Another new guy question

[reivertom]

There are a bunch of these motors and parts around, so you should have no problem getting at least one running great.

[fisherman6]

I agree with you that he should have been upfront with the low compression, especially to a person new to the hobby. It is possible that he didn’t ever check it as you stated. I know many people that do not check it other than by feel. Feel will usually tell you if it will run or not, but not always. I tend to check compression on motors I buy on Craigslist, Letgo, or something like that if I’m picking it up myself.

At meets I just go by feel but often I buy motors that are stuck. I buy those at a parts motor price because those are “like a box of chocolates” most of the time. I have had plenty of stuck motors turn out to be runners with some attention and elbow grease. I have also had them turn out to be too much of a mess to save. I have also had motors that felt like they had excellent compression turn out to have scored cylinders and crankcase leaks that made them better suited to be parts donors. That’s all part of the fun and the gamble.

You probably already know to check for water in the gearcase too. I personally like to find old dark lube in them and little or no water. If it has fresh lube in it who’s to say it wasn’t just changed and the leak is just not bad enough for the oil to run / drip out. With parts motors, though, I usually just leave that up to chance. As you become more experienced you will get much better at picking out which motors you really want to buy. You will learn a lot of the basic stuff pretty quickly and we are all here to help each other out.
-Ben

OldJohnnyRude on YouTube

[outbdnut2]

If one of those 3 HP motors turns out to be junk, here’s what I did with one last summer:

Not sure why the images didn’t post, but I think you can cut/past or click on the links and see them.

If you can’t see them, it’s a couple photos of a 1955 3 HP Johnson I mounted on top of my flagpole on my dock.
Dave

• This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by outbdnut2.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by outbdnut2.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by outbdnut2.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by outbdnut2.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by outbdnut2.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by outbdnut2.
• This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by outbdnut2.

[Tubs]

A "Boathouse Repair" is one that done without having tools or the skills to do it properly.

[chinewalker]

I would not give up on the one that the prop doesn’t turn. Check the sheer pin first. If driveshaft splines are out of it, get another shaft. If crank splines are spun out, replace the crank. Those threes are among the easiest to rebuild and they made a LOT of them. I’ve got several crankshafts on hand if needed. Driveshaft was used for many years. As a new guy, rebuilding one would be a good résumé builder.

[jeff-register]

Tinkerman,
Everyone has great data!! If I may suggest Dan Gano. Dan sells only OMC new old stock & very reasonable.Also if you can find a Mercury compression tester, it threads into the plug threads with no hose. I own a 2hp 1950 Mercury like your small motor, compression is everything with these little guys. His contact info is
1948 147th St.
Spirit Lake
Iowa 51360
1-712-336-3297
ganotech.com
ganotech@mchso.com

Good luck

[tinkerman]

Thanks for the info. I was thinking of looking for a compression tester with no hose, seemed like it would be more accurate especially with such a short stroke. Not giving up. I wanna see one of the 3 hp’s run. I believe they are good reliable motors and well built. I picks up a 14′ mirro craft so I have a good ole boat for my good old motors

It's a jungle out there.

[outbdnut2]

Hey Tubs,

I’ve been using the “Hotlink for Forums” to post photos and it has worked well, but for some reason it didn’t work on my post of May 10th. I’m trying “hotlink for website” this time per your suggestion here to see if it will work today.
Dave

• This reply was modified 6 years, 1 month ago by outbdnut2.

[fleetwin]

I would be more worried about the engine that might have spun crank/driveshaft splines, did you figure out what the issue is with this engine yet? Like we have said, the compression on these engines is pretty low, and they have small combustion chambers, so compression readings are often inaccurate. I’m betting this engine will run with new gaskets and a 50 cent hone job, the compression will come up a bit also.
Like Chinewalker says, you will be able to find decent used crank/driveshaft for this engine for a reasonable amount, you may want to put a compression gage on it before ripping it apart though….If this engine reads only 50PSI also, then I feel that our inaccurate compression gage reading theory has been confirmed.
Don’t be disappointed, we have all paid a little more for something we really want, or have been disappointed to find that the engine wasn’t quite as good as it was represented. We have learned to make offers with the consideration that the engine will need plenty of work, we have also learned to make a complete (as possible) inspection in an effort to avoid disappointment.

[tinkerman]

The flag pole is awesome. Thanks for all the comments. As I said I’ve acquired a boat to put the motors on now so I was trying to finoish up some tinkering on the boat and trying to get my QD-16 to run so I could put it on the boat. Carried it,out and had overheating issues with it. So I’ve put the 3 hp motors on back shelf for now, but will for sure get back to them before long. Was hoping to fish Saturday with the Johnson QD-16 but that doesn’t look possible right now. Boat came with a 30 hp mariner that’s supposed to be a good engine so I’m gonna put it on and try it out one evening this week and hopefully use it to fish Saturday … so we’ll see

It's a jungle out there.

[Author]

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