Free Late 50’s Johnson 35 HP Seahorse motor

[Slimcowboy1978]

Thank you Pappy.

 

[Slimcowboy1978]

I brought the old Johnson home last night and was finally able to inspect it myself for the first time this afternoon. I can confirm it is in fact a 1958 Johnson 35 HP. The mode number is FDE-19.

I still need to buy/rent a compression tester to test the compression. However when I pull the starter rope I feel a lot of resistance and feel big fishes of air through the exhaust… so I’m fairly confident that the compression will test good.

I was worried that due to the missing prop and all the gear oil on the bottom of the skeg that the motor had suffered a “Prop-Strkike”. Under closer inspection, I found my fears to be confirmed. The bottom of the skeg has been JB Welded back together (poorly I might add), and I was shocked to see that the spaghetti seal was replaced with red RTV sealant. RTV is everywhere inside the lower gear box. The gear box was also bone dry. The rear bearing feels gritty, but that could be due all the rust in the bottom of the gear case. I didn’t see any pitting or scoring on the bearing race or the bearing rollers. So I will clean them up and see what I find.

 

[Slimcowboy1978]

One other question, what is the part in the picture with the hose and several wires connected to it?

 

[Piomarine]

If I’m not mistaken, I believe that is the fuel pump. That said, mine is a 56 which was pre fuel pump I am not speaking from a place of experience.


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[Pappy]

That is a vacuum switch. If the engine decides to "run away" in neutral or see extremely high RPM in neutral the diaphragm in the switch will pull shut and ground the ignition.
Get your seals and new spagetti seal for the gearcase. There should be ZERO RTV used in this assembly.

 

[Shaugh]

A new skeg should be pretty easy to find. If it’s jb welded just trash it. eBay the part number.

 

[Slimcowboy1978]

That is a vacuum switch. If the engine decides to "run away" in neutral or see extremely high RPM in neutral the diaphragm in the switch will pull shut and ground the ignition.
Get your seals and new spagetti seal for the gearcase. There should be ZERO RTV used in this assembly.

I agree that there should be ZERO RTV in this assembly. I have the seals on order.

Thank you for clarifying the vacuum switch and it’s function.

A new skeg should be pretty easy to find. If it’s jb welded just trash it. eBay the part number.

So far I have only found one skeg on eBay, and I wouldn’t put it on any motor… it’s pitted way to bad, and the bearing retainers look to be worn out.
My skeg even though it definitely broke, I think is repairable with either aluminum Tig welding, or those aluminum brazing rods… which I have both, and plenty of time.

 

[Shaugh]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/292241528731?hash=item440af3d79b:g:m2oAAOSw6nNZrvH-

 

[Slimcowboy1978]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/292241528731?hash=item440af3d79b:g:m2oAAOSw6nNZrvH-

Thanks, I think I’m going to try my luck with welding it first… yes it might be more time consuming than just replacing it, but I’m fairly confident in my skills with the welder and brazing rods. I want to save my budget for the more expensive parts.

Speaking of more expensive parts, how do I look up kits, like for the carburetor and the water pump? Also is there a tune up kit that include points and coils?

Secondly, how do I remove the shift linkage so I can pull separate the gear case from the lower group?

 

[Pappy]

ON the side of the exhaust housing you will find an oblong cover with two screws. Remove that cover.
The engine should be in neutral. Behind that cover you should see a brass piece with two screws. Remove the lower screw. That connects your lower shift linkage with the upper shift linkage. Note that there is a groove in the shift rod. That groove has to line up perfectly with the retaining screw when put back togerher or shifting will not be correct. You can slide a screwdriver up into the groove in the brass connector to spread it open a very small amount to assist you in putting the shift rod back up in it.
When going back together the driveshaft splines have to align with the crank splines
The shift shaft has to align with the clevis or brass piece
The water tube has to align with the water pump.
Get the lower unit off and turned upside down in a fixture you can build out of a 2x8 bolted to a bench. Easiest way to work on it
Yes there are tune up kits that include points and condensers. Coils have to be purchased by themselves.
Use oem parts only!! They fit and they work every time.

 

[Slimcowboy1978]

Thanks once again Pappy, your information was priceless.

I got all the JB Weld cleaned off and the crack opened up for welding tomorrow.

 

[Slimcowboy1978]

When I pulled the gear case housing assembly off of the lower unit, the pinion gear fell off the shaft. When it fell off, all of the roller bearing fell out of the roller bearing race. Looking up the part it’s $134.00 from http://www.MarieEngine.com https://www.marineengine.com/newparts/part_details.php?pnum=OMC0376858

Is there a compatible bearing at Napa.

The Water pump impeller looks brand new, but I'm going to replace it any ways. The Water Tube Grommet wasn’t installed properly and got shoved to the bottom of the water pump housing, so that’s also going to need to be replaced.

So far to rebuild the gear case I need the fallowing parts:

1) water pump impeller repair kit 0379768 $35.54
2) Pinion Bearing 0376858 *Diagram #24* (I want to find another bearing if at all possible)
3) Oil Retaining Hosing O-Ring 0302588 $3.43 *diagram #39*
4) Oil Retaining Housing seal 0302564 $14.61 *Diagram #37*
5) Spaghetti Seal- *Diagram #16*Obsolete any ideas where to find it?
6) Drive Shaft Oil Seal *diagram #8* 0313284 $13.04
7) Drive shaft bushing 0304084 $58.99 *diagram #52* (do I really need this, mine looks good, and the driveshaft feels tight.
8) pinion bearing 0376856 $16.10 *diagram #19*
9)Shift Rod Bushing 0304765 $18.99 *diagram #45*
10) **** Rod O-Ring 0301877 $3.43 *digram #46*


And then to finish of the gear housing all I need is the prop, prop nut, and the washer.

Does this pets list look correct?

 

[Pappy]

You don't need the shift rod bushing.
Spagetti seal is all over Ebay. Different lengths and prices.
Just put the needles back up in the bearing with some heavy grease. Many bearings back then were not caged bearings.
No to #7
You have two driveshaft "bearings" listed. If I remember right the top one is a bushing and the bottom a bearing. If the bushing is okay let it ride.
By the way that "crack" almost looks like a common casting mark. Make sure

 

[Slimcowboy1978]

Ohh I’m sure it’s a crack… oil poured out even through the JB Weld crap the PO put on it. I welded it all up yesterday and am in the finishing stages of machining it all down smooth again.



I’ll look around FleeBay and see what I can for the spaghetti seal. Thanks Pappy, I’m going to run a compression test this week, and see if this motor will start… so far it looks like it was gone through very recently, so I’m more inclined that it has been sitting because the gear case was cracked and not holding oil.

 

[nccatfisher]

Please tell me that wasn't the after pic from the welding?

 

[Slimcowboy1978]

Please tell me that wasn't the after pic from the welding?

The last pic was my first bead… I ended up grinding it down and laying another bead… now you can’t tell where I welded the crack.

 

[Slimcowboy1978]

The top cylinder has 90psi compression and the bottom cylinder had 94 PSI. Are these numbers low enough to cause concern?

 

[Pappy]

they are fine

 

[Slimcowboy1978]

they are fine

Awesome, so tomorrow I’ll order up the seals for the gear housing, and a carb kit. In the mean time I’ll pull the flywheel to inspect the points and condensers. And probably put those on order as well with the coils.

 

[Piomarine]

Replacing the points and condensers is just cheap insurance to have the confidence that your ignition system is in good shape.