1956 Evinrude Lark 30 HP Tear down

[Piomarine]

I have started a thread for my current project, a 1956 Arkansas Traveler Utility I am turning into a runabout. To push this tin can I have acquired a matching 1956 Evinrude Lark 30 HP, but this motor has seen better days! Until I dig into it I really will not know what I am dealing with. Now I am aware that there are most certainly better candidates for restoration, but this is the motor I have and I will not be allowed to purchase another one...I already got in trouble for buying this one (even more trouble for driving 6 hours round trip to get it!)

So here is what I know:

-The motor is locked and I have no clue why (no oil, overheated, sat too long...who knows)
-The transom clamps are seized (but that is a small issue)
-The gear select does move freely, but I have a sneaking suspicion it may not be connected (I have not checked to see if the prop spins while it is "in gear")
-It does have the starter, but it will also need to be overhauled (I believe it is locked up too)
-All of the wiring needs to be replaced, which tells me this motor has sat unused for a VERY long time
-Finally, I know that I will be in over my head on quite a bit of this...which is where I will rely on all of you.

I have the Gilmer guide, I am aware of the proper fuelil mix at 24:1 (or 16 oz/3 gal of gas) it is what I use on my '57 Sportwin, and I have already mixed up some ATF and acetone because I KNOW I am going to need it!

My question for the group is simply this...where should I start? (after I get the transom clamps loose)

I look forward to your input!

 

[Weldorthemagnificent]

I would start with pouring seafoam in the plug holes and through the carb. Pit the plugs back in and let it sit, turn the motor on one side then the other letting the seafoam work for a couple days. Then put a wrench on the flywheel and see if you can break it loose. A siezed motor can still be broke loose and run if there isn't any damage. If it breaks loose, dribble a little oil in the cylinders to lube everything up. Once it's free a compression test will tell if it needs to be torn down or not. If it frees up and compression checks out ok, then move on to the carb and clean/rebuild that. Then spark and wiring. I'd save water pump and lower end for after I had the motor sorted out.

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[Shaugh]

the first step with any motor is to clean it... hard. I park it over a 5 gallon bucket and attack it with a coffee can full of straight gasoline (which seems to be the very best solvent for this work.. and cheap) and a big paintbrush. Take the hood off and clean it inside and out... sluice down the entire motor top to bottom with that gasoline and cut all that greasy crud off first before you do anything. Making all those parts clean and easy to work on without having black fingers and hands is worth the trouble... then clean hard with a soap product... 409... fantastik... laundry soap and hot water... etc... that will remove the rest that the gas didn't get... and the remnants of the gas. Even a pressure washer can be used... a motor drains... so don't worry about where any of it goes... it will drain out...

Next step before you do anything is remove the lower unit.. if it's locked up 90% sure it's the shaft and lower unit... get that off and then start to examine the motor... seafoam in the plug holes is a good idea... but don't be worrying about anything very hard until the lower unit is off... do that and let us know what you find.

 

[Pappy]

Great choice in engines!! That will look great on an Arkansas Traveller!
Just to give you an idea here is one a buddy of mine did in Tennessee.




Not much wiring on these engines so that will be easy however if the electric start powerhead wiring harness is shot it will not be cheap. There is a manufacturer of these that I have used twice so far and his work is amazing.
Shaugh has gone through many of these engines as I have but he takes them the rest of the way as far as painting restoration. I like to find good originals and do the mechanical and enjoy the patina!
The engine above is an original 1957 Evinrude. Never touched up or painted. A true basement find, out of the weather for decades.

 

[Shaugh]

Yep that's a beautiful motor Pappy. Larks are special, so you should be happy you got one Piomarine. I'm gonna find one some day. They just don't make stuff like that anymore.... 4 different colors of paint on one motor ! Finding them in that good of a condition it's a decision you need to make with painting. Most of my patients are already zombies missing arms and legs..... so they pretty much need the full Dr. Frankenstein treatment... My latest project below was sun blasted down to bare aluminum... Happy to assist you through the whole process Piomarine.

 

[Piomarine]

This makes me feel good! Thank you Pappy and Shaug! I had posted about this motor on another forum and the first response I got was basically "throw it away and get a real motor." That was really disheartening to hear as I was just certain I had purchased a 100 lb paperweight.

Now that said, I did get some good advice. First thing was that I was told in no uncertain terms was to not even attempt to run this motor without first checking the crankshaft bearing. They told me that 1956 Evinrudes had a critical flaw allowing water to enter the crankcase, corroding and fouling the bearings. I opened up the access panel on the side of the cylinder as well as the exhaust cover on the opposite side and both pistons appeared to be free of rust, but that was several months ago. I put the removed pieces back together because we moved to a new house. I have not messed with the motor since then. I have a couple projects around the house before I can devote real time to it and not get in trouble lol. But it's time is coming!

What level of inspection can I attempt without devoting time to a full tear down?

 

[CedarRiverScooter]

Listen to Shaugh - take the lower unit off. Shouldn't take longer than 1/2 hour. Then get some penetrating oil into the crankcase.

 

[Shaugh]

Pio,
An outboard motor is 2 distinct mechanisms that are held together by about 6 screws. Each mechanism will need to be evaluated separately.

I wouldn't worry about what internet experts have claimed to be a fatal flaw in that motor. Judging from the photos I would bet you dollars that the upper unit will be in decent shape. We won't know for sure until you do a compression test after separation. The lower unit is probably dry and seized. One quick test is to open the lower unit drain and see what comes out... anything wet and oily is good news... dry as a bone is not.... Either way you'll need to get in there. Replacement legs and arms are easy to get in the zombie market..."ebay"...

 

[Pappy]

There is no fatal flaw in a 1956 30hp!! They were good engines. I have a 1956 30hp Johnson on the back of one of Lesa's boats.
When I was a kid I ran one for hundreds of hours along with my neighbor on his boat. Have never heard of any kind of internal flaw with this engine and I consider myself to be pretty well informed and involved with the antique/vintage engine world.

Lesa's Lyman.

 

[Shaugh]

Those cherry red 56's were perfect on a wood boat... nice. I agree any motor built by OMC from 55-59 was built at a quality level unheard of since. Products that were designed to last 2 lifetimes. But each motor has a long 65 year life story to tell... some are almost new... used only few times in their life... others have been beat to shavings... either way nobody can make a blanket judgement about any motor until you get in there......

A few photos with the shroud off would help us get a better idea...

 

[Piomarine]

Shroud off...

Here is the four corners view of the motor:



I remembered correctly and it looks like the pistons are relatively rust free but discolored.



I also pulled the drain plug on the lower unit, and while nothing poured out it was wet with oil.



Also, the motor seems to have been painted at some point in the past and the red paint made me think that maybe it was a true blue "JohnnyRude" but I noticed the badge on the power head and low and behold it matches the model and serial number on the data plate on the carrying handle.



Someone was even nice enough to throw in a new impeller which is soft and supple! I look forward to your thoughts!

 

[Weldorthemagnificent]

It might have got hot at one time judging by the peeling paint on the cylinders

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[Shaugh]

Ok the flaking paint on the head is actually pretty normal. All these motors got hot from time to time when people didn't pay attention to whether it was pumping or not. What does trouble me is the bolts on the head that are only partially screwed in.. did you do that ? If not then it might be a motor that someone has been messing with and only partially reassembled... that can be a problem... you will need to double check everything because who knows what has been done to it. The rat chews on the pull cord tell the tale on this motor... it's been sitting a long time...

The red paint is pretty normal.. I've seen it on other evinrudes.. maybe they exchanged parts in manufacturing or used the same primer on both... ?

The screw you took out in the lower unit is the upper screw... I do see oil.... you could tell more by removing the bottom screw... down by the fin...

I still suggest you seperate the motor and lower unit... then send us photos and tell us what you find...

 

[Piomarine]

Fear not Shaugh...the head screws were all me. Several months ago I pulled the head to see the condition of the cylinders, they were a little dirty but not rusted. And I am aware that was the top screw, but I don’t have the motor on a stand yet and didn’t have clear access to the bottom screw. Seeing oil on the top screw was at least a little encouraging.

 

[Shaugh]

All right.. so you had the head off... did you notice anything like pitting or a silvery aluminum color on the top piston or head cavity ? That's the usual sign of an overheated cylinder... they should both be the same blackish or brown color.... If not then you probably don't have anything to worry about regarding overheating.

That's a big heavy motor. You will need it mounted on a stand to work on it effectively... that's your first task.

 

[Piomarine]

Roger WILCO!

I do not recall what the tops of the cylinders looked like but AFTER I have it up on a stand I will pull it again and get back to you.

 

[Shaugh]

This is an example of what an overheated motor will look like. That's a 59 Evinrude... see the red paint ? The lower piston aluminum is actually melted...

 

[RaisedByWolves]

This is an example of what an overheated motor will look like. That's a 59 Evinrude... see the red paint ? The lower piston aluminum is actually melted...

IMG_2721.JPG

Wow that’s ugly!

Looks like it was run lean?

 

[Pappy]

Although they certainly can.....It's pretty tough to run one of these engines lean since they have an adjustable high speed needle. Couple that with the fact that they have a 24:1 ratio and the engine usually will get through a lean run a bit better than more modern engines.
A few years ago I installed a brand new OEM impeller into a very nice running 1957 Johnson 35hp. Put the engine on my 12' Model R and took off. I was running WOT. In less than 500yds the engine seized. Impeller hub had spun in the impeller and fried the powerhead. Identical failure as what Shaugh shows. Let it cool and restarted and got it back to the ramp okay. Had to re-bore both cylinders and go oversize. Even better running engine now!
BTW - The red is not paint. It is a product that was originally made by General Electric called "Glyptol" That stuff was amazing.

 

[Shaugh]

Pappy,
It's interesting on my 59 Lark motor that it's just the lower cylinder.. was your motor both or just one ?

It's almost impossible to find a motor that's 60 years old that didn't get run once or twice with a bad impeller... Given the flaking paint, it will be a good check on Piomarine's motor just to be sure he doesn't have a dead volcano....