhead fit a 1988 88???

Why not just run the 140 as is? The 140 powerhead will bolt up to the 88 midsection. The 140 has the old butterfly choke system, not the newer fuel primer system, so you'd have to use the 140 choke system with it's conventional choke solenoid. You'll want to compare the number of splines on the driveshafts. I'd use 3/8 fuel line to feed that 140.

 

[rrw]

Re: Will a 1979 140 powerhead fit a 1988 88???

I might run it as is, just weighing my options, I'm pretty sure the 88 is cleaner and better looking, and the skeg is broke on the 140, so ill probably put the 88 lower unit on it, was thinking it might just be easier to swap powerheads. Is that old choke system fairly good? Would it be easy enough to make it a primer system? Thanks for the reply.

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: Will a 1979 140 powerhead fit a 1988 88???

The early fuel primer system used hose barbs installed in each bypass cover for choking. You'd need 4 of these bypass covers and some hoses, t's. Later models had hose barbs factory drilled at the top of each carb-to feed both barrels. It's easier to run the 140 carbs with the conventional choke plates than to try to convert to either of the fuel primer systems.