125 evinrude

[racohoon]

Just purchased 18ft Stuery w/ 125 evinrude. Has electric shift and power tilt/trim. This is my first Evinrude.(always ran Merc.)I believe it is a 1972.Model #125 283R Serial # J 02121 Tag also reads operating range 4500 to 5500 RPM 125 certified ponies @ 5000RPM. Run on hose to verify engine run and trans. shifted for about 1 minute. Everything appears ok. Good idle,range of throttle,shifts,power tilt/trim works good. I always want to make sure everything is in working order,better than factory if possible. 1st thing I noticed <br />A) No water from tell-tale. I have looked all over the outside motor housing and there is no hole for it to come out of! So, off w/ the cover! I looked all over for signs of the rubber hose from motor to casing(housing), and don't find anything!!??!!!?!?<br />B)Tachometer not working. Checked connections on tach. and they are tight. Apears to be grey wire from side of throttle housing going to tach, the other is black (ground). Check the ground-- it's ok<br />C)If motor is raised from full down position and forward or reverse are selected the engine drops to full down position.If you try to lift motor (trim it) when in gear motor stays @ full down position and will not lift @ all. <br />Here are my questions/concerns----<br />A)How do you know if this motor is picking up water? Where is it getting rid of it(if it's picking it up)? <br />B)How can I check the grey wire for signal to tach? My new tach is the newer Teleflex 0-8000RPM.It has conections for ground,ignition,and sending/signal.Also has selector switch for cylinders or pulse. Do I select 4 cyl. or do I use a pulse selection,if so which one2-3-4-5-or 6?<br />If my grey wire isn't sending signal,can I route a new wire to tach directly from engine,so I don't have to take throttle housing apart?<br />C)Why does eng.drop to full down position when put in gear and throttled up from idle? Why won't it let me trim when in gear? Is this just a power lift only no trim? I don't know if it is factory. The switch says OMC accessories on metal plate around switch on dash. I checked the pwr tilt motor for a stamping or tag and there isn't one,however the ram or cyl. has Prestolite stamped on it and they are the same pewter color as the engine.Any idea's? <br />D)What fuel ratio should be run and the best fuel? From what I have seen on the forum the ratios have been all over the place, but fuel has been recommended @ 87-89 octane alcohol and ethanol free. I ran 89 oct. w/50:1 ratio on the Merc. <br />If any one can help I would greatly appreciate it! Happy boating everyone!!!

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: 125 evinrude

Racohoon... The engine is a 1972 125hp Evinrude. <br /><br />It has no telltale setup, and the majority of the expelled water will go out the prop area. The rest of the water will be expelled out through the overflow holes that you'll see at the rear of the exhaust housing just below the powerhead lower pan area.<br /><br />The tachometer operates off of the engine charging system which emits six (6) pulses. Set the dial on the back of the tach to number six (6). The gray wire leading from the engine wiring harness is connected to the engine at the electrical terminal block, coupled with the yellow/gray wire from the rectifier. If you know for sure that the tachometer is good but it doesn't register at all, in all probability the rectifier is faulty. The rectifier will no tolerate reverse polarity, even for a second, and will short out immediately should this reverse polarity occurr. To test a rectifier, do the following.<br /><br />Remove the rectifier wires from the terminal block. Using a ohm meter, connect the black lead of the ohm meter to the rectifier base, then one by one, connect the red lead of the ohm meter to the yellow, yellow/gray, then the red wire (some rectifiers may also have a yellow/blue wire. If so connect to that also). Now, reverse the ohm meter leads and check those same wires again. You should get a reading in one direction, and none at all in the other direction.<br /><br />Now, connect the black lead of the ohm meter to the red wire. One by one, connect the red lead of the ohm meter to the yellow, yellow/gray, and if present, the yellow/blue wire. Then reverse the leads, checking the wires again. Once more, you should get a reading in one direction and none in the other.<br /><br />Note that the reading obtained from the red rectifier wire will be lower then what is obtained from the other wires.<br /><br />Any deviation from the "Reading", "No Reading" as above indicates a faulty rectifier.<br /><br />The engine has a overheat warning horn. The horn should engage if the engine exceeds the normal running temperture. Note that the engine must absolutely be run with the thermostat (some boaters remove it) otherwise piston damage will occur. The warning system will engage before the engine gets hot enough to do any damage. To test the horn, do the following.<br /><br />With the engine NOT RUNNING, have the ignition key in the "ON" position. Find the tan wire that is attached to the overheat sensor at the cylinder head(s). Ground that tan wire to the powerhead somewhere. That completes the circuit and the horn should sound off. If it does not, find out why as that's the only warning you have!<br /><br />The power tilt is just that... a tilt system only. There is no trim system and the tilt will not hold against the engine pressure/force when in gear, under way.<br /><br />You can safely use the 50/1 mixture. The engine is designed for it. You can also use the 87 octane fuel.<br /><br />Now.... Where do I send this bill ?

 

[racohoon]

Re: 125 evinrude

Thanks a million Capt'n Joe,you are a wealth of information and I really appreciate all the help.<br /> I don't know for sure if problem w/ tach is going to be the wiring/rectifier or just a faulty tach.The tach that is on the boat is in-operative.The speedo was cracked on the front glass also, so I bought the matching Teleflex speedo and tach;but the tach had no instruction sheet with it.I double checked the tach. again this morning and see a sticker on the side that says- send.--o/b with alt. to alternater. <br />I assume this would go to the rectifier you describe(if I have a problem w/ grey wire and have to re-wire---if rectifier is good)<br /> Does this engine have a alt. to charge the battery during operation?<br /> Thanks again!!!!!

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: 125 evinrude

Racohoon.... The engine does have an alternator. It is the various coil windings that you can see under the flywheel.

 

[racohoon]

Re: 125 evinrude

Yeah,silly me!!!!!!! After asking the question,I saw the biginning of your 2nd paragraph "charging system"!!! WHO KNEW!!?? Thanks again Joe!

 

[racohoon]

Re: 125 evinrude

I just checked my spark plugs,and the gap is all over the place. The sticker above carbs says use Champ.#L77V, it has Champ.#L77JC4 in it. <br /> Can I use this plug;and what should the gap be?<br />This 77jc4 looks like an automotive plug,not a marine plug! <br /> Should I be using this section or starting another new posting? This is the first time I ever used a forum or chat room,so please excuse my ignorance

 

[racohoon]

Re: 125 evinrude

TO Cap'n Joe--<br /> I grounded sensor and buzzer went off, . Iam going to hook up the new tach set @6 pulses and see if it works,if not I'll be doing the testing you prescribed for me.I'll keep you informed!Thanks again.

 

[DJ]

Re: 125 evinrude

Racohoon,<br /><br />Those plugs are fine. The L77V was (I believe) a "surface gap" plug. The L77JC4 is a replacement. The important part is the "77" which denotes heat range.

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: 125 evinrude

Racohoon..... I'm in full agreement with Djohns pertaining to the spark plugs. The L77V plugs, although the 77 does designate a heat range, I have always had the opinion that "all" surface gap s/plugs run rather cold... and foul quite easily.<br /><br />The L77JC4 is a marine s/plug which does have a true heat range of 77 and is less likely to foul. On your engine, due to the nature of the ignition design (rotor, dist cap) set the gap to .030 .

 

[racohoon]

Re: 125 evinrude

I gapped all 4 plugs to .030. Cap'n Joe-- you refer to this model as having a dist.cap&rotor. I don't have one that I have found;at least not like an automotive dist(like what was on my Merc)<br />I have a weird shape black box under the flywheel with the 4 plug wires coming out to the plugs. I thought it was a DIS or CDI system,or is this the dist.? If so how do you replace cap and rotor?(Obviously have to remove the flywheel) Also where is this rectifier you described located?<br />Does any of this change the info you gave me on the tach before?<br /> I pulled a black cover off the rear of the motor;that covers a bunch of wires on some kind of connecting strip w/ screws. On the cover the #4 screw(4th from left as you look @ back of motor)labeled yellow/grey & grey tach wire. I see the yel/gry wire but no grey wire. The yel/gry wire comes from the screw to the wiring coming into the motor from the control box. I assume it goes to the controlbox and comes out of the control box as grey wire to the tach. <br /> I am installing the new tach 6/13 in the a.m. <br />Ialso noticed another screw labeled "to motorola amplifier only" that has no wire attached.I don't know if that is informative to you or not??<br /> I noticed in the Champion plug book this motor was only listed in 1971-1972; from 1973-1979 Evinrude only produced the 115 hp. No 125's.What's the deal w/ that? Why would they produce 125hp for 2 years trhen step back to a 115 hp. Is there something about this particular motor I should be aware of? <br /> This thing seems to run great,couldn't ask for a better starting motor.It barely needs to be choked when doing an initial cold start.I have been very impressed w/ this motor so far. Thanks much--- I need to go to bed now!! I have to be up in e few hours!!

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: 125 evinrude

Rcohoon.... That box, as you called it, under the flywheel is the distributor cap etc.<br /><br />The yellow/gray wire that you see leading from the stator to the terminal board would be the wire that the gray wire would attach to. It might have a metal jumper adjoining that terminal to the next terminal.<br /><br />There should be another yellow/gray wire connected to that stator wire that would lead to the rectifier. The rectifier has a round barrel like appearance that is about 1" tall, and it has a triangular like base which would be attached to the engine with two (2) screws/bolts. The screws/bolts may be of different sizes.<br /><br />Your ignition is a CDI system and the powerpack is the black box attached to the back of the engine, just below that terminal board. It was just the first of many systems, and this one incorporated a dist cap, rotor, etc.

 

[racohoon]

Re: 125 evinrude

Got it! The rectifier is just under the #4 terminal, looks kind of like a floor mounted dimmer switch.There is another yel/gry wire @#4 terminal that goes to it. Thanks again

 

[djandjas]

Re: 125 evinrude

Joe : Thank you very much for this info and thanks racohoon for asking <br /><br />I checked my warning horn and it works I am a little suspect of the amount of charge going to the battery and will check it today with a multimeter. <br /><br />These motors seem to be great. If anyone has any info at all about them then I would like to hear from you. <br /><br />Cheers<br />Jas<br />jas@everythinglan.com

 

[rudeafrican]

Re: 125 evinrude

That's the beauty of this board, it's a mine of information. From being quoted 800 bucks to service/tune-up my 2 'rudes 3 months ago, I've learnt enough on this board to be able to do it myself and be confident that I'm doing it right. My babies are purring...<br /><br />Thanks to all you knowledgable guys out there...