Update 15 Jul 2026

So I weighed my options and decided to pop the port side bypass covers to get a look at what was happening in there. I was shocked at how good the gaskets were. I’ll get new ones because they are cheap, but these were in great shape.

I think I have good news in that when I look down into the guts, there’s no rust. The rod / crank area all look like normal good metal . I tried to take photos, but it wasn’t easy.

I was able to get the seafoam deep creep in a lot of good / new places.

I will share some pics with the caveat that when I tried to take a picture below the pistons, my flash makes the paint look a lot like orange rust, so I took another photo with natural lighting, and you can see it’s the paint.

So now, I continue the waiting game, with some new access panels to get the penetrating fluid in.

labrador-guy wrote:

JACQUES wrote:

remove the cyl head   alternate tap the pistons till the fw moves a few degrees    keep applying juice   try wd40

mark fw position to notice small movements    patience brings joy !!

Yes just like what Jacques says get that head off.  You should check the head gasket and the water passages  before you try to start it anyway!   Remember the old saying,  “don’t look a gift sea horse in the mouth”!   That old dog is gonna hunt!

dale

This will be my next step!

I want to take the head off anyway, as a learning experience.

This motor is my first outboard I’ve worked on, and the vintage has sentimental meaning to me (my first motor was an 18hp Johnson Seahorse on a feathercraft ranger – and I still drive that ranger).

I fully intend to find more of these and fix them up as a hobby. It’s been great fun.

next up: head comes off!