1975 Johnson 85hp (85ESL75)

[jhohman35]

Hello,

I just bought a 1975 Johnson 85HP engine for $150. That being said you might already be able to tell what condition it is in. It was off the boat and the controls were torn apart and I did not have anything to pull start it to check compression. If it starts is unknown. I pulled the spark plugs and took a look around and it does seem to be pretty clean. I was told it ran and the reason why the controls were taken apart was because there was a problem with the ignition. I don't think it was a bad deal but maybe one of you will tell me I am an idiot for even looking at it. I have a pontoon that I want to put it on to replace the 1990 40hp VRO Evinrude that is currently on it. It probably doesnt make sense to put 75 motor on a 90 toon but I would like to have something that has a little more juice if and when I need it

Can anyone give me a history lesson on this motor (pros/cons)? Is it a good motor?

Will the controls from the 40 would match up with this 85?

There is no power tilt or trim, did they have that option so I could possibly find the part? I know CMC makes after market but its about 700$ and just want to see if I can find a cheap option.

I am looking at a service manual for it http://www.ebay.com/itm/1975-Johnso...ash=item3d3e9babdc:g:xVkAAOSw8lpZHeLr&vxp=mtr Would this give me useful info or should I try to find a Clymer edition?

I am not a mechanic but I would love to learn more about outboards so I thought for $150 I couldn't really go wrong. However, maybe one of you will tell me I should not have done this.

Any help is appreciated! Thanks in advance

 

[ezmobee]

It's a decent motor. I ran a '73 85 for a number of years. You're pretty hosed on the TnT though. Pre-'78 TnT units are tough to find and go for big money on ebay. If your 1990 controls have the big red plug they'll work.

 

[jhohman35]

Yeah I am not finding much for the TnT but I havent been looking. Maybe I will be stuck with the CMC. Did notice any parts that wore out frequently or any big problems? I thought about taking it to a local marine shop and having them do a once over on it and tell me what they think needs to be done before I go replacing things that don't need to be replaced.

 

[ezmobee]

Once you get it running....if it runs well on the water and seems to have good power and is bangin' on all cylinders I wouldn't go looking for trouble. Change the gear lube and put an impeller on it.

One positive to the CMC units is that you could buy one, run it for a couple years, and then sell it for close to what you paid for it if you upgrade to a motor with built in TnT (especially if you start out with used one).