7hp Sea King(clinton) for free!!!

I have a 12ft sea king boat and someone just gave me a 7hp sea king motor to make a matching set. I was pesimistic about a free motor but it's turning out to be a winner. Compression in the single cylinder easily hand pulled to 120psi. The previous owner said it ran but that gas was leaking from the carb the last time she ran it. We hooked up hoses and pumped to prime. Turns out the leaks all seem to be from bad fuel line under the cover. So why am I starting a thread?

I need to know more about the motor. I need to know:
1. year
2. ratio for oil/gas
3. air cooled or water cooled? I didn't see a pee hole.
4. Neutral? sure was fun testing the motor in a trash can with the prop spinning!!! I'm assuming there's no reverse.

I know you guys need some info to tell me anything so here's what I've got:

Made by clinton motors
model# K7002107A
serial# 647637
type# 6027370R

I'll search the forum for some of this stuff but there's a lot to filter through. Thanks guys......Tom

Re: 7hp Sea King(clinton) for free!!!

looks like it's a 73 and I'm pretty sure it's air cooled. Now I just need to know the fuel mix and how the heck to get it into neutral. Is there a place to find manuals?

Re: 7hp Sea King(clinton) for free!!!

OK, I think it goes into neutral the way I would have guessed but it's not working. The lever that should switch from neutral to forward does do something(like a hi/low setting) so I thought it was just a trolling mode or something.

Also I saw in a thread here that a different K700 model was air/water cooled with an impellor for cooling the exhaust and fan cooling the engine. Is this the case with my motor as well? I don't see where an impellor would be.

Re: 7hp Sea King(clinton) for free!!!

<OK, I think it goes into neutral the way I would have guessed but it's not working. The lever that should switch from neutral to forward does do something(like a hi/low setting) so I thought it was just a trolling mode or something.>

I'll tell you up front that I'm no Clinton expert, but you may have a Forward/Neutral clutch that is semi-frozen with rust and what you call a 'low' mode is simply drag. Before you mess something up permanently get a generic manual from Clymer, Intertec, Seloc or your library!

Please note!: I am making assumptions about your gear system based on the remains of the model in my possession that followed your own---a K-750 so I could be waaaaaay wide of the mark!

<Also I saw in a thread here that a different K700 model was air/water cooled with an impellor for cooling the exhaust and fan cooling the engine. Is this the case with my motor as well?>

Yes! And a working impeller is necessary to keep the lower crank bearing & seal alive for long. The cooling effect for the exhaust leg is a mere peripheral benefit---the real goal is cooling the lower crank bearing and grease seal that retains the crankcase integrity necessary for the induction cycle. The fan cools only the cylinder and head area. If yours is a '73 model then the seals are @ 37 years old already. Rubber hardens with age, exposure and high temperatures. Just how long do YOU think the lower seal will continue to be effective exposed to the full heat of the exhaust gases without the cooling effect of water that the design engineers so wisely provided?

<I don't see where an impellor would be.>

Drop the L/U and you'll find it sitting atop the anti-cavitation plate.

FWIW: many of the Clinton and Eska models of 3 1/2 HP or less used ONLY an open-ended, forward-facing tube to conduct coolant to the lower bearing and seal. Prop wash and the forward motion of the boat combined to create water pressure sufficient to carry water to that critical area. Prop wash alone is insufficient and tank tests of these motors should be very brief indeed! Once you establish that it will actually 'light off' and run conduct all other tests on a boat moving forward!

Re: 7hp Sea King(clinton) for free!!!

Thank you for the info. I will of course check out the issues that your talking about. I need to see if I can get what is already there to work before I buy any parts. I will spend money on this motor once I'm sure I'll get a worrking motor out of the deal.

So can you tell me how to tell whether or not she is pumping water? Is there a pee hole that I'm missing or does water get expellled below the water line?

Any advice on the Forward/neutral clutch? I plan to tear into it today. I am just about to pop off the top and have a look. Is everything gonna jump out like one of those gag cans of peanuts?

Re: 7hp Sea King(clinton) for free!!!

I really tore into this motor today. I pulled the LU and replaced the impellor. Then I turned my attention to the clutch issue. It's not jammed up. It has a piece broken off where it contacts the inner shifter parts. Hopefully I can get a new clutch. It's a crimped together part so no fixing it. I have had every part on this motor dismantled. At least now I know a little more about small motors and outboards

Still haven't figured out the fuel mixture.....anybody?

Re: 7hp Sea King(clinton) for free!!!

Tom@buzzard bluff,

Does your K750 still have a clutch? Wanna sell it? I sent you a PM.