19531967 Evinrude Johnson 3HP Litetwin Ducktwin Tune-UP Procedure

The motor for this project is Model 3303S Serial B 18010. This is the same model motor my Grandfather had when I was a boy. I have many fond memories of this motor and wanted one to restore for years. Finally a friend gave this motor to me because he is getting too old to use it. He knew by my reaction when I first saw it that I would fix it up so that will run well and put it to good use. This motor had been stored with gas still in the tank for two or three years. I did get it to sputter to life, even with the old gas, but I realized that it would need a good tune-up. It was also leaking gas from the carburetor. I believe that when I am finished tuning up this motor, it will run every bit as well as it did when it was new. You can buy these motors for around $150 to $200 on e-Bay. If are willing to buy around $100 in parts, you can tune it up and have it running like new. Without the parts for the tune-up, it will never run right for reasons I will describe as I document this procedure.. Evinrude model 3302: Year: 1963 HP: 3 WOT RPMS: 4000 Displacement: 5.28 cu.in. = 86.5 ccm Weight: 34 lbs. = 15.4 Kg Gear ratio: 17:28 Spark Plugs: Champion J6C gapped at .030" (J6J is no longer available) Lower unit oil: OMC/BRP 'HiVis' or equivelant 80/90W outboard gearcase oil from Walmart, etc. Fuel/Oil mix: 24:1 87 octane gas to TC-W3 outboard oil (forget about SAE 30w).

Time to get Started - If you have gas in the tank, you might as well go ahead and try to start your
motor. There is not much point in this except to get a feeling for how much things improved when you are done. Before you start it up, stick the lower unit in a garbage can full of water. Note how well the motor turns over and if the recoil starter is working. Also note if the motor seems to have good compression. Inspect the rope and handle to see if they need to be replaced. As I disassemble this motor, I plan to clean up everything I can with a cloth and spray cleaner. There are many special cleaners available for this but I am simply using common household cleaner which I found under the sink. Hopefully I will return it before my wife discovers it missing. I also plan to keep these parts organized as I take them apart.

Take off the Motor Covers

Now it's time to take the covers off and see what is underneath. Remove the 4 screws that hold the recoil starter assembly on the top side of the motor and lift the assembly off. Be careful not to loose the lock washers that go with the screws. After wiping off the starter and gas tank, put the 4 screws and lock washers back into the gas tank so they will not get lost. Set the starter assembly aside.

Now remove the screw that is in the middle of the choke pull button. Remove the button by pulling straight forward. Remove the port side cover screws. Starboard is right and port is left on a boat. If it were a car, port side would be the same as drivers side. Remove the port side cover, wipe it off and set aside. Screw the choke button back onto the carburetor so that it will not get lost. Screw the 2 screws back into the bracket that holds the port side cover.

Remove the 2 screws that hold the starboard side covers. Turn the fuel shutoff valve to a horizontal position so that it will fit through the horizontal slot in the side cover. Remove the starboard side cover, wipe it off and set aside. Screw the 2 screws back into the bracket that olds the cover. Shut off the fuel shutoff valve. Disconnect the fuel line from the bottom of the fuel shutoff valve. This is best done with a 7/16 open wrench. Do not use pliers and be careful not to damage the brass fitting because this will cause a fuel leak if you don't replace it damaged. Remove 3 of the 4 bolts that screw upward holding the gas tank. The 4th bolt (front port side) only needs to be loosened so it drops down onto the air intake. It does not nee to be removed. Lift the gas tank off the motor. Screw the 4 loose screws into the bottom of the gas tank so they do not get lost. Wipe the tank off and set aside.

You now have access to the carburetor and ignition system. . The major areas that we will focus on are Powerhead, Fuel/Carburetor, Ignition, Impeller and Lower Unit Lubricant.

Power Head - Before you decide to tune-up your motor, you want to make sure that the motor will
turn over and you have compression with both cylinders. If the motor will not turn over by turning the flywheel or it does not seem to have compression, then your motor needs more than a simple tune-up. You will have to decide how badly you want to fix your motor and how far your mechanical ability will take you. A tune-up is fairly easy. Freeing pistons and restoring compression is more on the medium level of difficulty and beyond the scope of this article. I do not want to say that the motor cannot be fixed or is not worth fixing but with the motor that I am using for this article, it is not necessary. In another article, I did have to free the pistons on a Johnson 15 HP motor and give it a new life. You can get a compression gauge at your local auto parts store for around $20 or $30. You may want to replace the starter rope and/or the starter rope handle. It is also possible to replace the starter recoil spring if necessary. All these parts are still available but were not necessary for this project.

Carburetor - Anytime you have an old motor that sat around for a while, you can assume that the
carburetor needs service. Gas, especially when mixed with oil will turn to varnish or otherwise gum up your carburetor. While there are many carburetor cleaning additives that you can put in your fuel tank or spray directly into the carburetor, they will not come close to accomplishing the same thing as a carburetor tuneup. Even if the motor was stored without fuel in the carburetor, the gaskets may dry out and crack or quickly deteriorate once you try to use it again. The only way to make sure the carburetor is going to function well is to remove, disassemble, clean, and reassemble with new parts, replace, and make adjustments which are the steps to performing a carburetor tune-up.

Fuel System - Anytime you have an old outboard boat motor that sat around for a while, you can
assume that the carburetor needs service. Gas, especially when mixed with oil will turn to varnish or otherwise gum up your carburetor and eat your gaskets. While there are many carburetor cleaning additives that you can put in your fuel tank or spray directly into the carburetor, they will not come close to accomplishing the same thing as a carburetor tune up. Even if the motor was stored without fuel in the carburetor, the gaskets may dry out and crack or quickly deteriorate once you try to use it again. The only way to make sure the carburetor is going to function well is to remove, disassemble, clean, and assemble with new parts, replace, and make adjustments. These are the steps to performing a carburetor tuneup. While servicing the carburetor, you should consider the entire fuel system which includes the gas tank and fuel line. The fuel/oil mixture for this motor is 24:1. This works out to be 16 ounces of TCW-3 rated 2 cycle oil for a 3 gallon tank of 87 octane unleaded gasoline or 32 ounces of oil if you are mixing up a 6 gallon tank. 2 cycle motor oil has evolved over the years. The current and best 2 cycle oil available today will have a TCW-3 rating. There is such a thing as TCW-2 and older versions but the advantage of using the newer oil is that you will get better lubrication and less carbon buildup than with the older oils. The original mixing instructions for these old motors talk about a 16:1 ratio of leaded gasoline to standard 30 weight motor oil but you must keep in mind that a lot has changed since that time. TCW-3 is the rating on pretty much any 2 cycle oil you can buy today. If you have some old TCW-2 oil sitting around, go ahead and use it, maybe with every other tank full until it is gone. Also, there is no advantage in using higher octane or leaded fuel so stick with the less expensive 87 octane unleaded gasoline and your motor will be happy. Newer 2 cycle motors use a 50:1 oil mixture but this is not enough oil for your motor because of the type of bearings is has internally. Do not use anything less than a 24:1 mixture or you can damage your motor. The carburetor is part of the overall Fuel System which starts at the gas tank. The tank on this motor is mounted directly on top and fuel is fed by gravity so there is no fuel pump. You do, however want to make sure that your fuel tank is drained, clean inside and out, and does not leak.

If you have compressed air, blow out the fuel line. With the gas cap and vent closed, blow air into the tank to see that it holds pressure and does not leek air. Open the vent and blow air into the tank and let it escape through the vent. There is no fuel filter on this motor, so you will want to make absolutely sure your fuel tank is not rusted, or contains varnish. Some of the newer 3 HP motors contain a screen filter inside the fuel tank. Fuel flows from the tank, through a shutoff valve, and directly into the carburetor. Any particles in the tank will soon find their way into the carburetor where they will cause a problem. Some of the tricks for cleaning out old fuel tanks include rinsing the tank out with paint thinner. If the tank is gummy with varnish, you may want to put some nuts and bolts in the tank and shake - shake - shake until things loosen up. Do not do this trick with gasoline in the tank because the shaking of loose metal objects may cause a spark and boom! Count the nuts and bolts you put in the tank so you can be sure they all come back out. It is a good practice to discard unused fuel and start each season out with fresh fuel. The gasoline that you buy today does not store nearly as long as it did in the past. Also if possible, stay away from gasoline with alcohol or ethanol in it as these fuels tend to attract moisture and you wind up with water in your fuel. Cars typically burn up a tank of fuel every week or so but boats, if not used regularly can have fuel go bad. It is amazing how many people think they can run their motor on fuel that is several years old. The fuel/oil mixture for this motor is 24:1. This works out to be 16 ounces of TCW-3 rated 2 cycle oil for a 6 gallon tank of 87 octaine gasoline. 2 cycle motor oil has evolved over the years. The current and best 2 cycle oil available today will have a TCW-3 rating. There is such a thing as TCW-2 and older versions but the advantage of using the newer oil is that you will get better lubrication and less carbon buildup than with the older oils. The original mixing instructions for these old motors talk about a 16:1 ratio of gasoline to standard 30 weight oil but you must keep in mind that a lot has changed since that time. TCW-3 is the rating on pretty much any 2 cycle oil you can buy today. If you have some old TCW-2 oil sitting around, go ahead and use it, maybe with every other tank full until it is gone. Also, there is no advantage in using higher octane or leaded fuel so stick with the less expensive 87 octane unleaded gasoline and your motor will be happy. Newer 2 cycle motors use a 50:1 oil mixture but this is not enough oil for your motor because of the type of bearings is has internally. Do not use anything less than a 24:1 mixture or you can damage your motor.

Carburetor Tune-up
The carburetor is a simple, cheap, and time-proven device which properly mixes air and fuel before it enters the combustion chamber for ignition. The carburetor for this motor is the same carburetor that is used on many outboard motors and even Lawn-Boy lawnmowers. There are many small parts which you do not want to loose so it is best to have a clean and organized work area. The carburetor mixes the correct proportions of air and fuel into an atomized mixture. The amount of fuel/air mixture that is allowed into the cylinders determines the speed and power. The fuel and air is mixed

in the venturi, commonly called a barrel. This simple carburetor has only one barrel. The venturi is simply a carefully sized restriction in the carburetor through which air that is being sucked into the engine must pass. As the air passes through this restriction, it speeds up causing lower pressure to suck fuel through a jet that releases fuel inside the venturi where it turns into a vapor. The jet draws it's fuel from the carburetor bowl which contains a small reservoir of fuel. The amount of fuel in the carburetor bowl is controlled by the float and float valve assembly that keeps the bowl full of fuel. A high and low speed needle valves adjust the ratio of fuel to air within small limits. The volume of air entering the carburetor barrel is controlled by a butterfly valve which is twisted open by the throttle lever. This carburetor also has a choke. When you pull the choke button on the front of the motor, a second butterfly valve, located upstream of the venturi is closed causing a higher fuel to air mixture which is required to start a cold motor. After the motor starts to warm up, the choke can be opened partially then fully by pushing the choke button in.

You will need to buy a Carburetor Tune Up Kit or "Carb Kit" for your specific outboard boat motor.

Carb Kit OMC Part Number 382045 or 382046

NAPA Part Number 18-7020

I paid $15.49, this kit did not include float If it turns out that I need to replace the float, I can buy it seperately.

Remove the Air Silencer

At first glance, the silencer looks like a muffler but it is not. Silencers were added in order to quiet the motor down. Remove the silencer by unscrewing the two screws holding it to the front of the carburetor. Remove the third screw from the side of the motor. This screw may be hidden by the spark plug wires which can be moved out of the way. Carefully move the silencer, making sure you do not loose flame arrester screen which fits between the silencer and carburetor intake. Also, if the gas tank is removed, one of the gas tank bolts may fall loose.

The necessity of this flame arrestor screen is the subject so some debate. Some say it is not necessary and only restricts air flowing to the carburetor. Others say it is necessary to provide back pressure on the carburetor intake. I think the engineers at Evinrude intended for it to be there so I will keep it on my motor. Maybe some day I will run the motor without it and see what happens.

Blow the silencer out with compressed air to make sure that no bug made his home in there.

Remove the Float Bowl

Another subject of debate is whether or not you need to completely remove the carburetor from the motor and tear it completely apart. My opinion is that if the gasket between the carburetor and motor is not leaking air or otherwise bad, leave it alone and avoid a lot of work. If your carburetor does not perform

when you are done with this procedure, you can go back and tear it completely apart. 99% of the time, this will not be necessary. I prefer to keep this procedure as simple as possible.

Unscrew the 5 screws holding the float bowl. You may wish to tilt the motor up to make the underside of the carburetor more accessible. Once the last screw is out, gently remove the float bowl.

At this point, you want to get a can of carburetor cleaner which is available at any auto parts store. You also will need a coffee can to clean parts and catch the carburetor cleaner as you spray out your carburetor. Using a pointed object, push the float hinge pin. This simply pushes out of the hinge. Remove the float and float valve. The float valve is one of the items which will be replaced. Unscrew and remove the float valve assembly (the part that the float valve fits into). The carb kit will contain a new float valve assembly.

Remove the high speed nozzle and boss gasket. Set the gasket aside and place the high speed needle in the coffee can for cleaning.

While holding the coffee can under the carburetor, spray out the inside of the carburetor with carburetor cleaner. The straw that is provided with the can of carburetor cleaner will allow you to apply cleaner directly to the air and fuel intakes, as well as float valve and high speed needle areas.

Remove the low speed adjustment needle by simply unscrewing in and pulling it out of the carburetor. Inspect the needle and place it into the coffee can for cleaning.

Clean any varnish from the float bowl and thoroughly clean all parts in the bottom of the coffee can. Do not use carburetor cleaner to clean the float or any gaskets as the carburetor cleaner is too strong and will cause these parts to deteriorate.

Reassemble the Carburetor

There are a few things about carburetors that you need to appreciate in order to take the care necessary in order for your carburetor to function well after it is put back together. You will want to reassemble with new parts from your carburetor tune up kit. You want to make sure that there is no dust, sand, bits and pieces of gasket material, or any other foreign material that could get stuck in one of the small passageways. One of the biggest concerns when assembling a carburetor is to make sure that there will be no air leeks. The slightest air leek around a gasket or fitting can cause the carburetor not to function poorly. Have you ever tried to suck soda through a straw with a tiny pin prick in it? The smallest air leak will throw off the correct regulation of the fuel/air mixture that the carburetor is responsible for creating. Take your time and do this right. When necessary, refer to the exploded drawing to make sure you are using all the proper washers and gaskets. This is not one of those projects where you want to wind up with left over parts unless they are parts that you replaced with new parts from the carburetor tune up kit. Since we did not completely disassemble the carburetor, we will not be needing everything that came in the Carb Kit. Pictured below are the actual parts from he carb kit that will be needed.

Replace the float needle valve assembly with the new one, provided in the carb kit by screwing in until snug. Do not over tighten Reassemble the float and float valve using the new float valve and needle spring provide in the carburetor tune-up kit..

Install the float and float needle and insert the float hinge pin to hold the float into place. With the float installed, it should be adjusted so it will engage the float valve when it is level.

Replace the high speed nozzle. Do not over tighten. Using compressed air, blow out the float bowl and fuel intake and line.

Place the new float bowl gasket, provided in the carb kit and line up all holes. Carefully mount the float bowl to the carburetor body using the five screws. Start all the screws and leave loose. Adjust the gasket to make sure it is placed properly and then tighten the five screws in a star pattern so that you will press against the gasket evenly. Do not over tighten.

Screw the low speed needle back in.

Using a clamp, place one of the longer gas tank bolts up into it's bracket on the front port side of the motor. This is simply because; the air silencer will prevent you from installing this bolt if you do not put it in place now. Use the clamp just to hold the bolt in place until the silencer is installed.

Reassemble the air silencer with the flame arrestor screen and mount to the front of the carburetor with the two screws. Be aware of the metal bracket that fits around the low speed needle. This bracket prevents you from screwing in your low speed needle too far and causing damage. You may need to bend this bracket so that it will fit up against the low speed needle shaft correctly.

Loosely attach the silencer to the front of the carburetor with the two screws. You will need to leave these loose so you can align the back screw in it's hole on the side of the motor. Loosely replace the side screw. Once everything on the air silencer is in place, tighten the three mounting screws.

Adjusting the Slow Speed Needle

There is no high speed adjustment on this motor so only the slow speed needle needs adjusting.

Initial setting is: Slow speed = seat gently, then open 1-1/2 turns. Start engine and set the rpms to where it just stays running. In segments of 1/8 turns, start to turn the S/S needle valve in. Wait a few seconds for the engine to respond. As you turn the valve in, the rpms will increase. Lower the rpms again to where the engine will just stay running. Eventually you'll hit the point where the engine wants to die out or it will spit back (sounds like a mild backfire). At that point, back out the valve 1/4 turn. Within that 1/4 turn, you'll find the smoothest slow speed setting. When you have finished the above adjustment, you will have no reason to move them again unless the carburetor fouls/gums up from sitting, in which case you would be required to remove, clean, and rebuild the carburetor anyway. With the exception of the spark plugs and plug wires, all of the ignition system is located under the flywheel. The type of magneto ignition on this motor is Flywheel Magneto with Breaker Points. OMC used the same Universal Magneto on most of their small outboards from the 50's up until recently when they started using electronic ignitions. The job of the ignition system is to generate enough voltage (around 20,000 volts) to jump the gap on the sparkplugs, creating a spark and and igniting the fuel/air mixture, and to make sure that voltage is delivered to the sparkplug with exactly the right timing. Using a 3/4 inch socket or other wrench, loosen the flywheel nut. You will need something to hold the flywheel stationary so that you can apply torque to the nut while holding the flywheel so it will not turn with the nut. There are special tools for this but I used a Strap Wrench that someone gave me for Christmas a couple years ago. I've read where sometimes people will stick a piece of rope in the spark plug hole so the piston will be stopped before reaching Top Dead Center therefore holding the flywheel in place so you can remove the nut. I believe this might damage the engine internally by putting too much pressure on the connecting rods. Also I've read on discussion boards that the rope can become cut off leaving a piece of rope in the cylinder.

Ignition System -

Remove the Flywheel Nut - Loosen the flywheel nut.

Remove the Flywheel - There are two ways to remove the flywheel, depending on the tools you
have. Most mechanics will recommend that you use a flywheel puller. You can rent a steering wheel puller from your local tool rental shop or you can buy a harmonic balancer. Using a puller is the safest way to prevent bending or warping the flywheel. You want a puller that attaches to the three bolt holes in the flywheel to remove it. Do not use a puller that pulls up on the outer edge of the flywheel.

The other, more field expedient way to pull the flywheel is to simply loosen the flywheel nut to where it is slightly above the crankshaft. With a large flat head screwdriver and a soft hammer, lightly tap downward on the flywheel nut while prying upward on the bottom edge of the flywheel with the hammer. Make sure you are prying upward on the flywheel itself by making sure that it is the part that spins and not a part that is stationary. Turn the flywheel 1/4 turn and tap again and repeat until the flywheel is loose. The flywheel should come loose after a few taps and can be lifted off the crankshaft after removing the flywheel nut. The danger in this method is that if you tap too hard with the hammer you could break the crankshaft.

Replace Ignition Parts

The ignition parts located under the flywheel which consist of points, condensers, and coils, two of each because there are two cylinders. Over time, these components deteriorate and need replacing. You can see from the picture below that the epoxy that covers the coil windings is completely cracked. This is a common problem with old OMC motors. Without replacement, any moisture around the engine will cause the coils to short or arc over which will cause your to spark plugs not to get a good spark so that the motor will run well, especially at high speed. Probably 9 out of 10 of these motors that exist today have coils in the same condition as those shown below. New coils are superior to the original OEM because have a different epoxy sealer that will not have this problem. The new points, condensers, and coils, are far superior quality and performing that the originals. The parts are widely available and fairly inexpensive.

Ignition Parts Needed

Coils (you need 2 of these) OMC Part Number 582995 or 584477 $43.98 for a pair.

NAPA Part Number 18-5181 I Paid

Ignition Tune-Up Kit OMC Part Number 172522 NAPA Part Number 18-5006 I paid $16.99 for the kit which includes points and condensers.

Spark Plugs Champion J6C I paid $3.38 for a pair.

Remove the Old Coils - Each coil is held in place by one Phillips and two straight head
screws. Be sure to use the proper size screwdrivers on these screws so they do not become damaged. Once the screws are removed, disconnect the green and black primary wires and twist off the spark plug wire.

These old coils completely fell apart during the removal process.

Remove the Old Points and Condensers - Remove the retainer clip at the top of the
rocker post. Once the clip is removed, you can remove the moveable half of the points by pulling it up and off the rocker post.

Next remove the non-moveable half of the points. Do not remove the adjusting screw. The adjusting screw does not attach the points to the stator plate and should not be removed. The adjusting screw is the screw that is smaller and farthest from the crankshaft and fits within an elongated slot in the points. Unscrew the screw that holds down base of the points. This is the screw that is located closest to the crankshaft. Unscrew and remove the coil and condenser wires that are attached to the points. You may also remove the condenser.

Clean the Stator Base - Using carburetor cleaner, spray down the stator base and wipe clean with a cloth. If you have compressed air, blow off any remaining dust and carburetor cleaner.

Now that you have your coils, points, and condensers removed and your stator base cleaned up, you are ready to reassemble the ignition system with new parts.

Install, Set, and Test the New Points - If you want your motor to run well, your points
must be installed, set, and tested to be sure that they open and close at precisely the right time. This determines when your spark plugs will fire, setting off the combustion within your cylinders. You will be able to tell exactly when your points are set correctly by testing them with a couple test leads and a ohm meter.

Feed one end of a test lead up through the bottom of the stator base next to one of your spark plug wires. This will be used for testing and will be removed after the points are adjusted and tested.

Lubricate both rocker posts with the grease provided in your ignition tune up kit. Be sure to put only a thin coat of grease on the rocker posts. Lubricate the cam with by placing a small amount of the grease provided with the points onto your finger and rubbing a small coating onto the cam while turning the crankshaft. One easy way to turn the crankshaft on this motor is to simply reach down with one hand and turn the propeller. Place the non-movable side of set of points onto the armature base by placing it over the adjusting screw and positioning it so you can install the mounting screw. Install the mounting screw and lock washer. Place the moveable side of the new points set over the pivot post and press into position. You will need to compress the spring so that it will fit inside the flat piece of metal. Place the retaining clip onto the pivot post and orient it so that it opens away from the crank shaft. Place the sprint retainer clip over the spring and the flat piece of metal that holds the spring tension. Make sure the the flair on the bottom of this clip is pointed away from the breaker arm so that it will not interfere with the opening of the points.

Turn the crankshaft so that the breaker arm rubbing block is on the high point of the cam. The high point on the cam has the word "TOP" stamped at the high point location. Using a feeler gage, adjust the gap to .020 inch by turning the adjusting screw. The feeler gage .020 blade should be able to snugly fit between the two contact points. There is no need to spend too much time geting the .020 gap exact. This .020 gap is simply a starting point from which to adjust from as you will see in the procedure below. Clip one end of your test lead to the location where the coil and condenser wire will be screwed to the points.

A simple but effective method to test the ignition timing: If you do not have a strobe light or a expensive ignition analyzer to check your breaker points, there is no need to rush out to the store and buy one. All you need to test your ignition timing is two alligator test leads and a common ohm meter to check continuity. There is no need to use an ignition analyzer because all your ignition parts are

new. This method will allow you to adjust your ignition timing just as accurately as you can with the more expensive test equipment. Ignition timing is all about making sure your breaker points are opening and closing at the right time. Remove the flywheel nut and temporarily replace the flywheel back onto the crankshaft. Be sure that the slot in the center of the flywheel fits over the flywheel key and the flywheel is locked into position. Replace the flywheel nut without tightening it. The flywheel has timing notches at its base. There are two notches on opposite sides of the flywheel, one for each set of points. The larger notch will be for cylinder number one and the smaller notch on the opposite side is for cylinder number two.

Connect the loose end of your test lead to one of the leads on your ohm meter. Connect the other lead of your ohm meter to ground with another test lead. As you rotate your flywheel clockwise, watch the timing mark as it nears the two marks on the armature base. The mark on the flywheel should be moving from right to left as you rotate the flywheel. When the timing mark on the flywheel is between the two marks on the armature plate, the points should open and the ohm meter will change from 0 to infinite ohms. In this type of magneto ignition, the spark plug will fire as the points open. If the gap in the points is too small, the points will open late or after the timing mark passes the marks on the armature base. If gap in the points is too wide, the points will open early or before the timing mark reaches the marks on the armature base. You may need to remove the flywheel and turn gap adjustment screw to open or close the gap in the points. Make small adjustments to the gap adjustment screw until you get the points to open when the timing mark is between the two marks on the armature base. Now install, set, and test the second set of points, except this time, you will use the smaller timing mark on the opposite side of the flywheel. Also you can skip the lubrication of the cam and rocker post that you did with the first set of breaker points. Using a Ohm Meter or Diode Continuity Checker test the continuity of the primary windings of the coil. There should be continuity between the Green and Black leads. There should be about .9 ohm resistance between the Green and Black leads.

Test the New Coils - Don't assume that the new coils you bought are good.

Next test the secondary windings of the coil by measuring the resistance between the Black lead and the spike for the spark plug wire. I measured 7.64 thousand ohms. Your measurement will not be exactly the same but the point is, you should be able to measure the resistance of the primary and secondary windings. If a coil tests bad, take it back to the parts store for replacement.

Install New Coils and Condensers

Put a small amount of silicone compound in the hole for the spark plug connector. This is not the kind of silicone that you use to seal your bathtub. This kind of silicone sealer does not harden. It serves to keep moisture out of your electrical connection. You can buy this silicone sealer at any Radio Shack or electronics store. Slide the sparkplug wire boots onto your sparkplug wire.

The spark plug wire is connect to the coil by screwing it onto a threaded pin. You may need to loosen the screw holding the sparkplug wire so you will have enough slack to screw them into the connector. Screw the sparkplug into its connector and slide the boot over the connector. This should provide a good waterproof seal for this connection. Rotate the coil into place aligning the screw holes. Tighten the screw holding the spark plug wires on the bottom side of the armature plate.

Wrong

Right

The black wire of the coil is grounded by connecting it to the coil mounting screw that is farthest away from the points. The pictures above show the wrong and right way to route this coil ground wire. You want to make sure the all wires are tucked neatly away so they will not touch any moving parts. In the case of this coil, I tucked the black wire in behind the phillips head mounting screw. Also you want to make sure that no wires get pinched and they have a little slack so they will not put stress on their connectors.

Before you tighten the mounting screws, make sure that the coil magnet does not extend past the mounting block at the base of the armature. If the coil is positioned so the magnet extends past this base, the coil magnet will touch the inside surface of the flywheel.

Loosely connect the green coil wire and also the black condenser wire to the points. Mount the condenser to the base with it's mounting screw. Tighten the screw holding condenser and coil wire. Be careful not to over-tighten this screw or push against the points because this can mess up your adjusted points.

Your finished Ignition System should look like this.

Replace the flywheel and snugly tighten the flywheel nut. If you have a torque wrench, torque the flywheel nut to about 45 foot pounds.

Check for Spark - Remove the old spark plugs. Using a pair of needle nose pliers, straighten the end of the old sparkplugs and reconnect the old plugs to their wires. While holding the base of the old sparkplugs to ground, rotate the flywheel clockwise either by hand or by turning on the flywheel nut with a wrench. You should see a healthy spark jumping the gap of your old plugs.

Gap and Install New Spark Plugs - Using a feeler gage, adjust the gap of your new
spark plugs to .030 inch. The new plugs will not come out of the box with the correct gap and gapping the plugs is a simple procedure that is often overlooked. If you do not have a special tool for adjusting the sparkplug gap, you can use a knife blade to widen the gap or lightly tap the end of the plug with something hard to close the gap. Install the new sparkplugs and your ignition system is tuned-up

Tank Testing - While not exactly a test tank, I did fill up a 55 gallon barrel, hang the motor on the
edge and fire it up. You do not want to run the motor out of the water at all and there is no good way to put ear muffs on this motor so it has to be tested either on a boat in a body of water or in some kind of tank. I am glad I did not try this out in a lake because the motor did have some problems that needed to be addressed. It turned out that water was not circulating around the cylinders because the motor would get hot after about a minute of running and I had to shut it down before it would become damaged. This overheating problem was not immediately obvious because water was spraying out of the small outlet ports in the lower unit. When I suspected that the motor was running hot, I splashed some water on the cylinder head and it immediately began to sizzle and turned to steam. This meant that the head was at least 212 degrees Fahrenheit when it should be at around 150 degrees Fahrenheit while running. While disappointed, I was glad that I had the wisdom to shut the motor down and let it cool off before attempting to start and run it again it again.

Fixing Overheating Problems with Cooling System -

Up to this point, I have not pulled the cylinder head because the motor would turn over and seemed to have good compression. With the motor overheating, it was obvious that I would have to dig deeper to find out why water was not circulating through the power head. I knew the impeller was working because I did have water spraying out of the lower unit. I also pulled the flush port screw and could see that water was sputtering out from there. Something was plugging up the water passageway in the power head and not allowing water to circulate around the cylinders.

Removing the Cylinder Head - Remove the side covers to expose the cylinder head and
spark plugs. There is no need to remove the gas tank for this procedure. Using a 7/16 socket wrench, unscrew the 6 bolts holding the cylinder head on. You may need to use a knife to break the head gasket seal.

Once the cylinder head was pulled, I could see that crud all around the inside water passageways completely blocking any chance for water to circulate and cool the cylinder head and cylinder walls. These passageways were completely dry even the motor was run only 15 minutes before removing the cylinder head. Not knowing the history of this motor, I can only imagine that it must have had a overheating problem for quite some time because all the water passageways were completely with what appeared to be calcium or possibly mud or silt. It almost looked like the motor was used to mix concrete! The original owner of this motor is deceased and the guy I got this motor from never really used it and let it sit in his garage for years. Unfortunately I think most motors in this condition would wind up in a dumpster somewhere but with nothing to loose, I started cleaning out the passageways to see if I could get the water circulating again.

Remove the Lower Unit from the Power Head - The power head is held onto the
lower unit with only 5 straight head screws. Remove the 5 screws and lift the power head off the lower unit and drive shaft. You may or may not be able to do this without destroying the gasket. Now you have access to the bottom of the power head where water is pumped up through the tube and returned, along with the exhaust through the lower unit.

Remove the Air Silencer and Exhaust Cover - The exhaust cover is held in place
by 6 screws, one of which also holds the air silencer in place. Remove the air silencer screw which is longer than the other 5 screws and the air silencer. Once the air silencer is removed, the exhaust cover can be removed by removing 5 remaining screws are removed. Again, there is a gasket which may or may not be removed without being destroyed. Do not worry if these gaskets are damaged or destroyed. When I reassembled, I simply used a thin film of silicone on each of the mating parts.

Follow the Water Path and Remove All Blockages - At this point, you can
start following the path of the water as it is pumped up through the water pump tube, into the cylinder walls and around the cylinder head, and back around to the exhaust port. Some of these passage ways are quite

small because Evinrude did not want these motors to run too cool. There is no thermostat to regulate the flow of water through the cooling system. I used a wide assortment of brushes, wires, and even small drill bits to get these passageways cleared. A small Dremel Roto Tool with a small wire brush came in handy to get all the crud out of the passageways. I also used my air compressor to blow out all passageways and help follow the path of the water. With the cylinder head, exhaust cover, and lower unit removed, I was able to trace the entire path of the water as it circulates through the power head. It was quite challenging figuring out where that water was going to go next. Sometimes I could not see the hole for a passageway until I did some cleaning and even then I had to probe around with a pointed object. I finally reached a point where the water reached the outside cylinder walls of the bottom cylinder with no place to go. At the bottom of the lower cylinder, I resorted to drilling a horizontal hole to connect the cylinder wall passageway to where the exhaust and water gets dumped into the lower unit. When drilling this hole, it did not feel like I was drilling through 1/8 inch of aluminum, but rather I was simply unplugging an existing and completely hidden hole that all the water had to return through. I used a 1/16 inch drill bit to clear this hole.

Install the Exhaust Cover and Air Silencer -

When I removed the exhaust cover, the gasket was destroyed. Since this gasket does not hold back a lot of heat and pressure, I was able to get by with spreading a thin layer of clear silicone onto both mating surfaces. I am told that this is not a uncommon practice and actually works well. Silicone sealer was not around when these motors were built so thin paper gaskets were used. When replacing the screws, be sure not to over tighten.

Attach the Lower Unit to the Power Head - When I took these apart, I destroyed
the paper gasket. When putting back together, I used silicone as described above. Do not over tighten the 5 screws that hold the lower unit onto the power head. I tightened mine just about a quarter turn past snug. Again, this is not a high pressure or high temperature seal. It simply keeps water from leaking from between the two mating surfaces. Silicone works amazingly well when used this way.

Clean, Level, and Install the Cylinder Head - Using my Dremel Roto Tool and
wire brush, I cleaned all the carbon deposits from the piston and cylinder head. Do not get carried away with the wire brush because cleaning to the bare metal can cause hot spots on the piston or head which will cause problems.

These cylinder heads usually become warped over time because of the heating and cooling of the motor. Since I do not have a milling machine, I simply place a sheet of fine grit sandpaper on a piece of glass or something flat and move the cylinder head in a circular pattern until the mating surface is flat. You can tell when the surface is flat because you will have shinny bare metal all the way around the surface of the cylinder head. This is one place where I did use a new gasket. Lubricate the gasket with 2 cycle oil and bolt the cylinder head back onto the motor block. The holes on the cylinder head are not symmetrical so that the head will not go back on the wrong way. You may need to rotate the head 180 degrees if the bolts do not seem to line up. Be sure not to over tighten the bolts. Everyone seems to think that head bolts need to be really tight. This will only warp the head. Again, only tighten a quarter turn past snug. When you

tighten these bolts, you need to snug down every other bolt until you have them all snug and then go back around skipping every other bolt until you have them all tightened a quarter turn past snug. This way the head will be evenly attached to the block. Now that the cylinder head is back on, you are ready to test the motor in the barrel. When I tested the motor, it did not run hot. I was actually able to hold my hand to the engine block while the motor was running and temperature was not hot enough to burn me.

More Tank Testing - After going back and fixing the problems with the cooling system, it is
time to do some tank testing again. My tank consisted of a simple 55 gallon barrel. The repair shops will have much larger test tanks. They will also have test props to put a load on the motor without turning up the water too much. Since this is a small motor, I went ahead and left the prop on and fired up the motor in the water barrel. My first concern was to see if the motor would overheat and to my relief, it did not. At first the motor did not seem to run consistently as is coughed and sputtered and created a huge cloud of blue smoke. I then realized that although I cleaned the gas tank, there were probably some particles getting into the carburetor. After running the motor for a while, I pulled the carburetor bowl and low speed jet and cleaned them. I repeated this process several times. It seemed that the vibration of the motor running was knocking all the crud loose. This motor had not been run in at least 10 or 12 years so there was lots of crud in the tank and fuel lines. I had dreams of the motor starting on the first pull and running perfectly after the tune up but in reality, it had to be run for a while before it would start to act like a good boat motor again. The longer the motor ran, the better it seemed to do as if it were being broken in. A 55 gallon barrel is not ideal for testing because the motor will cause quite a torrent when it is running fast. Also the currents in the water caused the motor to speed up and slow down. I attempted to adjust the carburetor and make the motor idle but this is best done on a lake somewhere. I ran a couple tanks of fuel through the motor and basically let it sit there and run for 3 or 4 hours while I cleaned up my work area. I was concerned that the motor did not run perfectly in the tank but I was assured by a friend that the motor would behave much better once it was on a boat and in an open body of water, and as it turned out, he was right. When I finally reached the point where I could get out on a lake with this motor, I was quite happy with the way it performed. I've had this motor out several times now and it runs great. I get a lot of compliments from people who admire this 42 year old motor that I brought back to life. I look forward to working on and writing about more motors in the future.