Reply To: 1959 Johnson RDSL 21B Info Needed

[Don]

The two leads are “stop leads”, like others have said…No battery charging system on this engine….You could find a generator, but you will need to find a regulator also. I’m pretty sure the added wiring is in your harness already, perhaps not.
OK, how do you know the gearcase is froze up? Have you removed the gearcase? Have you drained the gear lube? I understand you wanting to keep the unit original, meaning you want to keep the original gearcase. The good news is that any damaged bearings can be replaced, so the outer housing can be kept original. The only issue might be a crack in the skeg caused by water intrusion that was allowed to freeze over the winter, cracking the skeg. So, please answer the questions I have asked so we can help you.
And yes, those aftermarket “fits all” service manuals are very confusing. You mentioned having a parts manual for this engine, be sure it is the correct one….There were many minor changes made to these gearcases over the years, it is important to get the correct parts. I believe the original service manual for this engine is referred to as “the red book” from Johnson and is hard to find. Perhaps someone can copy the pages for you. Later model OEM manuals can be found that have a dedicated section to this style gearcase. Unfortunately, some of the special tools might have changed a bit aligning with the changes over the years.
So, let’s start slowly with this project, so we know exactly what you have, and what is wrong with it….