Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

[Rude Evin]

I just purchased a 1961 Winner 17' fiberglass v-hull yesterday with plans to restore it to its original glory. The boat came with an 1971 Evinrude Model# 60173C 60hp outboard. He told me it was a Selectric. It was just thrown into the deal because the owner had buggered it up so much trying to work on it. He broke off the heads of the four bolts that connect the lower unit to the transom mount. He said that it was stuck in gear. The boat did not come with the control unit either. After doing so research in your forums, I understand that this may be a hydro-electric shift and not a Selectric, therefore it defaults to forward and then switches to neutral after starting. Maybe this applies to this motor and the previous owner did not know this.

So, now I need to clean up the mess and see if this outboard is worth restoring. He said the motor runs fine. I have not tried starting or disassembling anything yet. I figured I would ask others with more knowledge where to start first.

I hope I have provided enough info to generate some intelligent conversation. Thanks in advance for anyone's help.

 

[Rude Evin]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

Maybe an easy question to ask is, "Are Evinrude hydro-electric shifts or Selectric outboards good units or should I just walk away from it?" I hope someone has some input.

 

[Rude Evin]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

I'm in the process of tracking down an original repair manual on eBay. I know this is an important step to helping disassemble and repair the engine properly. I would like to test the engine itself to verify its condition. I will first follow the steps detailed in other posts about waking up a sleeping engine. I would like to seperate the lower unit before testing. here are my questions:

Is it safe to remove the lower unit and run the engine without it?

I need to remove the broken bolts in the lower unit to complete the seperation from the engine. Any tricks besides careful drilling out the bolts? I know to start small and increase the bits in small increments making sure to stay dead center on the old bolt.

Is this outboard model worth it? Am I wasting my time with this outboard or should I continue to diagnose it since all I know about it is from the previous owner?

Thanks to anyone who has thoughts on this.

 

[Rude Evin]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

Is there any important info that I am omitting that might help generate some thoughts from folks? I know I am new to the group and I will definately continue to be patient be everyone is a volunteer, I just want to make sure I am not posting a question that no one can intelligently answer. Sorry for being a newbie, but you've got to start somewhere. Thanks.

 

[wilde1j]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

If it were mine, I would ditch the 60 and find a completely mechanical shift motor. Those electric LU's are a bear to get parts for.

 

[Rude Evin]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

Thanks Jim for the input. I think I may at least try to see if it runs. It will be easier to get rid of if I can state its condition. Can I test the engine without the lower unit attached? I imagine someone out there might be looking for this model for parts.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

You can run it without the lower end for a minute. It will NOT be pumping any water to cool the engine, of course.

The hydroelectric gearcase defaults to forward gear, not neutral. Start troubleshooting the electrical connections to see if proper voltage is being applied to begin with.

The proper controls for a hydroelectric shift are required for the motor, unfortunately. They can be expensive and hard to find operating ones.

 

[Rude Evin]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

Thanks for the info. Does the engine need to be running to properly check the electronics? Unfortunately I do not have the controls or wire harness, so is there a way to safely introduce power to the engine? I found some Selectric controls for '68-'71 Evinrude 60 hp outboards on eBay. Did Evinrude make both the standard Selectric and hydro-electric during that time? I've read that they called the hydro-electric controls Selectric as well. I'd hate to make a stupid/expensive mistake. I really appreciate everyone's input.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

Thanks for the info. Does the engine need to be running to properly check the electronics? Unfortunately I do not have the controls or wire harness, so is there a way to safely introduce power to the engine? I found some Selectric controls for '68-'71 Evinrude 60 hp outboards on eBay. Did Evinrude make both the standard Selectric and hydro-electric during that time? I've read that they called the hydro-electric controls Selectric as well. I'd hate to make a stupid/expensive mistake. I really appreciate everyone's input.

You're right, that would be an expensive mistake. The selectric and hydro-electric shifters are NOT interchangeable. Real quick, the difference is that the selectric puts voltage on one wire for forward, the other wire for reverse, and none for neutral. The hydroelectric puts no voltage for forward, one wire for neutral, both wires for reverse. The really bad case is putting a hydroelectric control on a selectric. If both wires are energized on a selectric at the same time, it tried to go into forward and reverse and the same time and things break.

Post the pics (or links) of the controls on ebay and someone will tell you if they are the right ones for your motor.

 

[Rude Evin]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

Good to know. I will definately post any info and pictures before proceeding with a purchase. Thanks to everyone for their help and advice. I will first see if I can get the old broken bolts out of the lower unit. One step at a time. Happy boating.

 

[basbalj288]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

Hey,
I will let you know that I had that same motor. Its model was the Triumph 60 hp. I will let you know that yes it is an electric shift. On my controls the buttons were rusted so I had to replace them with toggle switches. It really WAS a great motor. It seemed the longer I had it the better it ran. I had it for 4 years, after restoring the boat that it was originally on that sat out in the elements for 20 years. It started up after replacing merely the solenoid. I loved it but one time I forgot to mix oil into the gas and blew a silverdollar size hole in the side of the block....so I had to revert to a new motor.
Long story short, if you're looking to get a well functioning motor, I've had good experience with it.
If you want to get a motor that pretty much nobody will work on so you have to do all the repairs yourself.....don't get that one.
If you want a really unique motor (electric shift produced for only 2 years) then stick with it.
Hope that helps give some insight

 

[Rude Evin]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

Thanks for the insight. I was able to remove the transom mount so I could repair the broken bolts that the previous owner was so nice to leave me in his attempts to remove the lower unit. He thought it was stuck in gear because it started in forward, but obviously this is how the unit works. It may actually be stuck in gear, but I'm hoping it's not. Next step is to remove the plugs and lube the cylinders and see how the pistons move. I want to try and start this motor so bad, but I have read the posts here about how to properly start a motor that has been sitting for years. I don't know how long this has been out of service. I will be patient and try to avoid greedy mistakes. Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[F_R]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

The motor is Hydro-Electric Shift. Used in both Evinrude and Johnson motors. Evinrude called theirs Selectric shift. But they also called the earlier electric clutch motors Selectric shift. Even though they carry the same name, they are not the same. They have different push button switches.

Just a bit of trivia: "Selectric" means you can select any gear without going through neutral. When docking, you could set the throttle up a bit and do the docking manouver using just the push buttons. No stalling.

 

[Rude Evin]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

Interesting info, thanks. I just purchased an original repair manual and it is on its way. I have been able to get the motor close to a condition that I can try to start it. Before trying to manually turn the crank, I soaked the cylinders with TCW3 oil. After sitting for four hours she turned very smoothly. I hope I have good compression. Here's a question that I'm pondering:

I can only assume the outboard has some gunk in the carb, so is there something I can inject or pour via the fuel line in the carb system to let it soak and possibly breakdown any build up?

I have carb cleaner and SeaFoam readily available. I know this method is no way near as effective as removing the carb and physically cleaning it, but I am trying not to remove the carb because I don't have a rebuild kit and my budget won't allow it right now. I know in the winter I will replace as many seals on the unit I can, but right now I just want to see if it's worth the effort. I have no idea how viable this outboard is and don't want to sink unnecessary money into it. Also, I promised my wife that I would not spend any money on this boat since I have another that I need to tweak before we go to Deep Creek, MD at the end of August.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

You can (carefully) take the carburetors off and at least take the bowl off and spray out the main jets with carb cleaner. Not as good as a soak and rebuild, but better than nothing. But you may trash out one of the gaskets...Even easier (and less effective) it to take out the drain plugs in the bowls and spray cleaner up through the main jet and run a soft copper wire through there to make sure it's clear.

 

[Rude Evin]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

Great info, thanks for the tip.

 

[Rude Evin]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

New Questions:
I am checking for spark and I am not detecting one on any of the three plugs. I was reading the original service manual and it explained that this is a CD (Capacitor Discharge) ignition system. I do not have the proper controls or wire harness yet. (Again, I am trying not to invest too much money in this before I know whether it is worth it). I tied jumping the starter to get the engine to turn over for the spark test.
- Do I need to have the battery hooked up to the wire harness to charge the capacitor to test the system?
- Any ideas how I can safely make a proper battery connection without the harness?
Thanks for anyone's thoughts.

 

[rayodunne]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

Without the controls you will not get power to the amplifier therefore you will have no spark. Now if you have a factory wiring diagram I am sure one could make up a connection wire to enable the power pack to get 12v at the same time as jumping the starter to check for spark. I am away from my manual right now but I have the smae motor and maybe later tonight I will come up with something for you.

 

[Rude Evin]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

Thank you for confirming that I can't just jump the starter to get it going. I'd be interested in any ideas. I will review the wiring diagram again to see if I can determine a safe method for getting 12v to the capacitor before jumping the starter.
- Is the capacitor discharge ignition unique to this electric shift style motor, or is it used in other motors?

 

[Rude Evin]

Re: Evinrude M#60173C 60hp outboard restoration

Anyone have suggestions how to safely power the capacitor before jumping the starter? Is this all I have to do to supply the proper 12 volts to the engine before starting? I don't want to make a knuckle head mistake. Thanks for anyone's input.