1968 Johnson 20 hp Sea Horse

[andrew j cox]

Hi guys,
i was given an old johnson 20 hp 68 vintage, hoping i can find someone in oz that might have a wreck or know of one, its missing the mixture knob and bellcrank, on the cover where the pull cord comes through is a metal plate this has worn right through to the top fibreglass , the big rubber grommet that the cord comes through on the inside is not there,
the throttle shaft the inside one that goes through the lower cowl is flopping around, was toldtheres a little plastic thing that breaks, could be the bush is buggered too
the gear shift is very stiff will get fwd n nuetral but no reverse,
the stop button is also broke, can a conventional auto start button be used?
the engine has never been salt water id like to get it going and use as an auxilliary on my big boat, appreciate any leads or ideas on the probs, cheers.

 

[andrew j cox]

This is the engine

 

[DPoco]

if your looking for a parts motor try the salvage yards listed in the sticky notes of Johnson evinrude forum page. It should be right at the top and is called ¨Salvage yards, by Wilde1" it lists about 15 yards all over the place.

 

[lindy46]

Go to AOMCI.org and post a free want-ad for the parts you need. Someone will most likely have what you need.

 

[thatone123]

These are the lightest 20 ever made I believe and one of the most reliable. The 22 cdi engine was one of the best OMC ever made, but boy do they suck the gas compared to a 15....twice as much, see my post of they let it on concerning this.

 

[Tassie 1]

Umm,
Andrew...mate
l don't think the good folk here realize that Oz is the local lingo shortcut name for Australia,

l think you should put up a post on a local fb page asking for the bits you are looking for,

Also, if l have this right...you want to use a 50 yr old donk...if you can find parts for it...and all those other bits that are soon gonna break/leak/seize...as an aux for your 40 yr old Chrysler when your fishing/boating 20 miles out from the coast...in the ocean...not quite in the middle of nowhere but you can just see it from there?

" braver man than me, gunga din"

 

[thatone123]

Any engine that has good compression and has had components replaced like fuel pump, electrics etc. should be as reliable as any. In remote Canada, some bush folks actually want magneto ignition as they will not just fail as CD! units will. The gear case seals and gaskets are easy to replace. AS long as the engine seals are good, you should be good to go. I had a 40 same era one time that was used heavy when I got it and still ran it everyday commercial fishing and etc. for the next 5 years. Only gearcase and pull starter replaced. These old motors are tough and reliable.

 

[Tassie 1]

Thatone123
I'm not knocking older motors...l have 4 ( 1960 - 1975 ) outside waiting for some affection,
it is extremely unlikely that l will put my life or the lives of others in "their hands"

either as an aux or main power plant,

the cost of replacing old with new, drilling out corroded broken off bolts dried out seals to make them "safe" etc etc is huge,

there is always the chance of some component/s breaking the first time you need it....30 knots plus of crap weather,

for everyone of these old geezers you will see on the water you will see a hundred ( or more ) far more reliable outboards,
Unless of course you like to spend more time hanging over the bum of a boat in horrid conditions trying to convince the rotten thing to start in between waves slapping ya face,

come on, when was the last time you saw a 50 yr outboard on Swamp People?

nah, these geriatrics should be put on display in man caves and only be started up to scare the bejeeous out of little childrens and small furry dogs

 

[flyingscott]

Any engine that has good compression and has had components replaced like fuel pump, electrics etc. should be as reliable as any. In remote Canada, some bush folks actually want magneto ignition as they will not just fail as CD! units will. The gear case seals and gaskets are easy to replace. AS long as the engine seals are good, you should be good to go. I had a 40 same era one time that was used heavy when I got it and still ran it everyday commercial fishing and etc. for the next 5 years. Only gearcase and pull starter replaced. These old motors are tough and reliable.

You have absolutely no clue what you are talking about when it comes to CDI ignition vs the old points system. The CDI ignition is known to everybody who has a clue as being a better set-up than the magneto it replaced. and it is every bit as reliable as what it replaced. And before you answer back know this ,I have 8 Scott atwaters from the 50s and another 12 from the 60s. That doesnt count the other 100s of motors I have owned. The CDI is heads and tails above the magneto ignition.

 

[thatone123]

see Documentary movie "Happy People" about Russian trappers that go off into the wilderness from their village in the fall and don't come back til Christmas. They are using old outboards to get upstream to the trapping grounds, probably because they can not get new ones, but the old ones work. I respect your experience and outboard collection, but still don't quite agree. These Happy people are happy. Some knowledgeable people here is the US are starting to want older "non-code" computerized cars and trucks for the same reason. After the nightmarish experiences with my Ford F-150 Platinum with all the technology available then, I am probably one of these folks.

 

[Tassie 1]

In the real world 99.9 % of recreational boaters don't have the resources to have a film production company following them around filming all the good bits and cutting out the bad,

behind the scenes there is a lot of logistics and folk on call when the poo hits the cooling device,

Where will these documentary film makers be when these antiquated ignition systems fail?

if cars etc with point ignitions have problems on the road it's not normally a life threatening event,

can't say the same when on the water at 2.am in gale force winds and no-one else around to tow ya back in,

 

[thatone123]

I guess OMC and old Evinrude/ohnson did not build their reputation on points and magneto ignitions?

 

[thatone123]

After all, in WWII in the Aleutians in about the worlds worst weather and seas, the old Evinrude's did the job and won that battle. See old Evinrude ads. "Just ask the boys in the Aleutians" I would bet on a fully restored 1967 25 horse being more reliable and lasting longer than anything made today! I would not be using these outboards if I did not believe that as I can afford any outboard.

 

[Tassie 1]

I spent a couple of hours this arvo trying to get a british seagull to play nice,

simple points system,
coil, HT lead, spark plug
has fuel, some compression lol
No spark cleaned and adjusted points
tested coil with meter
nuthin'

was depressing...

needed to smell 2 stroke
walked over to the boat with a modern ignition system, primed it and turned the key,
it started nearly straight away,

tomorrow l'll use that " modern 2 stroke " outboard motor to get out to a moored boat with modern V8 inboards,
they will start straight away too.

if coil/point ignition systems were so dependable Mr Evinrude etc etc would still be making them.

If l want to buy parts for the 3 seagulls and 1 60's merc l have to wait for them to come from overseas,

which will cost more than l paid for them in the first place lol

 

[Canoe2]

Not to belabour the point, but have had two seagulls that say in barns for 25+ years find their way to my garage and had both running within a couple hours. My 14 has a 1970 25 Johnson on it. I don’t spend enough time on the water to justify the cost of a new motor so I tinker with the older ones. Eventually maybe I’ll pick up something newer. Maybe

 

[racerone]

Thatone------You are gifted and blessed with motor knowledge.------Today most people are not and do not care to learn.------They want motors that will start with the push of a button !------New stuff is what they want and can afford it seems.

 

[Tassie 1]

Hmmm racerone,
ya know someone is gonna try and turn your speech into a slogan for the wholesale return of antiquated ignition systems,
The company that does so will go belly up within 6 months once reality...and dirty points... sets in lol

yeh, this 61 yr old aussie prefers modern, reliable turn key ignition systems...preferably 2...when out in the Tasman Sea...literally just around the point...fishing for Southern Bluefin Tuna or cruising up or down the coast, as is the plan in a couple of days if the weather holds,

the aforementioned antiquated dodgy unreliable points system dinosaur ain't coming...lol

fun to play with ( well, sort of lol ) in the backyard or man cave on their excellent stand....a former wheelie bin...did ya know ya can fit 3 Seagulls in one as is with the lid still on?

Rubbish bins and British Seagulls...an excellent conbination lol

now, if l could only find one big enough for a Kombi

 

[racerone]

Fact----The older motors equipped with the universal magneto can run on one cylinder.-----That magneto had 2 totally separate systems and I suppose many folks have limped home at half power.----That magneto was used for near 40 years and is reliable to say the least.----But yes it needs inspection / maintenance on occasion.----Not something that modern folks know about or want to do.----Tassie1----Have you priced the electronic ignition parts for say a 98 Johnson 9.9 model 4 stroke and compared that to the universal magneto parts ?

 

[flyingscott]

Fact----The older motors equipped with the universal magneto can run on one cylinder.-----That magneto had 2 totally separate systems and I suppose many folks have limped home at half power.----That magneto was used for near 40 years and is reliable to say the least.----But yes it needs inspection / maintenance on occasion.----Not something that modern folks know about or want to do.----Tassie1----Have you priced the electronic ignition parts for say a 98 Johnson 9.9 model 4 stroke and compared that to the universal magneto parts ?

Lets at least keep it to 2 strks. The magneto set up was a good ignition but The CDI is a better ignition. I have seen CDI boxes go 20+ yrs you tell me about 1 set of points that has gone that far. The CDI ignition throws a spark 1/2" air gap. A magneto throws one a 1 /4 of an inch. Progress is a good thing just like my Mercury 25 hp 25 cid motor will absolutely smoke a 22 cube omc motor. By the way thatone123 only runs 15 hp motors, and unless he only runs the crappy 74-76 models. He sure as heck is running CDI ignitions. I can change a cdi box with a 3/8 socket need a lot more to fix a points system. And if you are running the 74-76 15 hp motors my condolences.

 

[Crosbyman]

just my opinion but… a magneto ignition will just jump half an inch easy if adjusted properly and 300-400 switch boxes are no fun on the pocket book. mind you that was on a 1980's Classic 50 …


moving forward… I love my 13 year old 75hp ETEC ...never fails