I bought a service manual for my engine.....

Or so I thought....

The website said "1953-1954 Evinrude Outboard Service Manual BU_15012_53"...but what I received was was a reprint of a remarkably generic (NOT 15012 specific, by any stretch) service manual augmented by a few separate, additional bulletin "cut sheets" that discussed (in general terms only) the major components of my model.

This is by no means what one would / could begin to call a 15012 service manual and is NOT sufficient for guiding someone through a full rebuild.

I'm not complaining (though this reprint sure wasn't cheap!) , I'm posting because I'd like to know: does a real, complete, 15012-specific service manual exist, or is this "as good as OMC ever offered"?

I need to know if I should "keep looking" or if this is all there is....

Anyone know?

Re: I bought a service manual for my engine.....

I don't know for certain but I would think a real OMC service manual exists. Try on Ebay. A seller by the name of searayman might have what your looking for. I would avoid generics like clymer and manuals that reference a bunch of models. I bought a CD copy once and it was junk. Best of luck. Rick.

Re: I bought a service manual for my engine.....

Rick. said:

A seller by the name of searayman might have what your looking for.

Click to expand...

I bought my manual from him. Great seller. I got an original manual in "like new" condition for $30

Re: I bought a service manual for my engine.....

I found the eBay seller you've mentioned.....he has nothing close.

I've been scouring the internet and reading, reading, reading......

(WAY more reading than "wrench turning"...)

...and it would seem that a dedicated 15012 manual never existed. What I bought seems to be "as good as OMC ever did" for this model. However, it's completely filled with descriptive pictures of units that are older & smaller than my engine. The chapter on carburetors goes into great detail on a carb that OMC stopped using in '51. In short, the OMC book leaves me kinda "high & dry".

So now I'm wondering about SELOC aftermarket books (which, I'm guessing, are the "Chilton books of the marine world"). They make an OMC - "Jonny-Rude" book [SELOC # 1301] for all engines 1958-1972 / 1.5-125 hp which sounds as generic as the Evi book I bought.....except:

1.) the SELOC book is bigger and (judging by the few sample pages that are readable on a certain website) seems to offer greater hands-on details than the Evi book
2.) the more I read, the more I discover how little the basic designs really changed from the early 50's through the early 70's.

Although my engine is a '53, I'm betting that a book which covers '58 wouldn't be too far off the mark.

Does anyone have sufficient first-hand knowledge of the SELOC books to recommend it?

Re: I bought a service manual for my engine.....

The third party books (Clymer, Seloc, etc.) are not very good.

If you want a genuine shop manual, owner's manual, parts list, try outboardbooks.com They own the reprint rights for Johnson, Evinrude and Elto motors going back almost 100 years. I bought all three for a 1935 Elto and all were completely specific to my motor. This motor had a starting procedure I would never have figured out without the owner's manual. They ship quickly also.

Re: I bought a service manual for my engine.....

Well....

A few phonecalls later, and it turns out that what I bought *IS* the same as what's available at outboardbooks.com.

outboardbooks.com = Ken Cook Publishing = what everyone sells. Not to harp on it, but to call what they (and everyone who sells it) offers a 15012 service manual is a stretch, at best.

*IF* an honest-to-goodness, real & specific 15012 service manual ever existed (and, indeed, it might not have), it's most certainly not available now.

Cest la vie......I'll make due with what I've got, I suppose.

PS: how many posts before I'm no longer a "cadet"?

Re: I bought a service manual for my engine.....

Mark, it sounds to me like you do have a reprint of the original service manual. I have been saying for a long time that OMC did not publish model specific service manuals in those days, and the Seloc is actually better than the factory ones when it comes to the older models.

I have a genuine Evinrude manual that is about 2" thick and is as you describe--a lot of useless data sheets with a little bit of generic repair instructions.

I also have a Seloc #1300 that covers 1956-70 and it is MUCH better.

Re: I bought a service manual for my engine.....

So for the older engines, you say Seloc books are much better than the OMC stuff....great to hear.

I think I'll go find a #1300

Thanks