just got an older '76 johnson 200 hp - a couple questions

[broadws]

Just got a center console with a older '76 johnson 200hp motor. I lowered the boat into the water off the lift to cover the lower unit and started engine. I notice that water is squirting out the seam where the lower and top unit is joined on both sides. Since I dont know much about this motor is there a gasket or something for the lower unit or is it just the lower unit needs to be tighten on the four bolts holding the unit on??

Also my trim works kind of, but is sluggish (?) and doesnt seem to work good when boat is running. Any ideas?

And the final question is I thought I might want to put a newer motor on the boat, say like a Honda 130 4 stroke, but the guy at the Marina said that I couldnt unless I built the transom up ?? Is there a motor I could put on to replace the Johnson 220 hp with building up the stern?

Thanks in advance.

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: just got an older '76 johnson 200 hp - a couple questions

There is no gasket at the seam you mention. It' normal to see some water leaking from that area. Make sure your trim system is full of trim fluid. It will act up if it is low on fluid. Your engine (while it seems to be huge) weighs in around 400 lbs. Some of these new 4 stroke engines are even heavier. Could be an additional 100 lbs (or more) in some cases. Perhaps that is why it was suggested that the transom needed to be reinforced.

 

[weekendfisher]

Re: just got an older '76 johnson 200 hp - a couple questions

When he said build it up did he mean thicken it up or make it taller in the case of the current motor being a short shaft ?
If you have a short shaft and want to fit a newer long shaft it's not to hard to get it built up so long as the transom can take the weight of the new motor.
Try and find a motor with a similar weight to what you have now maybe drop a little in power if you need to.
If the motor on there is good keep it and just maintain well.

 

[broadws]

Re: just got an older '76 johnson 200 hp - a couple questions

There is no gasket at the seam you mention. It' normal to see some water leaking from that area. Make sure your trim system is full of trim fluid. It will act up if it is low on fluid. Your engine (while it seems to be huge) weighs in around 400 lbs. Some of these new 4 stroke engines are even heavier. Could be an additional 100 lbs (or more) in some cases. Perhaps that is why it was suggested that the transom needed to be reinforced.

Thanks for the answers. Good to know the seam squirt is normal. I will check fluid on the trim. Yes, weight would be a problem now that you mention it. Sitting still, water is already almost coming in the drain holes on the transom well.

 

[broadws]

Re: just got an older '76 johnson 200 hp - a couple questions

When he said build it up did he mean thicken it up or make it taller in the case of the current motor being a short shaft ?
If you have a short shaft and want to fit a newer long shaft it's not to hard to get it built up so long as the transom can take the weight of the new motor.
Try and find a motor with a similar weight to what you have now maybe drop a little in power if you need to.
If the motor on there is good keep it and just maintain well.

Taller, Yes shaft length is short, and weight is an issue I guess with the new motors. It still runs pretty good, so I guess she will stay around awhile. I have a second small 35hp trolling motor mounted, so I guess I could limp home from any where in the Chesapeake if I had too. Thanks for the response, makes sense.

 

[everhart57]

Re: just got an older '76 johnson 200 hp - a couple questions

I don't know much about boat motors and their weight but the solution I found for the too heavy motor issue last year when I put 75 hp chrysler (a beast of a motor) on a 16 foot glasspar with a very thin transom was to have a welder buddy of mine fabricate a solid steel cap that went from the interior floor of the boat to the outter bottom of the boat.... it cost me about 50 bucks in steel and a few hours of cutting and welding and you could have strapped a nuclear bomb to the back of that boat... it wasn't pretty because I didn't want to spring for stainless... just painted it and went on... but if you wanted it to look good you could probably do it in diamond plate or something pretty like that.... just a thought....

I was really reading because I have a 77 evinrude....