Serial Number Identifier

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John@sos
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Re: Serial Number Identifier

Post by John@sos »

Hi,

Just back from one of the hottest places in the world, courtesy of the stepson! He treated his mum for her birthday and the wicked stepdad got to go too! (All those years dealing with a stroppy teen paid off!)

The site mentioned is Peter's, our new webmasters old site, soon to be merged with this one!

Just shows Seagull did get confused! we have come across several like this. You can under stand it , after all if you have been stamping two year numbers all the decade, bound to be one or two miss stamped ones when they were supposed to switch back to a single number!

Regards,
John
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fortyplus
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Re: Serial Number Identifier

Post by fortyplus »

Glad to see you made it safely back and hope you enjoyed a well deserved rest. Thanks too for the parts you sent, it looks great with the throttle control looking like the day it left the factory :). The serial number issue is understandable when things are done by hand, and who knows if that was a one off "darn it" moment or whether someone didn't get the memo and it took a while for anyone to put them straight. I've often wondered why companies use complex serial numbers that include a code for the date, versus just using 979 to mean September 79 on the end of the serial number.
1975 Forty Plus L/S 30 hrs from new
1976 Forty Plus L/S 1 Gal. Long Range tank
1983 Silver Century 90 EFNR 32 hrs from new
Mike Killay
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Location: Swansea

Re: Serial Number Identifier

Post by Mike Killay »

My 40 minus has the number
EF 195 BB3
The engine identifier says made in 1973.
BUT directly underneath, it says that EF engines were made in the 1980's
Confused.
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John@sos
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Re: Serial Number Identifier

Post by John@sos »

Hello Mike,

This is so common. Yes the number and letter code at the end should mean 1973, but as you and I know the E prefix was only used from 1979 onwards when they were fitted with Electronic CD ignitions.

There are a few possiblities. I bet it is really a 1983 model, miss stamped.. It could be that it is a 1993 model, but to be honest I doubt it as by then there were other letters in the prefix, T for twist grip, S for sealed gearbox etc.

We have seen this often in the first year of the changeover to a single letter code, 1983, many motors were miss stamped with double letters. You can imagine the guy on the final test, after a heavy liquid lunch, and having been stamping double letters for the last 10 years, one slip..... Ooops! it may be an easy mistake! and i bet noone noticed!

One way to tell further is to look at the flywheel, has it got a small groove round it? If so after 1984, of no groove it should me a Wipac Mk III, and has a white coil and trigger coil.

all the parts on the shelf here.

good luck with it would suit a very small dinghy, less than 9ft long! (Or a canoe!)

regards,
john
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Mike Killay
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Location: Swansea

Re: Serial Number Identifier

Post by Mike Killay »

John,
The flywheel itself is totally enclosed.
There is a small blue plastic disc in the top of the part of the flywheel where the rope starter is wound.
The tank is steel, oblong, and covered in what seems to be blue plastic.
The engine is in very good condition and runs well.
It was an executor sale so they could only tell me that their relative had used it years ago on the river. When I got it, the gearbox was empty and under all the cobwebs, the plastic plug was covered in silver paint. My guess is that the last owner drained the gearbox for the winter, cleaned and sprayed the motor and put it away in his shed where it remained until he passed away years later.
I was also given a complete 40 plus leg that was not in quite such good condition.
Probably this extra leg was swapped over on when needed.
Mike
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John@sos
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Re: Serial Number Identifier

Post by John@sos »

Yes enclosed flywheels on all after 1979!

I'm betting 1983 as that was the era of the plastic coated steel tanks!

Plenty of tips on the FAQ page and if you need parts, books whatever contact me direct by e-mail, john@saving-old-seagulls.co.uk.

Regards,
John
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CharlesSA
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Location: South Africa

Re: Serial Number Identifier

Post by CharlesSA »

My engine number does not appear. The No is CP366L4 Could anyone help me identify it.

Thanks.
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John@sos
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Re: Serial Number Identifier

Post by John@sos »

An oddity!

The letter L was not used in the date code sequence..

Is this by some chance a 'longshaft' motor? If it is maybe the 4 after the 'L' has been added by someone and this is a very early CP longshaft.

We have seen some that were used my the military stamped with 'L4' after engine numbers, but these tend to be very early model 102 motors.

It will have, I suspect, a Villiers ignition. Sadly these are failing all the time now, just age... If the motor can be flushed through backwards and it has a clear waterjacket, and if the gearbox is OK, then sorting out a later wipac ignition will give you a reliable 4hp direct drive motor. (Flush out in fresh after use in salt!!).

Regards,
John
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CharlesSA
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Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2012 11:57 am
Location: South Africa

Re: Serial Number Identifier

Post by CharlesSA »

[attachment=0]IMG_3295.JPG

Hi John,

It is a short shaft and runs like a dream. My problem is the gearbox, I don't know how to remove the pinion drive.
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John@sos
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Re: Serial Number Identifier

Post by John@sos »

You need a workshop Manual!

Mail me direct, via my mail address on the website.

Looking at the number bet the L4 was added later, any signs of green paint on the drive leg? (Army painted theirs green!).

Regards,
John
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