1960 Johnson 5.5hp model CA-17

[RickLKN]

1960 Johnson 5.5hp model CA-17. Bought used this past spring. Ran great all summmer and early fall. Started having having problems with dieing out when in gear. Since then I pulled carb off and rebuilt. Motor starts, runs, and idles great on stand. When put into gear on stand, it also seems to run good. When installed on boat and put into gear, in the water, motor slowly dies. In other words, this problem seems to only occur when a load is applied.
I am assuming that it could be a coil problem but before heading down that road I would appreciate opinions. Looking through the flywheel openings the insulation on the coils appear cracked/split due to age/heat.
Also ...any suggestions on a good source for parts for this motor, ie.. electrical parts etc... would also be appreciated.

THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!!!!

 

[Mas]

Re: 1960 Johnson 5.5hp model CA-17

I think you're in the right direction with the coils. Once cracked, they're usually toast.

Do a spark gap check to confirm and see how far the spark will jump with strong blue arc. Also, do a compression check to see if the cylinders are balanced.

Mas

 

[Mas]

Re: 1960 Johnson 5.5hp model CA-17

Also, re-gap points and make sure the points are 100% clean with no oil reside (you will have to use a puller to take off the flywheel).

and...Welcome!

Mas

 

[F_R]

Re: 1960 Johnson 5.5hp model CA-17

Also, re-gap points and make sure the points are 100% clean with no oil reside (you will have to use a puller to take off the flywheel).

and...Welcome!

Mas

Regardless of what else might or might not be wrong with it, you have to replace those cracked coils first. Messing with anything else without dealing with the coils is a waste of time and money.

Get new ones here at iboats. Also, points and condensers.

 

[RickLKN]

Re: 1960 Johnson 5.5hp model CA-17

Thanks so much for the reply. This was the direction that I was planning to take, but wanted to hear from others with more experience on these old motors.
Thanks for your time. This is a great web site. I plan to order all my parts through Iboats.