Home › Forum › Ask A Member › 1979 Johnson 70 Bushings
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fleetwin.
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April 10, 2021 at 12:49 pm #236033
I have a 1979 Johnson 70EL79R, 3-cylinder motor that needs new swivel bracket bushings. These are the plastic bushings that go on the tilt tube and allow the motor to tilt up. I have removed the tilt tube, but I can’t get the new bushings in because they are between the stern brackets are right up against the swivel bracket. What is the easiest way to gain access to install these bushings? The motor is mounted to the transom, which means the stern brackets are bolted to the boat transom. I have an engine hoist that I can use to support the motor. Can I support the engine, remove the tilt tube, and lift the engine and the swivel bracket enough to insert the bushings? I would prefer not to remove the motor from the transom, but I can if necessary. When I got the motor the steering system was frozen in the tilt tube, so I had to replace the tilt tube. That’s when the bushings fell apart.
The motor is a low hour freshwater motor. I got it running just before the winter, so I have only run it one time. It ran pretty well, so I think it’s worth some work to make it right.
Thanks.
April 10, 2021 at 1:40 pm #236034Are you referring to the bushings which insert into the swivel bracket? If so, you are going to have to remove one transom bracket from the boat to get the needed room to insert them. Since you have a hoist, you can support the weight of the motor while the bracket is removed and you shouldn’t have to undo any of the wiring or control cables either. I find removing the port side bracket is easiest but allow yourself some time, especially if your motor has power tilt. Also, if you lift the motor in the upright position, keep your hands and fingers away from the tilt mechanism as it can cause personal injury if it suddenly releases.
April 10, 2021 at 8:06 pm #236121Thanks, Mumbles. Yes, they are the bushings that insert into the swivel bracket. I will remove the port side bracket as you suggest, and I will be careful to keep body parts of the tilt mechanism. Do you think I should do the job with the motor tilted up, or partially tilted to allow the shock absorber to equalize so its energy won’t be suddenly released if something goes wrong?
April 11, 2021 at 10:03 am #236138OK, the tilt tube is out, correct? Is this a manual or power tilt model? You must be very careful because there is nothing supporting the engine to the boat except for the hydraulic cylinder….I have never attempted this job without pulling the engine off the boat, which isn’t a real big deal…But, removing the stern brackets (one of them anyways) involves removing those bolts down there which may be seized, less likely in fresh water though. You sure don’t want to break off one of those SS bolts…
So, the question is how to go about replacing those bushings without removing the engine from the boat…Step one will be to secure the engine to something overhead using that hanging bracket on top of the powerhead….Now, if the engine has power tilt/trim, I would just hit the up button, the hydraulic tilt cylinder will probably just push the swivel bracket up and out of the stern brackets, allowing easy access to the bushings. It is probably best to have an assistant help out guiding the pieces back together while hitting the down switch after bushing replacement. Please be very careful, probably real easy to get fingers jammed/pinched….
Now, if the engine has manual tilt, this will be more challenging. The manual “assist cylinder” is gas filled so it will want to extend if it is still working properly. So, with the lever in the “tilt position”, you could use a hoist to lift the steering swivel bracket up and out of the transom brackets to change the bushings. The challenge is going to be getting the swivel bracket back down into the transom brackets after bushing replacement. Again, that tilt assist cylinder is gas charged, so it can be tough to get it to compress again…But, hopefully just the weight of the engine will be enough to counteract the cylinder allowing you to get things lined up again without too much effort. Again, please be very careful, it will be real easy to pinch/jam fingers in this operation.April 12, 2021 at 5:28 am #236202If you have an engine hoist, I would just go ahead and take the engine off the boat. Sometimes we end up making more work for ourselves by trying to save a step. I believe strongly that this is one of those times. If you do, just make sure to re-coat the engine mounting bolts with a liberal amount of 3M 4200 marine sealant. I do not suggest silicone, unless you want a rotten transom.
Long live American manufacturing!
April 12, 2021 at 11:14 am #236211Based on the responses in this post, I am going to take the engine off the boat and do the job. This engine is a manual tilt model and the hydraulic cylinder has plenty of charge still. My original thinking for trying to do it on the boat was because I have just rebuilt the transom on the boat and sealed up the engine-to-transom mounting bolts. So, at best, without removing the engine, I will be removing two, and possibly all four of the engine mounting bolts, thus negating my reason for not removing the engine. Also, by not removing the engine I would be making the job harder and more dangerous. So it sounds like removing the engine is the best way to do it. It may not be the answer I wanted, but it is the right answer. Thank you guys for your wise advice on this.
April 12, 2021 at 8:59 pm #236248OK, but the job is still a bit tricky because of that gas filled shock…The shock is going to extend once you take the engine off because the tilt tube is out…Can be a royal pain to get the cylinder compressed again…I would try the SS stern bracket screws beforehand to see if they will come loose…Again, you don’t want to break one of those buggers, drilling out that mess is a task you don’t want…
Don’t get hurt….
I don’t know which method is best in this case, guess it depends on whether those screws come out without too much effort…. -
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