1975 Johnson 135 any good?

[younggun]

I am looking at a boat with a 1975 Johnson 135 on it. It appears to be in very good shape. The only problem is he said the tilt and trim doesn't work. How are these motors reliability wise and is it a hard fix for tilt and trim?

 

[steelespike]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

I haven't seen any obvious problems on the forums here. I'm sure some experts will be along with some real info.
I would suggest a compression test before a purchase.Minimum pressure 100 psi and within 10% between cylinders.
Wouldn't hurt to check gear lube for evidence of water present.
An on the water test would be best.
The power is rated at the power head so power at the prop is about 10% less.
Not a big deal as you would need a gps to tell the difference in performance.
Circa 1985 motors began to be rated at the prop.
Again no big deal it's just a more accurate way to indicate the available power.

 

[younggun]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

The owner said it has 150-155 on all 4 cylinders. And the carbs were just rebuilt also and impeller replaced
But I am going to check compression before I get it. The guy actually wants to trade

 

[younggun]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

Anyone know anything about the tilt and trim?

 

[limitout]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

Anyone know anything about the tilt and trim?

you can have them rebuilt for a few hundred dolllars, maybe less if the motor is still good. (a new one for my 2002 Suzuki df40 runs around $1,000)

it all depends if you can find a replacement one for it but im sure there are working used units out there for sale, check ebay

also on my old evinrude it had a separate relay box that operated the power trim so see if he has it or if its needed for that motor because those relays are expensive. (again on my Suzuki they are $80 each)

 

[younggun]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

Where would I need to get it rebuilt?

 

[V153]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

That sounds like it might have the high compression heads on it. If so it oughta be a strong running motor.

Like limit said, there should be a relay box to control the trim. If it's been upgraded it will be under the cowl, mounted to the back of the motor. If not there'll be a box somewhere in the boat near the transom. The cover measures 'bout 4 1/2 x 6".

re. Trim: If it's a 'plumbing' problem they're purty easy to rebuild, just some seals & a few o-rings. If the pump motor's bad a replacement runs a couple hundred bucks or so. But before you order one make sure you've eliminated all other possible causes. ie. Bad wires, connections, relays, switch, etc.

The trim motor should have green & light blue leads coming from it. Easiest way to check it is deliver 12V directly. If'n ya touch the leads to the battery the trim should move in one direction. Reverse the leads & it should move in the opposite.

 

[younggun]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

The guy said one day he went out there and it just wasn't working

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

The owner said it has 150-155 on all 4 cylinders. And the carbs were just rebuilt also and impeller replaced
But I am going to check compression before I get it. The guy actually wants to trade

Verify the compression. Don't take his word for it.

As others have stated, the TNT is not that complicated. If it just "Stopped" one day, it's probably a relay or switch.

 

[V153]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

If it just "Stopped" one day, it's probably a relay or switch.

I tend to agree. Just be sure to ascertain there weren't any loud noises or pyrotechnics before it "stopped"?

 

[limitout]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

The guy said one day he went out there and it just wasn't working

well it might just be a stuck relay or a bad/dirty electrical connection.

any outboard motor shop will be able to check it out for you and tell you if its something simple or if they need to work on it. they are pretty bullet proof so I bet its a simple fix like cleaning the connections and if they need to be adding fluid to it the seals are probably dry and will need replacing (common for an old motor like that) but this can be put off indefinitely if you keep a close check and refill it as it gets low.

signs of leaky seals are if the motor settles on you and it doesn't hold its tilt position overnight, or if you see a ring of oil or film on the piston shaft. again its nothing much and by adding fluid every 5 or 6 trips is usually all you need to do.

a sign you NEED to get the seals replaced and shouldn't wait any longer is if it moves on you while running or after only sitting a few minutes, that would indicate its time to get it fixed right away. I have seen guys go 2 or 3 years by just topping off the oil and they never had a problem

 

[younggun]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

What kind of oil is best to use for the TNT?

 

[limitout]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

What kind of oil is best to use for the TNT?

oh lord, its been so long....

IIRC I "think" it is just transmission fluid but im not 100% sure that is correct or which type you would want to use.

I definitely wouldn't go buy anything named "power trim fluid" at $10 an ounce, not unless money is not important to you lol

im sure someone will chime in to confirm what the correct answer is

 

[younggun]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

Well I got the boat and motor. The compression was 155-160 on all 4. I got it home and it started up pretty good on the muffs the first time but after I let it sit it did not want to start so I ran the high idle up and it finally started but was smoking really bad but picked up rpms eventually and stopped smoking as bad and went back to normal and did this the next time I started it too. The owner said he had only taken it out 3 times in the last 2 years but started it in the yard on muffs every now and then. He said the carbs were rebuilt earlier this year. What does it sound like the problem could be as far as the smoking bad and then jumping rpms back to normal?

 

[V153]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

Dexron is fine for T & T. Don't waste your money on "marine" T & T fluid.

re. Smoking, etc. If it hasn't been run much that might be all it needs to knock the cobwebs out. You might wanna do a de-carb on it. Is your fuel fresh? Oil mix @50:1?

 

[V153]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

Fwiw I believe that particular year (75) had the highest compession ever in a crossflow. It should run very strong once ya get the bugs worked out. What kinda hull is it on?

 

[younggun]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

I took the gas out of my skiff and it was just bought Tuesday and mixed 50:1 and it is on a 1996 sundance 1900 center console bay boat. The boat is 19'2" and has a beam of 96"' I believe

 

[crb478]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

Your tilt and trim is an early design and is difficult to get parts for. You can still get the motors and rebuild the cylinders though if you have the complete setup to work with. You can use motorcycle relays if you can not find the originals. Before you spend to much money on it consider a CMC unit. Also be aware that there was a tilt only unit as well as a tilt and trim unit. Most of the motors came as manual lift motors. The motor itself is a little bit of a gas hog, but is a good basic design and will probably give you good service once its dialed in. It is also fairly easy to work on.

 

[younggun]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

I have a friend who has a cmc and has nothing but good things to say about it. How difficult are they to install?

 

[steelespike]

Re: 1975 Johnson 135 any good?

Well I got the boat and motor. The compression was 155-160 on all 4. I got it home and it started up pretty good on the muffs the first time but after I let it sit it did not want to start so I ran the high idle up and it finally started but was smoking really bad but picked up rpms eventually and stopped smoking as bad and went back to normal and did this the next time I started it too. The owner said he had only taken it out 3 times in the last 2 years but started it in the yard on muffs every now and then. He said the carbs were rebuilt earlier this year. What does it sound like the problem could be as far as the smoking bad and then jumping rpms back to normal?

My guess on the excess smoking is you may have flooded it.
What was your exact procedure when you had trouble starting.