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  1. Chinewalker

    Passing of one of the true GREATS. Charlie Strang.

    Honored to have known this man. As a young man, I had to opportunity to chat outboards with him over a couple of beers, gleaning what knowledge I could from his amazing brain. Akin to a car guy being able to talk with Harley Earl about Corvettes. He was one of the greats.
  2. Chinewalker

    How Blue is Too Blue? Crankshaft bluing - Evinrude 140 Looper.

    I tore down a blown 140 Looper this weekend, c. 1988. It had badly scuffed three pistons, due to an overheat. The overheat was caused by the bracket that the water tube fits into coming loose from the adapter plate by the exhaust tuner. All three bolts were just gone with the bracket hanging...
  3. Chinewalker

    OMC 6-Gallon Fuel Tank Head-Scratcher Resloved!

    Had a bit of a learning experience this summer. I bought a very clean relatively new (to me) OMC steel 6-gallon gas tank at a garage sale this spring. For $20 I thought I was getting a steal! I splashed a pint of gas into it and left it in the sun to pressurize - no leaks at the fitting or cap...
  4. Chinewalker

    1986 Mercury 35hp Autopsy

    I purchased two of these twin cylinder 35 Mercs from a local marina that had taken them in on new motors. One had spun a bearing on the rod to crank journal. The other had overheated bad enough to scuff up the piston and stick the rings. I am hoping to get one good motor from the two, but I...
  5. Chinewalker

    A Brand New 1979 Starcraft!!

    Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the sale of this boat. I post his purely for Starmada historical interest. If this breaks a rule to post this, then please feel free to delete this post. That said, this is cool! Not something that comes up every day, for sure...
  6. Chinewalker

    Putting a transom in a 1987 Islander Outboard

    Just so y'all don't think I'm only into the glass Starcrafts, I have been knee deep in a lummie project for the past few weeks. My old college roommate called me to say the transom in his Dad's Islander was a little punky. A bit of an understatement... So, much rivet drilling, bolt turning...
  7. Chinewalker

    So, what's wrong with this picture?

    Spotted this over the Independence Day weekend...
  8. Chinewalker

    A new one - 1990 Johnson 25 wouldn't shift. Broken magnet!!

    I sold a 1990 Johnson 25 to a friend of mine a month ago. Demonstrated it on a boat, ran well, started easily, etc. So, of course, first time he tried to use it, it won't shift out of forward gear!! I thought maybe the shift connection had come undone, but that was fine. The gear case it...
  9. Chinewalker

    1985 Merc 35 Pistons - Direct Charge vs. Power Ported

    I took in this lost puppy last week, 1985 Mercury 35hp. The two bolts that held the water tube onto the adapter plate between the powerhead and tower housing had fallen out, with the end result being that it had overheated. Bores look fair - nothing a little honing won't clean up, but both...
  10. Chinewalker

    Repairing a Power Trim Motor - 2003 225hp 4-Stroke

    A friend of mine had the complaint that the power trim had simply stopped working on her big Merc and asked me to take a look at it. Through a little bit of trouble shooting, I narrowed it down to the pump motor. Upon disassembly, I discovered that one of the magnets had slid down off the can...
  11. Chinewalker

    Running an 86 year old motor - 1928 Elto Quad

    First time out with my 1928 Elto Quad. Definite learning curve, starting a "knucklebuster" with battery ignition, getting both carbs synched, but the end result was very gratifying. VIDEO: http://youtu.be/iFSYLT5jkzo
  12. Chinewalker

    Issues with Johnrude Electric Primer/Enrichener Systems

    Maybe I've just been lucky 'til lately, but this year I seem to have had a rash of issues with the red-lever style primer systems on various motors in and out of my shop. A few have been a common issue with the later style incorporating the Schrader valve getting cracks in the barrel of the red...
  13. Chinewalker

    This is a new one... Mud wasp nest IN the igntion...

    Was giving a newly acquired Sea King 5hp a physical, discovered no spark in one cylinder. Pulled the flywheel cover to see if we were lucky enough to find new coils (I was) but also discovered this built into the points, primary and ground strap area. Persistent little buggers! Anyway, I popped...
  14. Chinewalker

    Will a 1989 Suzuki DT15C lower unit fit earlier 9.9s and 15s?

    I'm trying to see what motors my 1989 Suzuki DT15C lower unit will fit. Offhand, it looks like it'll only fit 1989-1997 DT15C models. But, in poking around with the parts listings it appears Suzuki changed things up starting in 1989, and the diagrams look pretty much the same pre and post...
  15. Chinewalker

    Never seen this before... Melted primer on Johnson 25

    I recently did a tune-up on a 1993 Johnson/Tracker 25 and in the process wasn't getting any click from the primer when I pushed in the key. Grabbed a different control box and still no love. I then tried jumping the primer with a test lead and simply got some minor arcing at the positive...
  16. Chinewalker

    Water doesn't burn, or "Why won't my motor run??"

    I sold a nice, clean 1970s era Johnson 6hp to a guy this summer. He talked me down on price a bit at the time, saying I could keep the gas tank & hose. Said he had one already. Fine with me, I'll sell the tank with the next motor. Anyway, flash forward a couple months. The guy calls me and...
  17. Chinewalker

    Something you don't see every day - a Riley 75hp Radial Outboard!

    Only made for a couple years in the mid 1950s, this monster is among the rarest of the old Big Iron... Riley Outboard Motor - YouTube
  18. Chinewalker

    1992 Mercury 15hp Lower Units

    I recently took a 1992 Mercury 15hp in trade, knowing it needed lower unit work. Turned out the gears are roached. My motor appears to have the "Type I" lower unit referred to in the parts books, which doesn't look to have much in common part number-wise with the "Type II" units. My question...
  19. Chinewalker

    1988 Evinrude 70 Update: Thermostat issue

    I am rebuilding a 1988 Evinrude 70 - new pistons, etc. The pistons I removed had two tiny pinholes on the skirt (see photo, not mine, but same holes). They are not found on the replacement aftermarket pistons I bought for the motor, and I've never seen them on any other pistons I've removed...
  20. Chinewalker

    FOG YOUR MOTORS!!! Arrrrrrgh!!

    For the second time in a week, I am parting out a motor rather than rebuilding it. Had two 70hp Evinrudes, an 81 and 88, in my shop for rebuilding this winter. Both had broken pistons, so I thought, easy-peasy - I'll have the blocks bored, put oversize pistons in, rebuild carbs, do waterpumps...
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