I sure do like fidling with these outboards. Wish I could find a non marine use for one.
I pulled a 1975 F from a marina trash. I believe it turned over at first but when I oiled it up and down and tried turning it with a cord a few days later it would only go about 3/4 revolution and stop dead. It would then only go forward and reverse the 3/4 turn. There is a sudden clank sound when it stops. So I took the leg off and darned if both ends didn't turn freely. But while putting it back together the head started doing it again but then freed up right away. So I put it together and drilled for spark. Got a weak spark; seems the points need more cleaning. What do you guys think caused that kind of intermittent sudden stopping? It sure wouldn't be fun to see that happen under load. Thanks for being here.
Stumped by Intermittent Sudden Locking
Moderators: John@sos, charlesp, Charles uk, RickUK, Petergalileo
Re: Stumped by Intermittent Sudden Locking
Howdy.goldote wrote: ...I pulled a 1975 F from a marina trash. I believe it turned over at first but when I oiled it up and down and tried turning it with a cord a few days later it would only go about 3/4 revolution and stop dead. It would then only go forward and reverse the 3/4 turn. There is a sudden clank sound when it stops...
First, I wouldn't dare try to start that thing running until you disprove any theory whatsoever as to the possible cause. You seem to have eliminated a bunch of possibilities by taking the power leg off & at which point it all got free again.
One might separate the leg and gear box (often known as the "lower unit" over here) and see what kind of reaction you get to turning the drive shaft. Do so while holding the gear box upside down, sideways, etc. If you've got the lockup confined to that half of the outboard, I have to think in terms of a broken gear.
Free is good, if it doesn't take too much to get it going again. Try draining the gear oil out of he gears by removing the huge, plastic plug. You may see something come out with the oil and perhaps not. If not, fill with kerosene, slosh generously and rotate the shaft a bunch, and dump into an oil pan so you can see whatever may come out. Repeat. Repeat. If nothing else, rinsing out all the goo should help you to see the pinion gear which, if broken, might stop the engine 3/4 of a turn in either direction some times and not do so at other times. Other than a sheared tooth or - a bit of a bearing?? - it's hard to know what could be in there.
If you find the enemy and help it to it's final reward and want to try making the engine work, you may find a gear box on Ebay from a similar model or contact John here at S.O.S. If not, consider allowing the rest of the motor to be an organ donor and clear a few bucks out of it at least.
Good luck with your find. It's a shame the previous keeper couldn't offer it a decent burial or part it out.
- Ted
There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.
- Prof. Peter Drucker
- Prof. Peter Drucker
Re: Stumped by Intermittent Sudden Locking
That's a good point about not firing her up. I'd hate to mess up a perfectly good block.
It has good compression and spark; the carb is soaking; it's real mucky.
It sounds decent when I run it with a drill. I did stick a small wooden peg in the carb hole in the block, maybe I was blocking the piston with that. I tried to reconstruct it though and nothing happened. I was hoping someone might have had a similar experience and could shed some light on this. It's definitely happening topside since that's where it reoccurred when separated. I'll pull the piston out and check there to make sure nothing's come loose. But I'll wait until next winter; the fish will start biting soon.
I like soaking frozen Seagulls I find here in TX in diesel until they reincarnate.
Thanks much for your help; I sure have learned a lot from you guys.
It has good compression and spark; the carb is soaking; it's real mucky.
It sounds decent when I run it with a drill. I did stick a small wooden peg in the carb hole in the block, maybe I was blocking the piston with that. I tried to reconstruct it though and nothing happened. I was hoping someone might have had a similar experience and could shed some light on this. It's definitely happening topside since that's where it reoccurred when separated. I'll pull the piston out and check there to make sure nothing's come loose. But I'll wait until next winter; the fish will start biting soon.
I like soaking frozen Seagulls I find here in TX in diesel until they reincarnate.
Thanks much for your help; I sure have learned a lot from you guys.
Re: Stumped by Intermittent Sudden Locking
HI Goldkote,
I misread, apparently. You confined the lockup to the top half? Yes, that dowl into the carb deal (to hold the throttle piston open?) would make a simple explanation excepting that, by recollection, the piston skirt clears the carburetor port only long enough to take a gulp of air/fuel mix & then closes off again.
Have you pulled the plug out? Any chance it's too long and interfered for a bit until the ground tab got beaten out of the way? Or perhaps that broke off entirely and became an interference item of it's own.
You sound like you've played with these before. And so, we'll look forward to progress reports whenever you get to it.
Happy fishing!
I misread, apparently. You confined the lockup to the top half? Yes, that dowl into the carb deal (to hold the throttle piston open?) would make a simple explanation excepting that, by recollection, the piston skirt clears the carburetor port only long enough to take a gulp of air/fuel mix & then closes off again.
Have you pulled the plug out? Any chance it's too long and interfered for a bit until the ground tab got beaten out of the way? Or perhaps that broke off entirely and became an interference item of it's own.
You sound like you've played with these before. And so, we'll look forward to progress reports whenever you get to it.
Happy fishing!
There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.
- Prof. Peter Drucker
- Prof. Peter Drucker