HOW TO TUNE UP AN OLDER SMALL MOTOR.

DO you have an older small Evinrude or Johnson outboard from 3 thru 25 HP that needs a little help? or perhaps you would like to get a good small motor without spending from $1300 up for a new model? Then you have come to the right place. We will go through the complete procedure to do a major tune up on a small motor, in this case a 1962 Evinrude 3 HP I was lucky enough to win in an E-bay auction. The seller said it didn't run but I could see from the images provided that it was in pretty good condition. Turned out to be almost unused! This particular model was built essentially unchanged from 1951 through 1967 and as a 4 HP up into the 90's. You couldn't ask for a better trolling motor. Where do YOU get one? E-bay and other auction sites have motors up for sale all the time. Yard sales, flea markets, even your local dealer may be happy to sell you an older motor they don't think is worth repairing. Use good judgment, don't buy a motor that is worn out! Generally the nicer looking ones are in good shape. These are the components we will be using to get this little jewel into perfect condition. All these parts will cost you just a little over $125.00. The entire project should only take you a Sunday afternoon, and will reward you with a motor that runs better than new. Most of the small pictures are active links to full size photos to help you along. Just click to look, they will open in a new browser window. To begin you will need ordinary QUALITY hand tools, a feeler gauge, flywheel puller, torque wrench, some OMC Engine Tuner or Mercury Engine Cleaner, a gallon or so of cleaning solvent or paint thinner, moly lube, silicone dielectric grease, a CLEAN workbench. All the parts as well as the entire motor should be rinsed clean with the solvent, cleanliness is imperative. An otherwise good job will be ruined by grunge. Be sure to work in a well-ventilated area and keep your hands as free from cleaners as practicable. The first area we will approach is the ignition system. OMC used a "Universal" magneto on most all small outboards from the early 50's right on up to just a few years ago. Over time the components on the earlier models will deteriorate requiring replacement. Fortunately these components are very inexpensive.

This image shows the proper type of flywheel puller you need to remove the flywheel. This can be rented form your local tool rental as a "steering wheel" puller. DO NOT try to use any kind of puller on the outer diameter of the flywheel as it will bend and destroy it. Pictured is the stator plate removed from the powerhead, on the bench. Simply unhook any advance linkages, unscrew 4 Phillips head screws closest to the center of the plate and lift it off. As you can see in this picture the original ignition coils on this motor have deteriorated and cracked insulation rendering them useless. You

should replace these even if they look OK as the newer ones we sell are far superior to OEM.

CLOSE UP OF THE CRANKCASE HEAD SHOWING BREAKER CAM and SUPPORT PLATE

The powerhead with the magneto removed. Clean the breaker point cam and the crankshaft taper with acetone or lacquer thinner to remove all traces of oil. The crankcase head and the stator plate support should be relubricated with molybdenum lubricant to help keep the plate from rattling around as well as providing a good ground. IF this area is full of grunge take it apart and clean and regrease. Use locktite on the screws.

Showing installation of the new coils. Lubricate the ends of the coil wires with some silicone grease like that used on new high energy ignitions, install the small rubber boots and "roll" the coil onto the wire, making sure it slips in and makes good contact with the pin in the coil. Align the coil heels with the machined surfaces on the stator plate. This is VERY IMPORTANT as error here could cause the flywheel to strike the coil heels, ruining the entire magneto. Be sure to install the cam wick under the coil on the irregularly shaped boss. This lubes the breaker point arms, without it they will rapidly wear away. To set the points, move the cam until the point arm follower is touching the cam at the "TOP" embossed thereon. Set them at .020 with a feeler gauge cleaned of all oil with denatured alcohol, acetone or lacquer thinner. The feeler gauge should slip out from between the point faces with a light resistance and the arm should not appear to move when the gauge is removed. Care taken to set the points exactly the same will result in a strong spark and a smooth running engine.

I have found the use of OMC Engine Tuner will clean the carburetor without exposing you to caustics, has no unpleasant odor and it rinses away with water. Similar products are available from other manufacturers. Just put the carburetor in an old pan or suitable container and immerse for a short time to remove all the deposits and rinse with water, blow out with compressed air. The carburetor should be upgraded with a kit even if it is clean. Today's gasoline additives will destroy the cork float, rubber float valve tip, bowl gasket and center standpipe seal in a short time. If your motor has rubber fuel lines and a fuel pump these should be replaced with modern components as well. Disassemble as far as practicable. If the center standpipe won't come out that's cool. Just be sure to blow it clear.

CARBURETOR DISASSEMBLED, OLD PARTS IN REAR.

CALIBRATION POCKET LOCATION The pen points to the low speed fuel calibration pocket. This area is where the fuel and air mixture is controlled by the needle valve. Small holes are drilled into the carburetor venture under here. I recommend you remove this soft plug by using a small punch or screwdriver to puncture thru the soft aluminum and twist to remove. Blow it out to remove any crud that may have accumulated. A replacement plug is in the carb kit. Install it in the cavity convex side up and tap it in the center to flatten and seal securely in the hole. A proper float adjustment is critical to good performance. You must bend the metal float tang (do not press down on the float valve) until the float is parallel with the body casting as shown here. All older OMC carb float levels are set in similar fashion.

PROPER FLOAT LEVEL ADJUSTMENT

COMPLETED CARBURETOR Here the carburetor is all ready to replace on the motor. Be sure to install the seal on the center standpipe in the middle of the carb body. Tighten the bowl attach screws evenly and snug. The bowl gasket is thick and if you get carried away you could break the bowl. Basic adjustments for just about all older John-Rudes is 1 1/2 turns off seat for the low and 3/4 for the high speed needle valves.

After a thorough cleaning of the entire exterior to remove 40 years of accumulated dust and dirt, the carburetor was reinstalled on the motor. The next item on the agenda is the head gasket. All older motors should have this replaced for a couple of reasons. First is the materials that the older gaskets are made of is inferior to the newer. Second, you need to examine the cylinders and clean out the carbon accumulation from the combustion chamber and exhaust ports. While the head is off, clean out any scale and debris in the water jacket as well as the carbon from the piston tops and the head. Use a soft brass brush or a putty knife with the corner rounded off. Avoid scratching the pistons.

The cylinder head on most of these little engines gets warped and needs to be surfaced. In order to get the head flat, take a sheet of 80 grit wet or dry sandpaper and place it on a flat surface. A piece of plate glass or a plastic cutting board are good choices. Using a little water and a figure 8 pattern work the head on the paper until it is showing clean metal all across the face. Just so it touches, you don't have to grind out every little flaw. Do the same to the block face with a mill file to get any residual gasket material off and a good mating surface.

BEFORE HEAD AND PISTONS BEFORE CLEANING

: AFTER:

AFTER CLEANING TORQUING THE HEAD BOLTS IS IMPORTANT Reinstall the head to the motor. I use OMC gasket sealing compound on all the bolts and around the water jacket to help seal the cooling system. DO NOT put it on the area where the gasket seals to the cylinders. New head gaskets are treated with a thermal sealer and need no additional compounds. DO NOT use spray gasket sealers, Permatex, etc. on this surface. It is also important to properly torque these bolts, starting from the center out in a circular pattern. Do tighten the bolts in several stages to the proper torque for the motor you are working on.

WATER PUMP DISASSEMBLED The gearcase on this small motor is attached with only 4 bolts and should drop right off. I found even though this motor has little running time several problems in the water pump area. In the picture of the pump components on the bench, the small ring by the old impeller is some plastic melted through the plate and stuck to the drive shaft. You should NEVER run your motor out of the water as severe damage can occur to the pump in just seconds on larger motors. Here the damage was minimal and I replaced this plastic hubbed impeller with a brass hubbed one from my stock. This was also missing the small rubber O ring that is used at the top to seal the splined area where the shaft fits into the crank. Without this it would get rusty and soon wear out. Clean the area where the stainless base plate is situated on the gearcase thoroughly to remove any old sealer, corrosion, or debris in the water intake area. Chase the threads where the housing attaches with a tap to clean out any corrosion. Examine the inside of the housing for wear, these wear the most in the center around the driveshaft and will suck air here and run hot at idle. Lightly face off the housing to remove any burrs, even if you are installing a new one. Of course this is unnecessary if you are working with a larger motor and a plastic

pump with a stainless liner. Be sure to apply some molybdenum grease to the spline above the O ring. Without this the spline will wear out rapidly. Avoid excess and don't put any on the flat top of the driveshaft.