1972 Evinrude lark 50hp

Dear all I have just brought myself a 15' steber runabout with a 1971 50 hp evinrude lark motor. the engine starts but is not pumping very mkuch water. I'll replace the impeller. is a motor of this age a viable proposition to rebuild? Are part available?

cheers Nige, Australia

Re: 1972 Evinrude lark 50hp

Those were pretty decent engines. Yea, I would replace the impeller and check the thermostat. Chances are, the previous owner had the boat sitting for a while and the integrity of the impeller degraded. Nothing uncommon.

Re: 1972 Evinrude lark 50hp

Nige,
Your motor is a hydroelectric shift and some of the shift solenoids and such are hard to find. Most other parts aren't. The motor has no tattle tale so it won't appear to pump much water when on the muffs. When you're on the water it will, but where the water does come out, you can't see it from inside the boat (it exits the exhaust reliefs in the back of the midsection). I'm adding a tattle tale to my '72 johnson 50 which is the same engine as yours so I can more easily monitor water pressure.
BE CAREFUL when removing the lower unit. There are two wires that are attached with knife connectors which can be damaged if you're not expecting them. The wiring harness is hard to replace.
Don't forget to use the SPECIAL type C lower unit oil which is much thinner than regular lower unit oil.
Good luck,
JBJ