1988 Johnson 2.5 HP. How does this thing work?

[OregonTroutBum]

Greetings - I'm a newbie to this forum, but have seen some great ideas. I just picked up an old 13.5' Sears Semi V -It's a bit rough, but I hope to spend some time restoring / renovating it, and have been inspired by some of the work you guys have done. It came with a 2.5 HP Johnson outboard. I did a bit of research and found it is a 1988 model. However, I'm not sure how to work the thing!. I'm hoping there might be somebody with experience with these kind of motors. There is no documentation that came with the motor, and I've searched the internet far and wide for an owners manual but have had no luck.

I set the motor in a garbage can full of water, and it started on the third pull - so I know it works. However, all the outboard motors that I've used previously have a tiller- mounted twist throttle. This one apparently has a sliding throttle on top of the motor? What are the two knobs on the face of the motor? I assume the one on the left is the choke, but in addition to pulling / pushing it in or out, you also can twist it left or right. The knob on the right also twists left and right, but appears to "close" by twisting all the way to the right, which appears to kill the engine. What's the red button at the end of the tiller?

Also, the engine seems to be engaged at all times. Is there a gear shift for this thing? Seems like it would be a major hassle if you couldn't put the motor in neutral.

I tried attaching a pic a few time, but got an error message. Perhaps I need a primer on attaching pics?

If anybody can supply some information, I'd be grateful! Cheers!

 

[OregonTroutBum]

Uploaded a pic to photobucket - hope this works...

 

[Brine]

Welcome to the site. Post up the model # when you can. There is a good chance someone can find a manual here for you. I don't know much about outboards, but we have plenty of folks here who do.

The red button should be the kill switch.

 

[OregonTroutBum]

The model number is J3RCCM. Thanks!

 

[Whoopbass]

I have never seen a Johnson 2.5 quite like yours. They usually just have a throttle lever and then a choke lever.
There isn't any gears to shift on these motors you just start it with the throttle lever about 1/4"-1/2" up and go. Spin it around 180 degrees for reverse.
The choke might have a primer system in it so that it squirts a small amount of gas in the motor when you pump it. I assume when you twist it left it closes the choke and right is open or vice versa.
The lever on the right is probably a low speed mixture knob. Set it so its idling smooth but not high rpm's. Turn it down so its idling kind of rough and then turn it back until it smooths out and leave it.
There is also a fuel petcock on the side of the motor. Turning it down opens the fuel line to allow fuel to flow to the motor and when you turn it up it cuts of the fuel so you can transport it laying down.
The fuel mixture is 50:1 on that outboard.
Since its a new motor to you you probably should check the lower unit oil. I would probably change it to be on the safe side. You can get lower unit oil at Wal Mart. There are two screws on the lower unit. Drain the oil and remove both screws. Refill with fresh oil from the bottom screw and squeeze the oil in until it comes out the top hole.

I would make sure it runs right and then sell it and buy a larger motor. That motor is worth a solid $300 to the right person and if your lucky you can find a 9.9 for around $400 more or less depending on your area.

 

[Whoopbass]

I just checked https://shop2.evinrude.com/Index.aspx?s1=qdb79krpbv73c735of6ipqlt17&catalog_id=0&siteid=1
Your choke is a primer system where you pump it 2-3X and start the motor. Only pump gas in the motor when the motor is cold. It twists left and right to shut the fuel off so I guess they done away with the petcock on the side of the motor.
The other knob is a low speed adjusting knob and adjust it like I mentioned previous. If its real cold and your motor is idling rough you can turn the knob and richen the mixture so it smooths it out.

 

[OregonTroutBum]

Thanks Whoopbass! Excellent - thank you for the info! When I bought the boat I thought a 9.9 would be the perfect motor to match with it, and I'll keep my eyes open for a deal. Now I know what I have with the 2.5. I took the cowling off this afternoon to look for gears (before I read your post). The lack of forward / neutral / reverse might be a bit of a pain to deal with, but I have a trolling motor I can use for fine maneuvering. I'll change out the lower unit oil, take it for a spin and test it out, and put it on craigslist.

Thanks!

 

[Johnny5]

got a motor just like that. Its twin cylinder for less vibration. Mine has a piggy back gas tank mounted on the back of the motor. the choke is a primer as well when you pull it out but it also closes the butter fly two . Its a little aggrevating to split the case just to replace the spark plugs
oh yeah and no reverse just rotate the handle 180 degrees 50:1 gas mix don't read the label that says 75:1 its to lean itll burn it up your throttle lever is broke you can still em from crowley marine among other parts

 

[OregonTroutBum]

Yeah - I noticed the broken throttle handle after googling images (there was a pic of a similar one on smalloutboards.com). But the lever is still there (it's a "t" flush with the top of the motor) and it's still workable as it is. This one has an external tank with it. I imagine 3.3 gallons of gas would run you all weekend with this motor. The sticker on the motore says to use a 100:1 gas mix, but I read that Johnson put out a notice in the late 80's saying to use a 50:1 ratio.

Hopefully I'll get it out on the water next weekend and run it a bit. Work + limited daylight hours precludes doing anything on weekday evenings. HURRY UP SPRING!

 

[Johnny5]

Mines been a great little motor. Its 2.5 but don't let it fool you it scoot a little worked great on my 14' vhull with me and my dad 500lb plus with gear. It be awesome on a square back canoe

 

[Bigbuckguy]

got a motor just like that. Its twin cylinder for less vibration. Mine has a piggy back gas tank mounted on the back of the motor. the choke is a primer as well when you pull it out but it also closes the butter fly two . Its a little aggrevating to split the case just to replace the spark plugs
oh yeah and no reverse just rotate the handle 180 degrees 50:1 gas mix don't read the label that says 75:1 its to lean itll burn it up your throttle lever is broke you can still em from crowley marine among other parts

Does anyone know where the water outlet is? I'm guessing it doesn't have a tell tale so you don't fill the boat in reverse. I am trying to tell if the impeller is good without taking the lower unit off. Thanks.

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Does anyone know where the water outlet is? I'm guessing it doesn't have a tell tale so you don't fill the boat in reverse. I am trying to tell if the impeller is good without taking the lower unit off. Thanks.

Change the impeller.

These have the water exiting with the exhaust so you’ll see some come out of little holes that are above the waterline (hopefully) when running.

Put a lot of hours on one of these lil paint shakers as a kid. A half gallon of gas would keep us going all day.

 

[LaqueRatt]

That's a pretty cool little motor, but I wonder if you wouldn't be better off with a good trolling motor. I have a 55 lb troller on a 14 footer and it moves along pretty good. Even on a 4 year old battery. I agree a 9.9 would be a good match. You can never have too much power, right? You can run a big motor slow, but a small one pretty much has just one speed, wide open. I'm also not confident that 2.5 will ever put the boat on plane. Which would get old quick.