What do I have?

[fleetwin]

OK, getting the one electric start 18hp going seems like a fun project, seems like all the wiring is there, don’t know why the starter motor has been removed though. There should be a small wiring harness in the engine pan as well, is that wiring present?
You would want to start with basic tests, such as compression, and changing the gear lube. Have you had any outboard experience before? This is not a real difficult project, but some prior two stroke experience is needed, and a special tool or two. Plan on spending a couple hundred bucks if compression is good and the gearcase is OK. In the end, you will have one of the best running outboards of all time.

[niedermee]

No outboard experience, but I’ve rebuilt small gas engines before. Assuming the starter mounts in the outboard itself, where does it go? Is the other Johnson also an electric start?

[niedermee]

Is there any reason I shouldn’t try to start this thing on the rack it’s resting on now, but submerge the prop on a trash can of water? Assuming the power head was rebuilt well, can’t I simply fill up the gas can, run some fuel through it into a glass jar to see if it’s clear and make all the connections and give it a pull? What am I not thinking about? Is this a two stroke or four? Do I need to mix fuel? How do I check the crankcase lube? Etc…

[niedermee]

quote fleetwin:

Like Frank says, that 58 18hp electric start is a unique find if the starter and wiring is in good condition. Looks like the powerhead was rebuilt/replaced though.
Nonetheless, I hope you didn’t purchase these engines thinking you can sell them for a major profit, collecting old outboards is not a profitable venture.

Wouldn’t that be a good thing if the power head was rebuilt? The fuel float glass is clear as a bell. I assume that’s a good thing? Or is this the fuel filter I’m looking at?

[wyo307]

Ill throw in my two cents worth. I am by no means an expert on these motors but have a number of good runners that I have brought back from the dead.

First off it is definitely a two stroke so the gas will need to be mixed although i’m not quite positive on the correct mixture for that motor but my instinct says 50:1 but don’t trust me on that. I would recommend running some seafoam through it when you do get it running though to help clean out any gunk that may be in there. The glass bulb you are looking at is the housing for the fuel filter. I’m not sure where the electric starter would mount but it shouldn’t be hard to find by looking at it. There should be a couple of screws located on the side lower unit one to drain the lube, one to fill, and there may be a weep hole as well that will indicate when the proper amount of lube has been added. I would at minimum change the lube in the lower unit and check the impeller before I started it (which would require removing the lower unit to get at the impeller housing). If the motor has ever been started while not in water there is a good chance that there isn’t much left of the impeller.

Hope this helps and gets you started! That little merc will be a good little runner.

[jasonh]

The small mercury fuel fitting looks like a typical mercury fuel fitting, just smaller.

Her is one.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Small-fuel-fitt … f9&vxp=mtr

Apparently I was misinformed and they are actually available new through Mercury, they just are expensive compared to the larger more common mercury fitting. Its the engine side fitting that is hard to find and nla.

[niedermee]

Holy crap! They both fired off on the second pull!!

[niedermee]

Where does the Johnson 18 spit out its cooling water? And the Merc 60 didn’t have any water spitting out, so I shut it down immediately. Where do I start chasing that down? I assume it may be a clogged passage so I was going to begin near the prop and work my way up to clear any obstructions.

I uploaded two videos of each one’s initial start to the same photobucket link as shown above.

[jasonh]

The mercury 60 would have water coming out of rear snout on bottom of engine pan. Its a small impeller and almost always bad if sitting for any length of time or started at all without water.

[fleetwin]

OK buddy, not so fast now.
Yes, those outboards are two stroke, they only get lubricated by the oil mixed with the gas. I can’t speak for the merc, but those johnsons need a minimum of 24:1 fuel/oil mixture. In other words, one quart of quality TCW3 outboard oil mixed with 6 gallons of regular gas. We know the engine will fire up, but how well/reliable will it be in its present condition? You have to decide if you want to run it "as is", or make a reliable daily runner out of it.
If you want to run it "as is", you will need to check/change the gear lube first. There are two large fill/drain screws that need to be removed on the gearcase, one down low on the skeg, the other is probably just below/above the horizontal plate just above the propeller. DO NOT remove the little phillips screw near the lower oil drain screw. The phillips screw secures internal shift linkage, removing it will cause the linkage to come apart inside the gearcase. Have a look at the oil that drains from the gearcase, is it milky? Is raw water present? Did anything at all drain out when the screws are removed? There is one seal/washer used on each drain screw, it is important that each screw has one and only one seal washer present. This is an easy mistake to make, sometimes the seals stay in the housing when the screws are removed. Find both seal/washers after the oil has drained. Leave the washer/seal in the housing if that’s where you find it, trying to pry it out will probably ruin it. Again, messing this up will create an oil leak when you refill the gearcase.
You will need to purchase a 32oz tube of gearlube to refill the gearcase. DO NOT attempt to fill the gearcase from the top/vent hole, the oil must be squeezed in through the lower hole with the top plug removed, the gearcase is full once oil starts flowing out of the top/vent hole while squeezing the oil in through the lower hole. It is probably best to have an assistant for this operation.
Have the assistant reinstall the top screw once oil starts flowing out of the top hole, do not remove or release pressure from the lower hole while the assistant is installing the top screw. Once the top screw is reinstalled, it will create a vacuum making it easier for you to remove the tube and reinstall the lower screw without losing much lube.
What type of fuel tank does the engine have, single or dual line? Check the bottom of the fuel tank for gunk or rust, you will need another tank if either condition is present. If the tank is OK inside, add a few gallons of regular fuel, then add the quart of TCW3 oil, add the remaining four gallons on top, this helps mix the fuel/oil properly. Give the tank a shake to ensure proper mixing. Remember, this is a two stroke, it will run for only a few minutes with no/not enough oil before it seizes and game over.
Once the fuel oil is mixed, connect the fuel line to the engine, pump up the button/primer bulb to ensure there are no fuel leaks.
The engine must be run in the water. The water pump is a rubber impeller that needs water running through it for proper lubrication. Running the engine for just a minute or so with no water going through the pump will melt the water pump impeller.
The engine must be run in a tank/barrel of water, the water level must be a few inches above where the gearcase is joined to the exhaust housing in order for the pump to work properly.
Now, go ahead and start the engine, there is a hole half way up the back of the exhaust housing where water should be spraying out. If no water is spraying out, shut it off before it overheats.
Considerably more work is required if you want to make this engine a reliable daily runner, first do a simple compression test. You will need to remove the gearcase and replace the rubber water pump impeller. You will need to clean and check the ignition components under the flywheel, which requires a special puller to remove it properly. You will need to disassemble the carb, check and clean it, replace gaskets/float/fuel lines. You will also need to check the tank fuel line and primer system, these items might need work as well.
And yes, it does look as the engine block was replaced/rebuilt. It is hard to know whether this is a good thing or not, it all depends on what caused the failure and who did the work.

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