1942 Johnson Seahorse 1.5 hp deluxe single light

[wbouska]

I recently bought this motor for $15 at the garage sale of a family friend who had just passed away. His son told me the original owner was the elder mans brother-in-law who was a machinist and kept the motor immaculate. He died, the family friend ran it for a couple years, then drained it and stored it away until I got it. I changed the oil and swished some clean gas around in the tank to clean out some residue, then put in fresh mixed fuel - the thing started up on the first pull! I am hoping to find out some general information about this motor - namely, does it have an impeller and should it be pissing water when I run it (currently it doesnt and I cant see water lines or where the water would be supposed to come out). Secondly, does anyone have any tips about what I should repair or replace, what should I check out after it has been sitting so long to ensure its continued use. Thirdly, does anyone know where I could get a manual for the motor? Any help would be great, I would love to use this motor for fishing and hunting if I can get it working smoothly!
Thanks!

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1942 Johnson Seahorse 1.5 hp deluxe single light

Oh cool. An old MD-20 I'm in the midst of restoring a 1941 HD-20, which is the old 2 1/2 hp twin. Yea, you may need to replace the reciprocating water pump in it, after sitting all those years. The fact that it started up after all those years, is amazing. After all, it is a Johnson though.

I purchased the 4th Edition Johnson service manual from the Ken Cook Company and that one seems to have some good info on it.

Sea-Way Marine, in Seattle is a good place to buy parts for that. I was able to purchase all the internals for my powerhead, when I rebuilt it and the prices were reasonable.

Here are a few specs, you might find useful:

1 1/2 " bore 1 3/8" stroke 1.5 hp @ 4000 rpms
4.88 pints fuel capacity
Champion J8J spark plug
Weight is 26 pounds
Fuel mix is 1/2 pint per gallon (16:1)

 

[nwcove]

Re: 1942 Johnson Seahorse 1.5 hp deluxe single light

cant provide any advice but would love to see some pics!!!.....of the hd and the md! ($15 bucks!!! that kills me! lol )

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1942 Johnson Seahorse 1.5 hp deluxe single light

HD? Here you go. There's not a whole lot of difference between the two, except mine is a twin. Appearancewise, they look a lot the same.

 

[wbouska]

Re: 1942 Johnson Seahorse 1.5 hp deluxe single light

I dont have any pics of the MD yet, but will try to take some and post them later today.

 

[nwcove]

Re: 1942 Johnson Seahorse 1.5 hp deluxe single light

nice looking piece of history! the quarter on the piston really gives a good perspective of the bore size!
how did you clean the power head up so nicely? paint remover? elbow grease? combination of both?
cant wait to see the md! thanks for the pics (wonder where i could find one of those??? lol)

 

[wbouska]

Re: 1942 Johnson Seahorse 1.5 hp deluxe single light

sorry my girlfriend had to show me how to minimize the photos so I could post them.

 

[nwcove]

Re: 1942 Johnson Seahorse 1.5 hp deluxe single light

nice little motor! $15 bucks???? you gotto take me to one of these yardsales!!!!! plz!! lol