Replace vintage outboard motor keep the pulley and shifting system

mybusiness

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Hi,
I am new to this and need some advice. I want to replace a 1950s Evinrude 40 HP outboard motor with new modern reliable motor. The boat is from the 50's and I'd like to keep the pulley and shifting system intact and just replace the motor. Is this even possible?
Thanks
 

roscoe

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The shift cables and likely the controller will have to be changed.
You may be able to use the pulley steering, depending on what motor you switch to.
 

mybusiness

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Thanks, that's helpful. I was hoping to keep the boat as original as possible, maybe it's just not possible.
 

Scott Danforth

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If the original motor is in good shape, why not use it.

It may need some TLC, however that is an option.

As far as reliability, a properly maintained simple 50 year old 2-stroke may actually be more reliable than a modern 4-stroke just from the number of potential failure points
 

mybusiness

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I wanted to replace it because the old motor was very smoky and oily. A mechanic recently looked at it but I have not seen it yet to know if it's better. The motor was leaving quite an oil slick on the water. The motor is a Lark V and is old but could be younger than the boat, which is a 53 fiberglass boat.
 

JimS123

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The Lark 5 is circa mid 1960's. It should run on 50:1 oil ratio, so if you're using 24:1 that is the cause of your smoking.

If the motor is a "Selectric Shift" (push button shifting) that would be a reason to replace it regardless of how it runs.
 

jimmbo

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If the motor is a "Selectric Shift" (push button shifting) that would be a reason to replace it regardless of how it runs.


Why? The Electric Shift system is a well engineered unit, is reliable, easy to service, shifts very smoothly, and if water is kept out and proper oil used, will be shifting long after we are all pushing up Daisies
 

JimS123

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Why? The Electric Shift system is a well engineered unit, is reliable, easy to service, shifts very smoothly, and if water is kept out and proper oil used, will be shifting long after we are all pushing up Daisies

Its a poorly engineered unit. Its completely unreliable and it shifts poorly unless its set up by an expert.

Unfortunately, no experts left.

The electric cable is routed near the exhaust tube, and thus burns out with continued use. The later models (the Triumph 60 for example) solved the problem, but the 40's never were remedied.

In 65 years of boating experience I have only been stranded twice - both were with a selectric shift.

After all these years, parts availability is poor.

Its not the lower unit that's the problem - everybody knows it takes special oil - its the electronics that an issue.
 

jimmbo

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Well, the 40 had the Electric Shift, the Triumph 60hp was the Hydro-electric Shift, two completely different systems. But both were well designed and made. They did use a thinner oil gear than the later motors, but when they were current, that was also the only oil OMC marketed. The Hydro-electrics used a conventional clutch dog, but the shifting was so quick, there was very little wear on the Dog and/or the Gears. There were no 'Electronics' in either system. The Electric Shift system used two coils as Electromagnets, to attract a coiled Spring to wrap around a hub splined to the propshaft. The Hydro-electric system used two Solenoids to move a shaft that controlled oil flow, which moved a piston to move the Clutch Dog.
As for your 2 breakdowns... I can't look into the past to see how you operated those engines, but like a mechanical shift, you need to shift at idle speeds. The Electric and Hydro-electrics usually had a much longer service life than the Mechanical shift units of the time, which also left many boaters stranded
 
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racerone

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Agreed----Electric shift is well engineered , simple and reliable.-----Any times 12 volts comes into the picture then some folks want to run away from it.
 

JimS123

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The issues I had with the Lark was that when the wires burned out the electromagnets would be stuck wherever they were. In my case it was stuck in reverse.

When it burned out the second time I dumped it and bought a Triumph. It was my understanding at the time that if the same thing happened here the motor would default to forward gear.

It was also my understanding that they wouldn't shift unless it was at dead idle. In any event I never tried to shift unless it was.

Docking was my biggest complaint with the triumph. Pull up to the dock, shift to neutral, at the right time turn the wheel and shift to reverse....bang it would stall....every time. It idled fine in neutral but would stall every time you switched into gear. I had a mechanic work on it and it got better for awhile, but next year it was the same thing again. According to my mechanic lots of people had the same complain. maybe it was something in the water...

Both engines were bought brand new and serviced by the book. Neither lasted me longer than 2 years before i got fed up. Switched to a Johnson mechanical shift and had many trouble-free years.

I'm not an outboard mechanic and maybe my mechanic wasn't either, but in any rate that's why I wouldn't own one again.
 

jimmbo

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The Electric System on the lark was designed that when there was no power to the electromagnets, there was no magnetic attraction of the Coil, and the engine would not be in gear. I have never seen one fail where it remained in gear.
The Hydro-electric system on your Triumph, was designed shift into forward when there was no power to the shift solenoids, However if there was water in the gear lube, some corrosion could occur and the shift piston could seize, same went for dirt/sand/silt in the oil. Since it idled fine in Neutral, a poorly tuned engine. or too low of an Idle speed was probably the reason for your stalling on that engine. Those 3 cylinder loopers were jumpy/skitterish a lot of the time

Our 1963 40 Electramatic had 11 yrs on it and never had any gearshift issues, Our 1965 90hp Starflite also had 11 yrs before it broke the Spring Coil resulting in no forward gear. My uncles 1965 90hp went 18 yrs before it needed a new Spring/Coil and hub. They were sturdy units. Too bad your experience wasn't as good
 
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