Topic: Elect start – Antique Outboard Motor Club,Inc

This topic has 8 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 2 years, 3 months ago by olcah.

Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)

Author

Posts
March 10, 2015 at 9:28 pm #892
weedlessdrive
Participant
Does anyone know if it’s possible to convert a 1955 evinrude 15hp to electric start? Or what motor have parts to convert it? Thanks
March 10, 2015 at 9:39 pm #11752
fleetwin
Participant
US Member - 2 Years
Well, I think you would have to use a complete electric start flywheel/ring gear/rewind starter along with starter motor/bracket wiring. A big undertaking. The 1955 rewind is a different style than the 56 and newer engines. The only other thing left to question is if the rubber bumper positioning (shroud mount) is the same for the 55/56 models.
March 10, 2015 at 10:25 pm #11756
weedlessdrive
Participant
That was what I was wondering if it would interchange with the same cowl.
March 10, 2015 at 10:42 pm #11758
frankr
Participant
US Member
I’m fairly sure the cowl would be no problem. But all the other stuff may be a challenge to gather up.
March 11, 2015 at 2:52 am #11779
garry-in-michigan
Participant
Lifetime Member
This is a test –

I don’t think the 15 came with an electric starter. The 18 did. It may require some fancy engineering to fit the 18 flywheel & starter to fit.
You would need the starter bracket and starter. The bigger flywheel with the ring gear. A carburetor bowl with a 12 volt choke solenoid.
Later models mounted the starter solenoid under the motor cover. Then there is the wiring …
March 11, 2015 at 3:50 am #11784
weedlessdrive
Participant
Garry it looks like your test worked great. It sounds like I’d be better off to just pull like hell. Oh well that’s what I’ve always done.
January 27, 2022 at 4:56 pm #253500
rjoynt
Participant
US Member
If I’m not mistaken, I have a 1955 15hp electric start motor. From the factory. It has an E in the model number.
- This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by rjoynt.
January 27, 2022 at 5:59 pm #253513
olcah
Participant
US Member
Here are a couple of photos of a 1956 Evinrude 15 HP powerhead with electric start. It is sitting on a 1956 Johnson 15 HP leg but no matter. The starter for 1956 motors is six volt. IMHO there are no new six volt starters available. I don’t think that the (1956) bracket that mounts the six volt starter will fit a 12 volt starter. Distance between the starter to bracket mounting holes differs between 6V and 12V starters.

Maybe a bracket for a 1957 Evinrude 18HP which holds a 12 volt starter would work, I don’t know.

Best chance to get the necessary parts to go to a six volt starter would be to find an electric start parts motor.
- This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by olcah. Reason: correct motor years
January 27, 2022 at 6:36 pm #253523
olcah
Participant
US Member
With apologies for the above post. I have been working on a couple of 1956 15HP motors and should have read that the questions were about a 1955 15 HP.

I did look at some pages from a 1955 brochure that I had downloaded from the “old OMC” website. It appears that the factory did not offer electric start on Evinrude 15 HP until 1956. It should be checked to see if the 1955 crankcase will accept the 1956 bracket that holds the starter. (Likely it will not.)

Sorry for the confusion.
Author

Posts