Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

[Darren Nemeth]

I have a 1958 Evinrude Lark, 35hp, model 35514 and it needs to be fixed.

Looking it over today, I am assuming that all wires, gaskets, spark plug cables and everything else with rubber on it needs to be replaced.

When I pull the cord it will not budge so I am assuming it will need a complete overhaul. I tried to loosen all the exterior bolts and they won't move either.

I know repair costs will vary but in your experience, what would this set me back if I found some place to that will fix it??

$200??? $300?? Or more???

Would it be cheaper to get it repaired during a marina's downtime in the winter, in the summer or wouldn't it make any difference??

I live in Michigan where the economy is poor. It came with the boat I am restoring which I paid $600.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

Hi Darren,
With a stuck powerhead you'd be better off finding another motor of similar style and using this one for parts. Or, you can start digging into it and find out what exactly is stuck. The worst that will happen is you still have a motor that doesn't run, but it'll be in pieces...
Finding a powerhead or another motor takes priority over any of the tune-up bits. There are lots of them out there so finding one shouldn't be too hard...
Part for part, you can use 1958 and 1959 Johnson or Evinrude 35hp motors with the silent package mid-section.
If you do decide to dig into it, I think I have a block, crankshaft and maybe some pistons that would work for you...
- Scott

 

[Darren Nemeth]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

Great. The guy who sold it to me lied, then. He swore to me he had it out on the water and running the year before.

Is there a way to unstuck the powerhead???

This boat is rated for a 60 HP anyway. After restoring it I probably can use a 70hp.

In your opinion, should I try to piece this out on eBay or how much could I realistically get for it on Craig's list??

Any online repair manuals I can look at??

Maybe I can get a printed manual at the library?? If so, can you suggest at title and publisher?

 

[HybridMX6]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

It's not a repair manual, but you can look at parts, how they go together, and get part #'s from here:
http://www.shop.evinrude.com/

 

[freddyray21]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

a used power head would be much cheaper. have you dropped the lower unit and see if it is locked up and not the power head.

 

[Darren Nemeth]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

I couldn't get any of the bolts to budge so I can't tell what is going on in the motor. Propeller spins, however.

Would heating up the bolts with a torch help loosen these bolts?

 

[freddyray21]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

if the power head is stuck you can put marvel mystery oil in the plug holes and let it soak. If the rings are what is causing the stick it will sometimes free them and loosen the power head. don't force it put pull the recoil and use a wrench on the flywheel nut to try and turn it once the oil has soaked over night. continue to let it soak and even dump some oil in the carb. try to turn it everyday and see if it will unstick.

 

[Darren Nemeth]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

[snipped]...Propeller spins, however.

I take that back. When in gear the prop won't budge, either.

 

[Darren Nemeth]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

if the power head is stuck you can put marvel mystery oil in the plug holes and let it soak.

Thanks. I will see if I can find some tonight.

 

[Darren Nemeth]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

Thanks. I will see if I can find some tonight.

Found some at AutoZone on the way to the gym.

Should I empty out the oil before I pour this in the spark plug holes?

I'm trying to find out where the oil drains. Any hints???

I'll see if I can get one of those torches from Harbor Freight tomorrow to heat up those bolts. Hopefully, I can get them all out and see if it is the bottom shaft that's the problem. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[freddyray21]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

there is no oil in the motor. It gets it lubrication from the oil mixed with the gas. One quart to six gallons for that motor. put the motor on it's back with the cylinders up. take the plugs out and pour the oil in each cylinder. Let is soak overnight before trying to turn it. turn it gently by the flywheel nut. the normal rotation is clockwise.

 

[Darren Nemeth]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

there is no oil in the motor. It gets it lubrication from the oil mixed with the gas. One quart to six gallons for that motor.

Do I feel stupid!!

put the motor on it's back with the cylinders up. take the plugs out and pour the oil in each cylinder. Let is soak overnight before trying to turn it. turn it gently by the flywheel nut. the normal rotation is clockwise.

Thanks again.

 

[asdasc]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

by the way, with it in gear the prop shaft is directly tied to the crankshaft. It is good news the prop doesn't spin while in gear. If it spins freely while in neutral, that is also a good sign.

What bolts are you trying to remove?

Also, if the guy said it ran last summer, it shouldn't be stuck. Try the Marvels first. Then we will teach you how to look at the sides of the pistons by removing the side covers!

Keep us posted on progress, if you have the desire and willingness to read a lot of the posts on here, we can walk you thru most of what you need to do. They are pretty simple once you understand them.

Be sure to remove the recoil and apply pressure to the nut on top of the flywheel. Pulling too hard on the recoil will break it.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

If I remember correctly, you have the first year for the "Superquiet" Larks. To many people, that's a pretty cool engine to have.

If you don't want to fool with it, try putting the motor on EBay with a minimum bid of about $200. Describe the problems accurately, so that you don't end up with someone getting cranky, and see what happens. I should also tell you, that if it wasn't a '58 Lark, I wouldn't pay more than about $50 for it. The last '58 Rude I bought was a standard Bigtwin that ran - I paid $100 for it.

This is not a motor that I would try to refurbish by sending it to a dealer - they won't want to work on it and will charge you a fortune, even if you talk them into it. If you can do the work yourself, the economic viability of the project becomes a much better bet. You should still plan on putting about $500 into the engine, though. That number is also subject to change depending on what sorts of things need to be fixed.

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

We're assuming the powerhead is stuck cause he said he couldn't budge it by pulling the rope. You need to confirm that the powerhead is stuck. If it shifts gears okay, the lower end may be okay. You need to get the recoil/pull/rope starter off, take the plugs out and then try to turn the powerhead by turning the flywheel...put a wrench on the nut holding the flywheel on. Try to rock it back and forth...if it won't budge the powerhead may be stuck, for good or just temporarily. Do the oil in the cylinders trick and let it soak, come back now and then and keep trying to budge the flywheel/powerhead with the nut on the flywheel. That's a very good motor if it isn't locked up. If it is, like others have told you, getting a replacement powerhead off the auction site or some other source (classifieds at www.aomci.org) would be a relatively inexpensive fix. You're in the land of lakes up there...check the aomci web site for a local chapter/club nearby and get in touch with them. I bet there's someone near you that can help you get that workhorse running again.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

I'd agree that the first thing that should be done is getting the recoil starter off of there to see if that is the real problem.
Also, if the powerhead is stuck, never try to force it free. That will surely break something. Soaking it (I use PB Blaster) and gently rocking the flywheel usually does the trick...

 

[Darren Nemeth]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

I let the oil soak for a couple of days and I can turn the flywheel by hand.

It is the Lark quiet motor.

However, there is a bigger problem. The starter rope won't budge.

Adding to this is that I cant get any of the screws and bolts to budge, either, so I can't get the cover off to get at the starter rope assembly.

What is the best method to taking them out ? I bet the last time they were turned was when they were put in at the factory five decades ago!!

 

[Darren Nemeth]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

What bolts are you trying to remove?

All of them.

None of them in the body or motor will move except for one screw near the prop.

Be sure to remove the recoil and apply pressure to the nut on top of the flywheel. Pulling too hard on the recoil will break it.

I can't get the cover of the recoil off. The flywheel turns freely by hand from the side of the assembly, however. The recoil rope will not move.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

That particular motor has a locking mechanism on top of the recoil starter. You may check to see if it is disengaged. You'll see this little bugger in the front portion with a rod connected to it.

 

[Darren Nemeth]

Re: Evinrude 1958 Lark overhaul cost????

That particular motor has a locking mechanism on top of the recoil starter. You may check to see if it is disengaged. You'll see this little bugger in the front portion with a rod connected to it.

Found it!

Got the recoil rope to pull all the way out but it won't got back in. Now what?:redface: