1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

[jdw]

I posted and it did not come up so here it is again. Well I picked up my boat again from the repair shop if you remember from last weeks post I had it in for a lower unit seal job and water pump. And it overheated within 5 minutes of running and I took it back to him and he said it was a bad head gasket. He replaced that part and I took it home to inspect what he had done and found the filler screw on the top that your lower unit grease comes out and it was about to fall out. So I checked the grease and sure enough it had water in it. Also found oil coming out from behind the prop. My question this time is should he have change the rear seal out when he done the seal job ? I have already paid him once for the job and still owe him 74 dollars should I take it back and demand that he change the seal or pay him the money I owe him and try to find the tools to pull the rear seal and do it my self. Thanks for letting me get this off my chest ,I think I got screwed on this job.

 

[iwombat]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

Are you sure that's LU lube behind the prop? Could also be unburned 2-stroke oil. He should have pressure and vacuum tested the LU after a re-seal. And, yes that seal should have been replaced. It's likely the water came from the loose plugs. You should show him the leak, and voice your concerns. At the very least you should ask him to verify the LU is properly sealed with a pressure and vacuum test.

 

[jdw]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

Thanks for your reply, I'am to the point I don't trust his work. If I could find the tool to pull the seal off the prop shaft I would do it myself. Its and old boat and motor but its all I have.

 

[iwombat]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

You're better off getting it pressure tested and see if its really leaking before you go diving into replacing seals.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

If you're going to try to pressure test it yourself, here are some guidelines.

To pressure/vacuum test a lower unit:

a) drain the gear oil
b) use an appropriate adapter with a gauge tee'd in to apply pressure or vacuum. No more than 15 psig for pressure. You can use a bicycle pump or any other compressed air source for pressure. For vacuum, you need a vacuum pump.
c) LU should retain some pressure or vacuum for 45 minutes minimum.
d) If pressure doesn't hold, submerge LU in water to find leak source [possibilities: drive shaft seal, prop shaft seal(s) (usually two), shift shaft seal and the fill/drain screw washers.]
e) replace offending seal(s) as required.

 

[jdw]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

Thanks for the info High Trim, I took the boat out yesterday after I refilled the lower unit with grease and will ck it after work this afternoon and see if it has any water in it. The old saying you pay for what you get comes true in my case with this backyard shop. The motor ran ok but was hard to start after it had run awhile, and the water pump was working ok also. I just hope it will last until both of my boys get out of college and I can get a new boat. This one is just about on its last leg being 30 yrs old. Thanks again everyone for your tips and advice.

 

[iwombat]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

Last leg?

It's hardly broken in. I've got the exact same motor as you.

 

[fire831]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

I don't know how much the head gaskets were but my 1978 85 HP Evinrude gaskets cost $64.00 each from the dealer. Could not get them at NAPA or anywhere else for that year only for some reason.

 

[jdw]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

I forgot to mention that after I had run the boat yesterday pretty hard that I checked the heads and both heads were too hot to touch am I getting enough water through the heads or is this normal. I was told they should be warm to the touch, this might be a stupid question but I need to get another view from someone who knows for sure. And I assure you this motor has run good for so many years I will be a Johnson owner when the time comes to buy new.

 

[fire831]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

My evinrude service manual for my 78 say's it should run at least 120 F. but not more than 160 F. I thought mine was running hot because I could not hold my hand on the head for a long time but when I checked the temp it was running right around 140 F. I guess I didn't think how hot 140 would feel on a bare hand.

 

[jdw]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

He charged me 60.00 dollars for one gasket. But I found some on the internet at Dixie marine for 42.48 the part number on mine was 0318662 cv 4 3"bore. I guess I did ok on that one because he put it on also.

 

[jdw]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

It sounds like I might be ok then, I just hope my seal job he did holds up, will find out this evening when I ck the grease.

 

[jdw]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

The grease looked ok, and no oil from the prop. Did find a cracked line from the bottom of the carb to the block I don't know if this a vacume hose or just an overflow line. The motor did tend to want to bog down when I took off hard but then it cleared up fine. Thanks everyone who replied with info and tips. By the way I did catch 41 white perch, 8 bass and two catfish sat in the 30year old boat and motor.

 

[fire831]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

Nice catch.

 

[jdw]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

Bad news, after the third trip on the new seal job I checked the lower unit grease and it had a yellow tint color to it instead of the new grease look. The guy that worked on it said bring back in but everytime I take it in ,he finds something else wrong with it and wants to charge me more money. I think I will find someone else to look at it. At least the water pump is working like it should and it is not overheating. Does the grease change colors after three trips to the lake ?:

 

[iwombat]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

It sure can. The thing to watch out for is a milky quality. If it's still clear, but a different color you're fine.

 

[jdw]

Re: 1977 85hp johnson repair work ?

Before the seal job, yes it was white like milk but this is more of a yellow tint to the grease this time. Hey send us some cool weather down here in north la its hot. Thanks