Evinrude Zephyr 1946 5.4 hp questions

I have a 46 5.4 zephyr that I'm restoring and would like to know what spark plugs should be used for it? In addition it has a tiller handle that does not have the integrated throttle and I would like to swap it out with one that has the integrated throttle on the end. Can this be done or is it going to be more of a hassle to accomplish this? Thank you much for you insight.

Re: Evinrude Zephyr 1946 5.4 hp questions

I'd forget the throttle deal, especially if restoring. You can get an owner's manual and shop manual from outboardbooks.com that will give you almost all you need to know about your little prize. BTW, you picked a motor that is a bit of a challenge to set up, but they are incredibly smooth when running right. Enjoy!

Re: Evinrude Zephyr 1946 5.4 hp questions

Nice little engineering gems, they are. I would just use a J6C spark plug in that motor. As far as the throttle goes, those were made with the throttle linkage intergrated into the timer lever. It's actually a neat set up, I think. You shouldn't have too much trouble finding parts for that, since there still are a lot of them still around. BTW, what is your serial number?

Re: Evinrude Zephyr 1946 5.4 hp questions

The later Zephyrs that had integrated control were cast with a slightly different block. It has a boss on the port (tiller) side where the linkage for the throttle advance mounts to. They made two different styles of integrated control, too. The late style (probably late 1948-49) had a solid metal tiller handle. You simply throw the advance lever by the tank. The other style (probably mid 1947 to mid 48) was the same, however you could advance the throttle independently of the spark advance as well. These are identified with a black tiller end like your 46 should have. As far as plugs.....J4C if you'll do a lot of wide open running and not much idling. If they tend to foul during use then go to a J6C.

Re: Evinrude Zephyr 1946 5.4 hp questions

Well, the two Zephyrs I restored, had the plain solid tiller handles. The one in my avitar was 4404-00066
and I had a slightly later 4404, which I believe was a 1947 model. I guess it could vary which ones will have the integrated throttle linkages and ones that have it in the tiller. I would believe that the later ones, such as the 4404 and later would be more common with the integrated type of linkage. The other style was more common in the earlier Zephyrs, such as the 4378 - 4383's I also had an earlier Light Four that was set up this way too, with the linkage separate from the timer, but it just had a small lever on the side of the face cover. As far as plugs go, I would never use a J4C for anything but a fishing weight.

Re: Evinrude Zephyr 1946 5.4 hp questions

I have seen a 4404 like you have with a solid handle, and also with the rotating end. It seems like they changed things as they came up with them over the years with the Zephyrs. I have 2 4359's with one having gold tank decals, and the decals on the other being the dark green/gold like my 46 Zephyr. Both have metal carb dials, and metal tiller ends, and as far as I can tell, the decals on both are original. Same year motors, but one wears the later decals.........I think it's kind of a crap-shoot to try and say definitively what is correct to what model on certain things with Zephyrs. You can narrow it to a particular range of model numbers, though. Coincidentally, I have the boss cast on the block for the integrated linkage on my 46 Zephyr, but it was never threaded. Pretty sure I have a late 46 as the S/N is pretty high, and this was probably when they were getting ready to make the linkage changes.
As far as the J4C's you may be right. I had purchased a decent quantity of NOS J4J's and have been using them in the Zephyrs I run at mainly higher rpm, and they have run fine and idled fairly well. Maybe the J4C's aren't as close to the J's as I thought they might be.
I will say that J6C's run fairly well in most of the motors I have, but since I have the J4J's, I may as well use them if I can....

Re: Evinrude Zephyr 1946 5.4 hp questions

Yea, I think it may depend on the options that the original owner may have ordered. Some may have come with or without the throttle linkages separate from the timer lever. I wonder if it could depend on whether they were built in Canada or the US. Who knows.
Your 4359's are the 1940 vintage. It's got the stamped aluminum tank, I bet. Mine has the cast aluminum tank, wich is less prone to dents, than the sheetmetal aluminum one's are. This is a model year guide, that I have found on those.

Evinrude 5.4 HP Motor Manuals return to top
Year Model
1939 4309
4311
4312
1940-41 4359
4361
4362
4363
1945-46 4378
4379
4381
4382
1946-48 4402
4403
4404
4405
1949 4429
4431

Re: Evinrude Zephyr 1946 5.4 hp questions

Yes, all three of mine are the stamped tear-drop tank...........
Back to what landbaron had asked, the linkage parts can be found. You may try at AOMCI's Ask-A-Member on webvertise.
You would, however, also need the correct engine block with the boss on it for the linkage.

Re: Evinrude Zephyr 1946 5.4 hp questions

Yea, from what it looks like, the post war Zephyrs went to the cast aluminum tanks. The pre war models had the stamped aluminum tanks. Mine originally was medium blue and the Evinrude letters were cast and raised on the sides of the tank, which I thought was pretty cool. I completely stripped down and repainted the entire engine, except for the from shroud, because it still had the decals there and were in okay shape.
But yea, back to the linkage, it should be fairly simple to find the linkages among the AOMCI members, because there still are a lot of old Zephyrs out there. They sold them by the thousands, each and every month, while they were in production and they didn't do much to change them, till 1949. That model was an entirely different animal, than the previous years.

Re: Evinrude Zephyr 1946 5.4 hp questions

Yea.......I'm thinking late 46, maybe 47 was when the cast tanks started.

LandBaron.........
I can tell you one thing about Zephyrs...either you love 'em, or ya hate 'em with a passion.
Sounds like you like yours so far........One thing with the Zephyrs that they all share is coils that aren't common. They are unique to the Zephyr and LightFour.
The only ones that will work as far as I know are Zephyr, or LightFour.
We tried one from a 3.3 opposed and it wasn't quite right. I have heard of doubling-up OMC coils on the shoes to replace the originals, but have never done it. I suggest having donor motors for parts.
Get them when you can find them for cheap. Only problem with those is most of them will probably run with a cleaning of the points and carb. Then you end up with another runner.....trust me, I've been there

Re: Evinrude Zephyr 1946 5.4 hp questions

In regard to the odd selection of tiller handle/throttle arrangements, Evinrude engineers were working to improve the idling quality and found if they could mechanically synchronize the spark and throttle it would achieve this. However, word has it that Evinrude was flooded with letters from fishermen asking that they put the throttle control back on the tiller!

The throttle cam that goes on the underside of the mag plate is made of Bakelite, so be careful when putting it together or can easily be broken if incorrectly assembled.

Has anyone changed the lower unit grease I only see one screw on bottom side I heard it was no 105 lubiplate how much do you put in?

1946 Evinrude zephyr model 4404 5.4 hp Has anyone changed the lower unit grease I only see one screw on bottom side I heard it was no 105 lubiplate how much do you put in?

The original Evinrude Outboard Motor Service Manual states that for your Zephyr (fisherman drive), it uses 4 oz. SAE 90 Hypoid Oil.

http://www.boatinfo.no/lib/evinrude/manuals/1949evinrudezephyr.html#/0

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