Gentlemen, thank you, each man, for your individual and corporate response to this post. I just celebrated my 59th birthday this past Monday but I feel like a newborn when it comes to antique outboards. Your ideas, suggestions, and wisdom, both individual and together, is an invaluable gift for someone like myself. I know that I get the benefit of years of time spent by all of you enjoying these treasures from our past. I do not take that for granted, and I really appreciate all that you bring to the table.
That said…………….I wanted to respond to the different ideas all of you made in response to my post. Here is what I know about the motor……
~~~The seller informed me, he and his brother did have the motor running shortly before I bought it. He is a career man with the Coast Guard. They basically hooked a hose on the lower unit so that it circulated water through the motor as they ran it by applying gas into the carb by hand just for the purpose of making sure the motor ran. According to them, it runs fine.
~~~The Impeller/water pump needs replacement and the lower unit will need seals replaced.
~~~It will need most likely ignition parts replacement and I will have to locate the cover over the correct starter mount which a few of you have mentioned I will need to find and put on in place of the starter mount that is currently installed. The current starter does work.
~~~I have not been able to get the motor to tilt up. I am not sure if I am not performing that function properly or not. There is a small tab under the front handle that shows the words lock, unlock. when I move that tab, I am not able to release the tilt locking mechanism. Not sure what I am not doing right there.
~~~As far as the greasy black stain running down from the shifter, I do not know if the shifter works properly or not as the linkage is disconnected. Also, in the first set of pics, you can see the opening on the left side of the lower unit where that linkage connects. That small cover is lost and needs to be replaced and the linkage needs to be reconnected
~~~Basically the 4 different areas that need to be repaired/worked on are……
1, Ignition parts replaced.
2. Fuel system will be overhauled(carb, lines, etc.) I have the original fuel tank with both double connectors, one still on the tank which is in really nice condition, and the other which attaches to the engine.
3. New waterpump/impeller to replace the current ones.
4. Lower units seals will most likely have to be replaced.
So all of you know, I paid $300 for the motor. After seeing your initial response to the post, it seems I paid too much for the unit. I believe I was motivated because the price of one of these motors in top condition is very costly. I guess I figured I could get the motor in really good shape for less total money that what it would cost me to buy one already in top shape. I could be wrong here but I have seen the prices of some of these motors fully restored and they are not cheap. So, I went ahead and bough it. The seller gave me until September 23rd to return the motor for what I paid for it if I did not think it was the right thing for my purposes.
My fear is that my lack of experience working on these motors will prevent me from doing the job right or not being able to finish the work that needs to be done. When I bought it, I could see in my minds eye what it would look like and how it would perform when finished. I have seen pictures of these motors and there are some videos on Youtube showing them at work. They really look like fine motors when they are in good condition. I would suspect if I do keep it, I will gain at least some good experience trying to repair it and if need be, I can always take it to a competent mechanic who can do what I cannot.
Having said all that, I would ask any of you that can respond to let me know if and where I can get the proper bracket and cover that fits over the flywheel and whatever other parts I need up top that you can see(not the ignition parts, I think I can find those). If you have any ideas as to where to get ANY of the parts I will need to get this thing in top condition, please let me know and I will do that.
Even more important than all of that, I wanted to ask if any of you know of any members who live in this area? My wife and I live in Culpeper, Va 30 miles due west of Fredericksburg where Interstate 95 goes north and south. I would like to find fellow members in this area anyway, but if you guys know who that might be and how I can get in touch with them, maybe they might be able to assist me even in some small way.
I am also open to any one of you contacting me, particularly if you have or have had this same model of Johnson 30 HP. I am willing to learn how to fix one of these motors but I know how important a competent person can be for someone in my shoes. This motor needs some work but I believe it has the bones to become what it was made to be at its best. It will just take some time, effort, and some dollars to get it done.
My cell is 540 419 8391 if anyone wants to contact me or provide my number to someone who can help me with some good ideas. All I ask is that you not give my number to anyone not connected to this venture. I will take a leap of faith you guys will know exactly what to do. I have attached pics to this post showing more details of the starter and bracket areas as well as the carb section so you can get a better idea of those areas.
Let me know what you think. Thanks again in advance for all your help. You guys are the best.
