1967 Sea King (Chrysler..West Bend?) 55 hp needs help

[Drb007]

I bought an old Sea King boat and motor last year and am trying to get it living again. The boat is a time capsule...it looks nearly new. Everything is solid and in great condition. It was clearly loved and stored indoors all its life.
The motor looks really clean. When I bought it, the gentleman I bought it from just said "the motor needs some work." I was so pleased with the boat that I really didn't even care if it ran or not.
I did a compression test on it when I got it home last fall, and I had 140 in both cylinders. I hooked it up to muffs and I could get it running without much effort, but it ran rough. I stored it away until this spring, and here's what I have so far.
When I first started it this spring, while it was running rough, I pulled the top plug wire and nothing happened. Kept running the same. Reinstalled that wire and pulled the bottom one and it died instantly. I removed the wires, inspected them, and switched their positions. This time it ran better and when I would pull either one it would run rougher but keep running.
Being impatient, I took it to the lake to see how it would run under throttle. Idled rough, vibrations at slow no wake speed, but wide open it was pretty good. However, while running WOT it bogged down and quit. I had to let it sit for 5 minutes, then it fired up and ran for another 10 minutes. We had to idle before a bridge, and it died. Couldn't get it restarted.
So I installed new plugs and wires. I filed and reset the points. I installed a new impeller. I changed the lower unit oil.
As I have never timed an outboard, I was able to find a guy about a hour from my house who said he is an expert on these motors. His fee for a tune up was very reasonable, so I took the boat out there on a Saturday and he dug in. Right away we realized I was not pumping water. I figured I screwed up the impeller somehow, so I removed the lower unit and found the water tube was not seated in the gasket off of the pump. Fixed that and we were pumping again.
We installed a new diaphragm in the fuel pump. Adjusted the idle needle valve and idle speed. When it came time to adjust the timing I think I have over stayed my welcome as I had been there 2 hours and planned just 1. He hooked up an automotive timing light, made a mark on the flywheel as we couldn't find one, looked at it quickly and said it looked good. I had no idea what he was looking at.
We took it up to the lake for the 4th of July, and it was hard to start. Once I got it running, it ran well for about 10 laps. While running at WOT, the overheat light came on. We shut it down right away, let it sit for about 15 minutes, and then started back up. No light, and we were pumping water. Another lap, and then a repeat of the first time out on the lake...just bogged down and died. I could not restart it.
Back home, I was able to get it to start on starting fluid, and then could keep it running by revving it a bit. But I now had backfiring. A compression test revealed 140 on the bottom, 70 on top. Pulled the head and found a blown head gasket.
I got a sheet of heavy glass and adhered 120 grit sandpaper to it. Moving the head in a figure 8, I slowly progressed to get the surface shined up. If the presentation of low spots was any indication, the head does seem to have been warped. After a lot of elbow grease, all areas are nice and clean. I carefully scraped and sanded the block as well. Just out of curiosity (I won've received the gasket until Monday) I mated the head to the block to see how it fit. Interestingly, it seems high in the middle, as it teeters a bit. I can rock the head up and down pivoting in the middle. When I hold the bottom of the head tight to the block, I can get a .006 feeler gauge in between the head and block at the top edge.

Is that ok? Am I concerned over nothing as I don't have the gasket in there?
Thoughts?

Also, I thought maybe now would be a great time to time the ignition, as I can clearly see when I am at TDC. However, according to the manual, I need a special tool (rod) with marks as I am trying to find 32 degrees before TDC, and I don't have this tool. The manual uses a test light to adjust the opening and closing of the points based on the tool mentioned. The guy that helped me tune this up before the 4th of July holiday weekend didn't convince me that it was really timed right. Maybe that had something to do with the failure I am experiencing?

Advice is so much appreciated.

 

[Nordin]

Really nice package.

Well the gap of the head 006, I do not think it will be a problem.
The headgasket will "fill up" it.

BUT when you install the new gasket be careful and torque the bolts in three steps and in a circular pattern starting from the middle of the head.
The final torque value should be 270 inch pound (NOT 270 FOOT POUND then you will snap them all).
Soo start with 100 inch pound then 200 and finally 270.

After you have run the engine for about one hour then you have to retorque the head again.
Loose the bolt and torque to 270 again. Do the same with all of them and in the circular pattern as before.

To set the timing you can find out the 32 or 30 dgr ( I suggest 30 dgr as the fuel today is not as good as in the 60-70s) BTDC by counting the tooth at flywheel.
Divide by 360 and multiply with 32 (or 30). There you have how many tooth to the left (CW) of TDC the timing should be.

Use a timing light if you have and adjust the timing by the rod that advances the timingplate.

 

[jerryjerry05]

IF??? nobody's touch the timing then it's probably OK.
​Usually these don't jump timing.
I use a # torque wrench.
I start at 14# then 18# then finish at 20#
The aluminum head and gasket will conform to the gaps.

 

[Drb007]

The timing has certainly been adjusted. The gentleman that tuned it up for me adjusted that rod "by ear".
I have adjusted after it stopped running.
That's why I need to really figure out the right way to do this. I really appreciate the education guys!

 

[wickware]

No Title

That is very close to my 1970 35 HP Chrysler (with a 55 hood showing). That is said to be the same as a 55 HP Chrysler without long lower unit leg and 2 Carbs (with more piston bore and Etc). I am seeing external coils vs my under the flywheel coils in my Magneto Ignition System. The timing process sounds the same as degrees before TDC. My 84 purchase ran so good I was not concerned with the timing. BUT! I did put an Old School In-Line timing light on it to see if it was advancing with RPM.

I have the 1984 points that have only needed cleaning when I noticed hesitating. Plus I learned not to add too much oil to the point?s wics (that contributed to a vapor and dirty points). I never have seen old traditional burnt points where metal was burned from contacts. My 68 VW Points w/n last a year.

It has never over heated per my tested working alarm. Adding a Tell Tale was a big advantage of seeing good water flow (deep in a 55 barrel at home or in the lake) vs the spray coming out mixed with the exhaust.

I blew my solid stored inside purchase by not adding a tarp to cover ?low on all of the boat?. The late North TX Evening?s Sun and Blowing Rains caused Rear Damages before I detected damages (lights, fuel lines, transom and flooring with plugs pulled and front 8?+ higher). Just being outside probably was a difference. A lot of years of services should be under a search of Wickware if related.

 

[Drb007]

I got the head machined and back on. I timed the motor with the factory timing tool. Still ran like crap. Then I found this:


Seems I buggered the carb by trying to drive the idle tube out so I could remove the main jet for cleaning. I quit when I realized I was not going to be able to do so without destroying the tube. The little I did was damage enough, causing the mixture needle to bend when seated.

Fortunately the guy that helped me tune it up last month said he had an extra carb.
Went and picked that up today, and after a good cleaning, adjusting the float, and installing it, the motor started right up.
It ran well enough in the barrel at home that I decided it was a good idea to take it out to the lake/river.
Started right up at the launch, idled great while my wife parked the truck, and for the 10 minute slow-no-wake drive it sounded pretty decent.
We got to the end of the no wake and I dropped the hammer. Blahhhh. No power. I popped the motor cover and while my wife drove I adjusted the mixture needle. I could turn it all the way in and the engine would keep running. It actually would run better, but still badly.
Long story short:



So now we are three for three. Every time we have gone out we get towed. This is getting old.
I figured it had to be something with the "new" carb. Seems the new carb was missing this nozzle:


I'm frustrated with myself for not noticing that it was missing when I cleaned the carb. I took the one off the old carb. I will barrel run it tomorrow, and I am hopeful that I will finally have this thing up and running!!

 

[jerryjerry05]

Your the second one this week that was missing the main jet!!!
​The bent screw is very important but ONLY affects the low speed operation.
Set it at 1 and 1/2 turn out then adjust when the motor is warm and in gear.

ANYBODY that uses his "ear" to set the timing needs to have his ears cut off and insert them down below.
If??? it could be done the engineers would have put that in the manual.

Worked with a guy who set the timing on a bunch of new boats.
None of them ran right and I had to go fix everyone.
One was out by 26d.

 

[Drb007]

Well, now I have no spark. The plugs were certainly fouled from the way I ran it yesterday, so I took them out and cleaned them, but I'm getting nothing. Off to buy new plugs in hopes that will be that easy. I doubt it...

 

[Drb007]

Well, I finally caught a break. It was the plugs! Put new ones in and it fired right up. It ran great all day, and we even pulled skiers today!

I am pleased.

 

[Derrick Fronckowiak]

Frank always told me to keep a spare set of plugs (with a socket to change them) in my boat emergency kit. Depending on the problem it can help you out of a jam. You got to appreciate that it was something simple this time.

 

[Drb007]

The new carb and new plugs did wonders. Until the top coil started crapping out. Should have a new one here tomorrow.

I am appropriately paranoid of this thing by now.

The next thing that could get me...the rectifier. I'd like to have a spare on hand, but they no longer make the original. I am being offered a newer version that Chrysler went to after the ribbed version I have. That's fine, but it is $65.

I was directed by a guy who has been helping me to get a rectifier from Radio Shack for $5. He says as long as it is more than 20V I should be fine.

The reading I am doing is concerning that I could overcharge the battery. It seems these rectifiers were made when batteries went sealed. Now that we are using sealed batteries there are stories online (so they must be true) that you can burn out your battery very quickly.

Should I be using a regulator-rectifier?

 

[Nordin]

Nice to hear you got it runing.

You do not need any regulator. The alternator on that engine put out about 9-10 A as maximum and that is at full throttle.
Normally you do not run at WOT for a long time and it is not so good for the fuel economy.
If you back of the throttle to 3/4 of max speed you save a lot of fuel but only loose about 3-5 knots roughly.

When buying a spare rectifier, remember your alternator is a 3 phase typ so you need one with 3 AC terminals.
They are not so common as the 2 phase typ which fit the later 45Hp and up Chrysler/Force engines.
Early Chrysler/West Bend engines hade the 3 phase typ.
Maybe you can use the 2 phase style rectifier (I have never did it myself) and only use 2 phases of the alternator and leave the third unhooked.
But it is not so healthy for the rectifier because the third phase has nothing to "burn" it energy through.