Johnson 25 Hp Work Horse RD-14, Model 1950

[Yrjo]

HelloI have heritaged a such old engine, which was imported to Finland by a forest company summer 1950.Those years, after war, a normal citizen was not allowed to use "hard" currencies ie. buy something abroad. But companies were able to do it, if properly argumented. Anyway this engine was used by one the biggest Forest Company in Finland,"Rauma-Repola" for several years....and after unknown history my dad bought it summer '70 for our family together with an old rotten fiberglass boat. And it served several years until I had to dump it because its ENORMEOUS fuel consumption ( my brother called it not water, but fuel cooled engine ) and beacuse it was so ugly.I have kept it in my summer cottage for nearly 30 years in a barn, and last summer I tried it, do it work or not.I noticed that something funny have happened to the die cast aluminun of the lower unit, because it seems to be very weak, altered into powder-like very fragile form..... Also High tension coil seems to be distroyed. The plastic like isolation material have cracked and one coil was damaged.I borrowed from my other vintage motor 3 hp Evinrude Light-Twin -1952 a coil, which was exactly the same ???? surprise, surprise,.. and managed to get the old Johnson work. It works excatly the same manner than it worked 25 years ago...... and fuel consumption is still the same. But it is not ugly any more, actually very beautifull....So is there any spares for these engines any more available...price level ? Normal shelf spares or rarities ?Also can someone inform me about links where to get information, mainly colours and decals for those engines.

[Paul Moir]

Yrjo, welcome to Iboats!I have the '63 reincarnation of that engine - (a 28hp). It's a fair bit different in some ways but the engine's pretty well the same. Your RD-14 is actually a 1953 engine:RD-14Year: 1953HP: 25WOT RPMS: 4500Displacement: 485cc (35.7 cubic inches)Fuel/Oil mix: 24:1 91 RON gas to TC-W3 rated outboard oil. (Stop using SAE 30W if you're using that!)Lower unit oil: OMC/BRP "HiVis" lower unit oil or equivalent 90/80W outboard gearcase oil.Spark plugs: Champion J6C gapped at .030" (.75mm)As you noticed about the ignition system, OMC (makers of Johnsons and Evinrudes) used the exact same ignition system on all 2 cylinder engines built between the early '50s and the early '70s. This, and since they crack and break so much, has made the replacement coil very inexpensive. Iboats sells them (18-5181) for around 17 US dollars. Unfortunately, the last time I checked, Iboats was a pain in the neck for international orders. I'm not sure if this changed, but if not there's other online retailers who are more accomodating.The alternative is to go to your local Bombardier dealer. They also should be able to get you an ignition coil (I belive their current part number is 582995) but probably for a little more. Personally, I like the aftermarket part better.Other commonly needed parts are easily available because they're still being made. And again, fairly inexpensively as far as outboard parts go. Thinks like ignition system parts, lower unit seal kits, head gaskets, propellers, pressurized gas tank rebuild kits, and carburetor rebuild kits. Many other parts are available from online used parts retailers and Ebay. It sounds to me like the lower unit may have suffered some serious electrolytic corrosion from badly set up shore power or something like that. If you wish to replace it in it's entirety, a new one shouldn't be very difficult to find. There should be many years and different HP engines that would fit. Try to locate your nearest outboard junkyard and go poking about. Here's some links for you (Pretty well all US, sorry):Original service documentation (best repair manuals):TheOutboardWizardMastertechMarine EngineKen Cook New parts & used (besides Iboats):Laing's Twin City OutboardsSports-MarinsMarine Parts OutletVintageInformation:The Old OMC SiteAntique Outboard Motor Club Hope this helps!