Looking at a small little runabout that has a old 40hp Johnson on it. Im guessing late 60's to mid 70's vintege... Any thing to keep a eye out for on these motors? I know other then normal age/wear/abuse. But anything common to look for???
Old Johnson 40hp outboard??
Ingersoll444
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Looking at a small little runabout that has a old 40hp Johnson on it. Im guessing late 60's to mid 70's vintege... Any thing to keep a eye out for on these motors? I know other then normal age/wear/abuse. But anything common to look for???
Make sure the water pump is working. Check the sparkplugs before you start it. If there is any aluminum showing on either plug it is not an engine you want. Make sure there is lube in the lower unit. That are the things I would check on an outboard of that age.
Dave
Dave
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In addition to the above, take a critical eye to the lower unit gearbox. People typically forget to drain the oil in the winter, and they may have ingressed some water through the seal. Then the water freezes and.........
Of course also make sure the seal/ shaft/ bearings are in good shape. Water pump impellers used to be a popular replacement part.
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I think those outboards burn leaded gas or some sort of additive. I have a boat from the 50's that's parked in the yard with a 50Johnson on it. I have to get rid of that boat.
Dan
Dan
Any OMC outboard built after 1964 can use almost any of todays gasolineexcept the E85. The gas -oil mix should be 50 to 1, 1 pint of marine 2cycle oil to 6 gallons of gas. If it has a separet oil tank you still need to mix a small amount of fuel to check the system out.
Dave
Dave
We had a johnson 40 circa 1965 on a small runabout as a kid. It was a good motor that never gave us any trouble, except a small fuel leak that blew the cover 15' in the air when my sister tried to start it. Wouldn't you know the fire extinguisher was dead. That was before they put gauges on them. Anyway it was a small fire we were able to get out easily and the motor was fine after fixing the leak
We used to water ski with it, but we were all pretty light back then.
I still have a "98 40 evinrude an a 16' fishing boat that gets terrific gas mileage.
We used to water ski with it, but we were all pretty light back then.
I still have a "98 40 evinrude an a 16' fishing boat that gets terrific gas mileage.
I certainlt would not be afraid of an old Evinrude or Johnson outboard! they don't build em like that no more (to actually LAST) besides year don't mean much; most people that own boats dont use em as commuter vehicles so I doubt it has enough hours on it to be an issue unless it was run on straight gas or something.
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You characters DO realize this is a months-old thread?
Common issues usually involve the carburetor, they need some attention more often than not, usually a rebuild kit. The fuel pump (diaphragm and valves) can cause intermittant problems. There are a lot of other things to look for but like Don B points out, they generally last a bit longer on average and if they've been maintained they can be a real bargain. One thing, if it's an "electroshift" gearcase you really should check to see that it shifts ok. Those models are on the expensive side to repair and they take type C gear lube. It's a 10W lube, real thin, and a lot of folks burned up the magnetic shift by using the lube for standard gearcases.
Not until you burst my bubble. I always like taking boats though.
The 40's weren't electric shift.
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Definition of a BOAT= "Hole in the water into which you throw much MONEY!"
:ROF :bannana: :bananapow :dancingpa :fest30:
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Hey.. Thats ok. Thats why we leave them up on the board!!!
I ended up not getting that boat, but still reading and learning!!!! Thanks for all the input, and contune on if you would all like. :thanku:
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Two happiest days of a boatowner's life:
First day he steps aboard, and the day he watches the new owner take the helm
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