NOOBIE 1971 Johnson 60 Hp.

[robbie42301]

Hey everyone, My name's Robbie and I just purchased an old boat to fix up. I'm not new to boating and have done quite a bit of work on boats, but nothing dealing with an outboard motor and nothing this old. I picked up a 1969 starcraft (Imperial maybe?) with a '71 60 Hp. Johnson. The boat has been sitting for many years and I am not really sure where to start. I am able to turn the engine over by hand and it seams to have good compression. I have not tested it with a gage though. It has the Hydro Shift (??) and the throttle lever doesn't want to move very far forward or backward. I did not try to force anything, but cannot get the prop to engage either gear. My plan of attack is to mix-up some fresh gas, remove plugs and spray lubricant into the cylinders, crank, replace plugs and test for spark. I'm sure the carbs will need to be rebuilt, and the water pump replaced, but what else should I address. Any info on the shifting of this engine or guidance to reserecting this old boat would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance!!

 

[F_R]

Re: NOOBIE 1971 Johnson 60 Hp.

You say you cannot get the prop to engage any gear?? Bad news. When not running, the prop should always be in forward gear. It has to be running in order to shift out of forward. So, if it is in neutral, the shifter piston is stuck in the oil pump. Complete disassembly and repair of the lower unit is required.

You sure you want to continue on with this project? I hope you didn't pay too much, because you have only begun to spend.

 

[robbie42301]

Re: NOOBIE 1971 Johnson 60 Hp.

I've had a lower unit apart to change water pumps and some seals before, but never anything with shifting issues. Is there a good place to get a book or some type of exploded view on these old motors? I got the boat pretty cheap. I like the look of the boat more than anything. I mostly got it as an excessory for my old truck, but I would like to fix it up and run it as well. I like a challenge and figured this would be a good way to learn about outboards. Could this problem be from sitting so long, or does it point to other problems? The hull is in really good shape for the age and had been kept in-doors most if not all of its life. I'd really like to keep a vintage looking engine but I'm not attached to this particular motor if it's going to cost more than it's worth.

 

[wilde1j]

Re: NOOBIE 1971 Johnson 60 Hp.

You can get an OEM shop manual from outboardbooks.com, but I would find a motor that's less of a challenge.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: NOOBIE 1971 Johnson 60 Hp.

That motor will be quite a challenge. It is a pretty complex hydro-electric gearcase, with an equally PIA remote control unit to go with it. The ignition system is complex and obsolete with many important parts NLA, including the distributor and rotor. Ignition parts that are available are $$$, like the $65 breaker point set. IF you want to continue, an OEM manual is a must.
Parts/Breakdowns at http://shop2.evinrude.com
Good Luck.

 

[robbie42301]

Re: NOOBIE 1971 Johnson 60 Hp.

Are all the engines in this general time period too complex, or just the hydro shift? I know of a '72 Johnson 100 that I don't believe has the hydro shift feature, but know very little else about it. Would it be a better motor to start with?

 

[boobie]

Re: NOOBIE 1971 Johnson 60 Hp.

The '72 Johnson 100 has the same g/c. If I was you I'd look for something '78 and up.

 

[robbie42301]

Re: NOOBIE 1971 Johnson 60 Hp.

Would it cause anymore damage to the lower unit if I attempt to start this motor? Also, is the shifter piston being stuck a common problem? Could running the motor possibly loosen it up?

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: NOOBIE 1971 Johnson 60 Hp.

Possibly. It will not shift out of forward without the motor running. You could change the oil (It uses Type C gear oil) and work the shifter back and forth to see if it ever shifts. But it will bind again in the future if the piston is frozen from contamination. Also check the shifter wire voltages to see if it's getting the correct voltages to shift into neutral and reverse.

 

[robbie42301]

Re: NOOBIE 1971 Johnson 60 Hp.

I guess i've decided not to run this motor anyway. I started fooling with it this morning and was able to get the shifter moving quite well and the motor to turn over. however, it is not firing even after switching power packs. (It had a new one on it and the old one was still in the boat) They both did the same thing. Upon further inspection I noticed a little bit of epoxy on the side of the crank case. After grinding it away I found that the motor had thrown a rod at some point and been patched up and rebuilt. With all these problems I figured I'd just start with another engine. But on a brighter side, the navigation lights work as well as the AM transistor radio. With the oldies station crackling through the speakers the motor troubles didn't bother me too much. At least I can tear into it to learn a few things and not worry about it. Thanks for all the advice.