1959 Evinrude Lark 35 HP Blown Condensers?!?

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May 21, 2008
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As the topic stated, my 59 evinrude lark, just blew both condensers.

Intro... motor has been a work in progress, with little to no power most of the time. After replacing coils, condensers, points, wires, plugs, and apparently a cruddy job rebuilding my carb and fuel pump, I was able to get it running well enough to idle and run, but still had no power.

I was about to give up, so I took it to a local shop, who did another carb rebuild, fixed fuel leaks at the idle and high speed needles, and told me I had lots of water in my fuel. So, flushed the tank, filled it with clean fuel and oil, and installed a fuel water seperator between the tank and the motor.

Testing time... Ran beautiful in a test tank. YAY!!!

Out to the river... Started first push of the button YAY!!! We rev it through full cycle in neutral, sounds fantastic. Ready to go for a ride.

Head out, giving 1/4 throttle, and it's already running better than ever. Goose to full throttle after exiting the no wake zone, and she's up on plane within a second or two!!! YAY, holy cow, this motor can push HARD!!!

So I'm grinning like a fool, flying up the river with my wife and daughter, all of us smiling from ear to ear. Fantastic.

Then... make a turn, and she stumbles. I see a little air in the fuel water seperator, so I tell my wife to hit the bulb a few times.

Temporarily fixes it. We keep cruising.

Next turn, she stalls out completely. This time I pull the cover off the outboard. I can see a little air in the fuel water seperator, and a little in the cinnamon bulb.

Not great. So I pump the bulb, and I'm getting fuel on my hand at the bulb. Ok... I've got a fuel leak, air's getting in the line, I know what happens with a straw with a hole in it, so I'm not too worried. I can fix that later. Pump the bulb, and try to start her, and not much is happening.

Finally get her to fire, head back to the dock, and it quits completely. This time she's smoking. Head is really hot. Crap... did the water pump fail?

So, It's time to head home. I give up for the day.

Get her home, take off the bottom end, and check the impeller, good to go, no problems. Take off the thermostat, and try to crank her in a barrel. Still not cranking, but even with that, the spinning of the starter, should have pushed some water up to the thermostat hole right? Maybe? I'm not sure.

Take off bottom end again, and run water down the thermostat hole to see if there might be a blockage. Water comes out one of the two pipes, and out of one of the exhaust tube. Not sure if that's normal, but that's what I got, so I put things back together. Hoping for info on that from yall!!!??!?!?

Then, I check for spark. Not getting anything. Crap. How'd that happen? It was running beautiful, for weeks, and now it even had tons of power, and now I have no spark. Wierd.

So... I pulled the flywheel off, to inspect, expecting a coil to be bad. But instead I find both condensers, completely melted and the tops are broken off. No condenser, no spark. Ok I get it.

But what could have caused that? These were run maybe 45 minutes tops.
 

racerone

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Sounds like 12 volts is applied to them, that is a mistake.----Have never seen this issue on these reliable magnetos !
 

HighTrim

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I have never seen that either. How were they wired? What condensors did you install?
 

Tim Frank

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I'd be interested to see the wiring connections.
The only time I've seen anything like that was a when a friend decided he was a better engineer than the ones at OMC and "redesigned" the ignition on a 33HP.
New and improved.... :facepalm:
He used an auto coil and a Rube Goldberg 12V. system. Cooked the points and condensers.
 

F_R

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I've never seen melted condensers. Even if you were to wire 12V to them, they shouldn't melt. Not even with 120V (DC). However, wiring 12V to the magneto definitely will destroy the coils.

You got a strange one for sure.
 

Tim Frank

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Just re-read the OP. I thought they were just "blown."
LITERALLY MELTED? :eek: Holy %$##@.

I am not sure that you could do that electrically.
Could the engine have gotten hot enough to melt the condensers?
 
Joined
May 21, 2008
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Ok, here's what I found today. Bought four more condensers. Points looked good, coils looked good. So I installed two new condensers. Fired up in test tank (read garbage can with hose). She fired immediately with new condensers. But something didn't seem right. She got hot quick and kept getting hotter. I shut her down and pulled off the cap for the thermostat and removed the thermostat. Fired it up for a second with the cap off just to do a little investigating. I got a little steam and spray, but that was about it. That didn't seem right to me. Tried pouring water in the thermostat hole, which it quickly spat out at me, hot hot hot. LOL, I knew that'd happen, but it all evaporated almost instantly and then just a little steam was coming out again. I shut her down again. Re installed the thermostat cap, but not the thermostat. Figured it could use all the water (or steam) it could get into the powerhead. She ran ok, but was so damn hot. Then once again, she soon stalled out and quit. Looked at the condensers, and they are cooked. Tops look like they melted clean off again. But the points aren't fried, and the coils look good. I guess it is quite possible the engine is getting hot enough to literally cook the rubber tops right off the condensers. Which leads me to my next problem. WHY am I not getting flow through this engine? The impeller is practically brand new. The water pump is also practically brand new. The best I can figure something is blocked somehow. After letting the engine cool down, I removed the thermostat cap again, and did the same test I did the other day... I ran water from top to bottom with the lower unit removed. When I run water in the big hole where the thermostat itself goes, I get water coming out one of the two water pipes that go to the water pump. When I run water into the little hole up by the thermostat, I get water coming out of what looks like the exhaust tube? But nothing from the other water pipe, and nothing from the pee holes or exhaust rubber tube that's normally hidden by the back cover. Now I'm not gonna lie, I don't know what kind of corrosion, or bees, or mud daubers, or whatever else might have gotten into this engine during storage. How can I clean out the water jackets, and get this thing cooling properly? I have a SELOC manual, which basically says, replace the impeller, replace the thermostat, clean out the two water pipes if you can get to them, and beyond that, hire a professional..... What a useful doorstop, but a useless manual. I was expecting pictures of the water flow through the engine, and instead, it's still a mystery.

Any help greatly appreciated. I figure, fix this cooling issue that I didn't previously have... and then see if I still have any problem with condensers!!!
 
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nwcove

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sounds like you have more than one issue going on. i just cant imagine the power head getting hot enough to melt the condensors before it seized up. as mentioned, look at the wiring.jmo
 
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No Title

All four of the "blown" condensers look like the one on the left, where as the two "good" condensers I have left look like the one on the right.
 
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F_R

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I see the pictures. That is so unusual. Are they sealed with wax? That might melt from engine heat, but I don't see how you could possibly run it that hot for that long. The powerhead should be destroyed by now if that is the case.

Get that thing out of the garbage can and on the lake. There might not be anything wrong with the pump. But you may have melted the plastic check valve under the thermostat housing. BTW, that stuff must be in there, so don't entertain the idea of taking it all out.
 
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There was a very cracked plastic little cup thing under the thermostat, and my thermostat was new. I did remove them both, to try and increase flow. But as I don't have any flow getting to the top at all, I'm worried about a blockage. I read somewhere about a plastic restrictor type plate between the powerhead and the exhaust, but it was for an 18 horse, not sure the 35 has it, any ideas? Also, what's the best way to remove blockage crud? Where do I start?
 

F_R

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That motor has a thermostatically controlled, recirculating cooling system. Those plastic thermostat parts and spring must be in there. Otherwise, exhaust can travel down the return pipe to the water pump. Those are a good water pump....good at pumping water, that is. Not very good at pumping air and exhaust.
 
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May have seen some minimal salt use, since I've had it it's seen salt twice, and been run in freshwater within an hour or so after, to flush. Didn't know about the plastic cap and valve being needed for normal operation. With plastic cap and valve and thermostat out, all I get out the top when running is a little spitting and spray, but no real water to speak of. I inserted the garden hose, and got some water out the pee hole and exhaust, but nothing when I removed the hose. I filled the trash can with a vinegar solution to try and free up any gunk, but to no avail. And now it acts like no fuel, or no spark again. This thing is driving me crazy.
 

HighTrim

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With the t stat cover removed, your pump should spray water out of that hole. If you poured water down it, and came out easily at the pump water line, there is an issue with your pump, IF, and repeat IF, your gearcase is submerged enough to even function in a little garbage can. As stated, try at the lake. Also, as stated, do NOT remove any of the t stat components, or your pump will fail.

Lastly, please do not run it again that long to get that hot. If not pumping right away, shut her down, or you will have bigger issues to deal with.
 
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Thanks for the input High Trim aka Chris. I will purchase replacement parts ASAP for the thermostat, cup, gasket, and valve. And it's sounding like I should pack up my tools and do my work at the boat launch!!! Not a bad way to spend a day.
 

F_R

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Well, tell ya what...I've been around awhile and serviced too many of those motors to begin to count. I can tell you that with the guts out of the thermostat, there is a direct air flow path down the return pipe to the water pump inlet. http://s19.postimg.org/yfuot6lpv/40_HPcooling.jpg
I don't know why it won't run, but can guess. But you won't like the guess. How can I say "Fried".
 
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