my lower end is very messy

[Saskatoon2005]

I have a 1961 Johnson 40 Horsepower outboard motor. I have gotten it to start a few times in a garbage pail full of water. I have not had the lower leg out of the pail until today...the motor has been in there for about two weeks. <br /><br /> I pulled out the motor and the water had a thick surface of oil. The lower leg was also covered in oil as well. Does this mean trouble or what? Please help...this is the first boat motor I have ever owned and I would like to get it working smoothly for boating season...this year. Thanks again....

 

[REELSPORT]

Re: my lower end is very messy

Not a problem as long as your grease in the lower unit has no water in it, you should be ok the oil you see might be coming from gas and oil mixture. Check you oil in lower unit and if it is milky looking you need seals

 

[Solittle]

Re: my lower end is very messy

Most likely what you see is unburned oil from the fuel/oil mix and not a cause for concern. My guess is that your fuel mix should be 24:1 but you need to confirm this.<br /><br />Also you need to think about replacing the water pump, spark plugs and checking the gear oil (make sure to use new gaskets for the fill/drain screws). You may have to rebuild the carb but can wait on that until you see how it runs in the water - - running in a garbage can is not the same as in the water running under load.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: my lower end is very messy

Hi...these old motors, running at 24:1 gas and oil, will make your test tank look like the ****ens pretty darn fast. They're pretty messy that way.<br /><br />You really should replace the water pump impeller and change the lower unit oil, along with installing new plugs.<br /><br />The impeller is Sierra Part number 18-3083. You can get it at a local NAPA dealer, or order it from this place:<br /><br /> http://www.marineparts.com/sierra/sierra170.aspx <br /><br />Visit your local marine supply store and buy the lower unit oil, complete with the pump. You fill the lower unit from the bottom, and the pump has a fitting that screws into the drain hole. You should be able to buy the gaskets for the drain screws at the same place.<br /><br />NOTE: DO NOT REMOVE THE PHILLIPS HEAD SCREW ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LOWER UNIT! The drain and fill screws are slotted, and larger.<br /><br />Once you've done that (do buy a manual for this engine. I recommend the Seloc manual, available here on iBoats.com. The one you'll get as a factory manual is a multi-engine thing that can be confusing for a newbie. The Seloc manual, with its faults, is easier for a beginner to understand.<br /><br />If your motor is running, reasonably well in the tank after you do this stuff, then don't fool with the carburetors at this point. Put it on the water and give it a test run. It may surprise you. My '58 RDS40 35hp motor (essentially the same as yours) didn't need any carburetor work at all.<br /><br />For your first on-water test, though, do try to have a friend with another boat along. If your new old motor dies in the middle of the lake, you'll want a tow. It happened to me on my first test run. I was fortunate enough to have another small outboard on the boat and got back to the dock OK, but if you don't have a kicker motor, have a friend in another boat along. It will avoid embarassment.<br /><br />Best of luck with your new old outboard!

 

[87Aggie]

Re: my lower end is very messy

You can get that impeller right here at IBoats too!!

 

[CATransplant]

Re: my lower end is very messy

Sorry. You're right about that impeller being available here at IBoats. My apologies. I will check availability here from now on.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: my lower end is very messy

I have just orderd a carb kit, an impeller, and a tune up kit. It should arrive Wednesday. I am very excited and thank-you all for your help. I will post again to tell you how the old motor is running.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: my lower end is very messy

Hey CATransplant, that website you posted is awesome. It has everything for my Canadian needs. It is a life saver. Thanks a million.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: my lower end is very messy

Hey, good luck with that Big Twin. Mine's a bit older, and only has 35 hp, but they're close cousins. Lots of the parts are interchangeable.<br /><br />I think it's worth it, though, and it's fun to get an old-timer up and running again, to continue its useful life.<br /><br />I'll tell you something that really impressed me, the first time I actually had the old Johnson running right and out on the lake: It's quiet as can be. I was shocked.<br /><br />Keep posting as you make progress on this motor, or if you have any other questions. It's great to hear how things are going.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: my lower end is very messy

Here is a picture of the lower end before I even put it in the garbage pail of water.<br /><br />

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: my lower end is very messy

Yeesh, I don't like the looks of that lower oil mark. Check the lower unit oil level and for signs of water intrusion.<br />The excess oil and such in the water is from the engine running rich. Actually, it doesn't take very long for a large engine to make a trash can of water filthy.<br />Seeing you're from Saskatoon - search the internet for "'the marine doctor' tmd". He's a nice guy and is probably pretty close to you. I don't know if Iboats ships to Canada yet. Last time I checked they didn't.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: my lower end is very messy

Well, that doesn't look like oil from the exhaust. It's in the wrong place and heading the wrong direction.<br /><br />I'd be checking the lower unit gear oil. Is is milky? Is the lower unit full? This looks suspiciously like gear oil to me.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: my lower end is very messy

I haven't yet changed the lower gear oil. I am trying to figure out how to put in a knew impeller but the manual I have (clymer) does not explain very well on how to do it. I don't know what bolts to remove and am afraid of making a huge mistake.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: my lower end is very messy

It's a pain on your engine. You have to remove the midsection cover to do it, which means taking out the pile of screws that hold the halves together. Once that task it out of the way, it's not so bad. First remove the shift coupler window on the starboard side of the midsection, and then completely remove one of the two bolts from the shift coupler. Next, remove the 6 little bolts and one big bolt (freshly revealed) that hold the lower unit on. The whole thing should now pull straight off, revealing the pump. <br />A quick word of warning - the only thing that holds the driveshaft in the lower unit is the impeller key, so once the water pump housing is off, you can pull the driveshaft straight out of the lower unit. Careful if it's full of oil. <br />Assembly, as they say, is the reverse of disassembly. Don't forget to lube up the top of the driveshaft splines so they don't stick and wear.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: my lower end is very messy

Hey awesome Paul. I will be able to do this tomorrow morning. I hope this cures my overheating problem.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: my lower end is very messy

So I have, with Pauls help (of course), finished installing the water pump impeller. I used gasket sealer to seal all joints. I lubed up the top of the driveshaft splines so they won't stick and wear. There was no spaghetti seal so I could not replace it. The spaghetti seal must be in the lower gear casing. <br /><br /> Is it possible to change this spaghetti seal without removing the lower unit again? There is definately a leak there. I should have resealed it with gasket sealer when I had it off, but I am a newbie and am scared to take on too many things at once.<br /><br /> Also, Paul, you did not tell me that it is a little tricky to get the key back in the water pump housing. I ended up doing it many times and was covered in gasket sealer when I finally finished it. No problem though, I did get it done.

 

[Saskatoon2005]

Re: my lower end is very messy

Paul, how do you fill the lower unit of my model with gear oil?

 

[davemaxi1970]

Re: my lower end is very messy

Dont Know if this will help ,the manual says take out top and bottom screws and put the oil in the bottom (the air gets pushed out the top)<br />I tried this got most of the oil on my driveway so I put the drainscrew back in got a large syringe with a piece of rubber tubing on it(the type you use for your fish tank air hose)and slowly poured in the oil through the top hole ,use the method -push oil in- wait a second-suck air out .It worked for me maybe it will for you!

 

[dajohnson53]

Re: my lower end is very messy

Originally posted by dave gibson:<br /> Dont Know if this will help ,the manual says take out top and bottom screws and put the oil in the bottom (the air gets pushed out the top)<br />I tried this got most of the oil on my driveway so I put the drainscrew back in got a large syringe with a piece of rubber tubing on it(the type you use for your fish tank air hose)and slowly poured in the oil through the top hole ,use the method -push oil in- wait a second-suck air out .It worked for me maybe it will for you!

You can buy an attachment for the gear oil container that will actually screw into the bottom hole. This makes the job, while not hospital clean, very manageable. They make them for both the squeeze type containers (a clear hose with a clamp and a screw fitting at one end for the squeeze container and a screw fitting for the L/U fill hole at the other) as well as the quart bottles (a plunger-pump style thing).

 

[dajohnson53]

Re: my lower end is very messy

Originally posted by Saskatoon2005:<br /> ... Also, Paul, you did not tell me that it is a little tricky to get the key back in the water pump housing. I ended up doing it many times and was covered in gasket sealer when I finally finished it. No problem though, I did get it done.

AHA, the most difficult part of water pump work - on any engine I've ever heard or read (complaints) of! I've only done it a couple of times, but it's always long enough between tries so it's like the first time all over again. I would imagine if you did them every few days, it would get to be easy? Easier?