25 hp Johnson

I'm considering purchase of a 25 hp Johnson outboard with electric start. It's an older model and the owner claims it's a 50th anniversary edition. Can anyone tell me how old it is? Also, is this engine a points and condensor model, or an electronic ignition? Thanks for the insight.

Re: 25 hp Johnson

Lakeside you will need to get us the model number to correctly identify the year it was built

Re: 25 hp Johnson

Unfortunately the model # is too beat up to read. Any other thoughts?

Re: 25 hp Johnson

If it is in fact a 50th anniversary engine then that would be 1972. The 25hp engine is virtually identical to the 20hp engine produced that year.<br />1972 was the last year that OMC used the "universal magneto" system on the 25hp, which was the same system used on all it's engines 40hp-1.5hp back to the 50's. Parts for it are cheap and easy to find.<br />The next year they used a different ignition system that also used points and condensors, but the ignition coils were outside of the flywheel.<br /> Pic 1<br /> Pic 2<br /> Pic 3

Re: 25 hp Johnson

Hiya,<br /><br />I bought a 1970 25hp evinrude (with electric start) this spring... Don't be afraid of the old style ignition, parts are available, and they're easy to replace. I put new ignition in mine (see one of the threads below) and had to fix the starter mounting bracket (kept working loose). Other than that, it's run very well this summer.<br /><br />these might be interesting reading for you... you'll have to search for the thread about the starter fix if you wanna read about that.<br /><br />Good luck, and could be a good motor if it fits the bill and is a good price. Probably wise to budget for some ignition parts, and a new water pump for sure.<br /><br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=17;t=036363#000000 <br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=28;t=021941#000000 <br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=28;t=022405#000000

Re: 25 hp Johnson

Hi-all, You folks are great.<br /><br />According to the ad information provided by Paul, this engine does not have a charging system. Has anyone ever tried the Magnatune solid state ignition kit for dual point magneto systems for Johnson/Evinrudes? Looks like it's a good replacement for the points and condensor system.<br /><br />You can probably tell I'm not a points and condensor fan.<br /><br /> http://www.boatfix.com/engsections/johnevelec.pdf <br /><br />Here's a website advertising the unit - It's on page 4 of the PDF file.<br /><br />Thoughts?

Re: 25 hp Johnson

Lakeside, first off I've never tried them myself. But it seems they don't work so well on this ignition system, especially at idle.<br />I myself tried to come up with with an electronics replacement, but it was a failure. The breaker points seem to need to have an extremely low apparent resistance to produce an effective spark, especially at cranking speeds. I suspect this is the nature of these 3 pole coils, rather than 2 pole ignition coils. For example, I've heard a couple sucessful reports on using the Magnatune replacement on Chrysler outboards.<br />So, if I were you, I wouldn't buy them from a place you can't easily return them to if they don't work out. If you do try them, I would be very interested to find out what you think of them.<br />Honestly, I've just come to give up on the whole idea of electronic conversion. The points are reliable, inexpensive, and easy to set up. The big downsides are that they'll need to be adjusted now and then as they wear.<br /><br />You're correct, no charging system was offered for that engine. It's really not a big deal since you don't need it for ignition, and you can hand start the engine easily enough if the battery ever ended up discharged.