1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

[teewhy]

Hello, and thanks in advance for those who can offer me their time, knowledge, and assistance.<br /><br />I've recently decided to 'tune up' a 1954 Johnson 25 hp (RD-16) to put on the back of my 1952 Peterborough Cedarstrip. I'll admit that I know more about boat restoration than I do motors, but, I'm taking an active interest in getting to know all I can about this motor and how she works. I've purchased an owner's manual and a parts list but have some general questions. The motor has been sitting for years, so, I'd like to know what y'all recommend I do to get her running properly. <br /><br />I tried firing her up in a test tank (to get an idea of what I'm dealing with), and she started rather easily, pumped water just fine, but, she idled very rough and misfired on occasion causing her to knock off (I used a 25:1 mix with 93 octane). Should I immediately clean/rebuild the carbs? Is this something the amateur can do? Should I install new points and condensors even though she started relatively easily? The plugs were somewhat wet, but, looked like they were covered more in oil than just being wet from fuel. Is the mixture too lean? (I thought 25:1 was recommened for this particular motor.) <br /><br />After she ran in the test tank, I tilted her up and saw that oil/water mixture was coming out of a very small hole on the right side of the leg just above the cav plate. I do not know what this hole is and can't find it in any of my literature. Any help? How can I tell if I need to replace the lower unit seals?<br /><br />Thanks again!

 

[JB]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

Hi, TeeWhy.<br /><br />Your engine should use 24:1 mix. 87 octane and TCW-3 oil.<br /><br />Sounds like you may have some carb issues with your rough idle, but I think it is more likely to be ignition. Replacing the points and condensers is quite inexpensive and seems worthwhile here.<br /><br />Some of the older manuals will tell you to gap the plugs at .040. More recently OMC told us to gap them at .030.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[steelespike]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

Sound like a great combo.These motors run a little dirty compared to newer technology and a little piggish on gas.<br />If it has been sitting around alot I would go through the fuel system from tank to carb clean,<br />check and repair with special attention to cleaning.Read up on the adjustment of the high and low speed mixture screws.The little hole is simply a drain to let the water out.<br /> Parts are still available at E/J dealers<br />or NAPA auto parts.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

Cool. I am buying one of these tomorrow. Do you have any pics of yours?

I can't recall if the fins go forward or backward on that particular year. I guess I'll see tomorrow.

If you have any good tips on anything, or if I find anything, let me know and I'll let you know.

I think if you run it for an hour or so, then it'll clear up a bit and run better. Sometimes, it takes a little while for fresh gas to clean out the antique oil stuck inside the walls of the carb.

Leon

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

Fresh gas won't clean the carb. As said before, check/clean the fuel system: fuel lines, filter and carb. Read the Engine FAQ forum for instructions on how to Awaken a Sleeping Outboard. Then proceed to check/replace the coils/points/condensors if necessary. If the carb condition is unknown, consider pulling and cleaning the carbs...the FAQ forum also contains instructions for setting carbs with two jets/needles like yours. Check and replace the lower unit lube and the impeller, too, just to be safe. You can get it running with baseline carb settings in a test tank, but you'll need to tweak the high and low speed jet/needle settings on the boat in the water...with the motor under load. Once you find the sweet spot/adjustment for each jet/needle, tighten down the lock nuts and you should be good to go. Learn to pull start it without pulling the rope all the way out...that frays/strains the rope and shortens its life. Properly tuned it should turn/fire over after 3 to 4 pulls cold, and with barely one tug when warmed up...after its been running awhile. I'm glad for the electric start on my 57 E-rude BigTwin 35 hp...shoulder surgery and pull ropes don't mix at my age, not on motors with that much compression.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

If I were you, I'd take the flywheel off and clean and regap the points to .020 inches. If it cranked fairly easily, you can almost bet your coils are good, but, you need to check them for cracks anyway. If they're not really nice looking, I'd replace them even though they work good. As to the carburetor: I'd take it apart and clean it really good and check your float to make sure the varnish isn't all flaky and such. If it is, you need to either clean it and redope it, or get a new one. Your idle is bad because the low speed circuit is either dirty or not adjusted properly. Try getting it running and turning the slow speed adjustment knob in 1/8 of a turn increments counterclockwise until it stops the coughing and smooths out (richens the mixture). If that doesn't fix the problem the carb needs cleaning. If you tighten it clockwise you will lean the mixture out. When you lean it out too much it will sneeze and cough like it's doing. You also need to check your lower unit oil to see if it's leaking water in. If so, you'll need to do a reseal job on it. Not that hard on the RD-16. Here's a pic of my RD-15 with '51 decals on it because I liked them better and a link to a short 50 second video of it running last week. I like mine.....but to be honest, I think the '55 is a lot better motor. The '55 models and up have a rubber seal and belly pan making the motor quieter, and vibration dampening to make it smoother. A smoother carb., too, I believe. However, I'm not lucky enough to have one. Is yours electric start?

Movie link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U1PzSL41HE

 

[samo_ott]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

Hey. I got that same engine this summer (RDE-16). It's loud n stinky but runs well But mine is electric start.

Do the carb. Check your coils. There is a inspection hole in your flywheel. Take off the pull starter and you can look in and see the ignition. My coils were fried. I have attached a photo of mine when I opened her up. Unfortunately the guy before me painted it black as I think he wanted a merc!

One thing I hate is taking off those 10 screws or so to take the cowling off... WHAT A PAIN!!!

Oh, and mine had a stripped plug hole so I pulled the head off my seized '61 Viking 25hp as it was the same 35.7 cubic inch engine and used the same head gasket and it worked great!

And I have not done my carb yet but need to as it leaks gas when it's tilted up. I bought the kit and will get it done in the spring probably.

 

[asdasc]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

Have I got a gift for you! How would you like another Peterborough ceder strip? It is a bit of a project to say the least, and I haven't got the time for it. Free to a good home. Most of my friends think I should just burn it.

They may be right....

 

[samo_ott]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

I think you're friends are right!

 

[TN-25]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

Have I got a gift for you! How would you like another Peterborough ceder strip? It is a bit of a project to say the least, and I haven't got the time for it. Free to a good home. Most of my friends think I should just burn it.

They may be right....

Did you ever see the boat that Papillon (played by Steve McQueen) used to escape from prison? He put one foot in the boat and it went clean through.

I know, that's harsh

When I was younger in the mid 1970s I sometimes went to summer camp up in the Haliburton Highlands in northern Ontario. The camp had a beautiful wooden Thompson boat that I was told was from the 1930s. It was powered by a clean 1960 Johnson 18. I was crushed when I heard the boat was scrapped due to dry rot

Leon (1946Zephyr) asked about the fins on the 1954 Johnson 25. Attached is a picture of the 25s from the beginning in 1951 through 1955. The '51 is bottom left and then clockwise from there it ends on the right with the '55.
Despite the different colours shown, there were only actually 2 different greens used. I think the '51 used the old Sea Green, then the '52 and later motors used a darker Seahorse Green.

(Boy, talk about reviving a 6 year old thread!)

 

[samo_ott]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

Ahhhhh... What the heck 1946Zephyr, this thread is 6 years old! Sigh...

 

[samo_ott]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

I like the look of the '55, plus it's got the bottom pan... and the clamshell... Thank gawd for the clamshell... Taking the hood off the '54 SUCKS... with like 10 screws or whatever... It makes me never want to take it off until it seizes! At least you can access the plugs at the back though...

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

Well it's worth resurrecting an old thread when someone can add sweet pix like those from that Johnson brochure. I like all the old iron, but have to lean toward the Johnson designs from 55 to 59...tasty looking, and easy access...not like E-rudes of the same era. Man, I despise the side-opening clamshell design on my 57 BigTwin. Great mechanics but a real pain to open up out on the water.

 

[samo_ott]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

I'll give you the good looking' '55-'58 Johnson's, especially the '58's... But the '59's? They are all butt ugly fibreglass! Ugh.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

jbjennings. Nice job on the motors.

tmcalavy makes a good point. reviving old threads brought out some awesome pictures I might say, there were some folks here willing to share. About the carb issue, you're most likely right on that. There are times when you do have to tear everything down and thoroughly clean them. I have some carb cleaner to dip my parts in, so they'll come out like they just came out of the assembly line. Sometimes though, a good hour of run time can flush that crap through, if it was drained out before being stored. It all depends on the guy who last ran it. It's best to try the simple stuff first and go more into it if necessary. I have actually "Awakened many
sleeping outboards" that others thought were only fit for the scrap yard. It's been a favorite past time of mine and done it for years.

So, I guess it was in 1955 when the fins went back. It's been so long since I seen one that year, I forgot.

I recently had a '57 Javelin that I was going to restore, but it was pretty beat up, so I decided to sell it. So a guy I know at a Napa dealor had offered to sell me his '54. It's been in storage, so there's a pretty good bet it's in better shape. I figured what the heck. I would dig up a thread here that some of you would chime in on.

So thanks for all the pics guys. I'll post some of mine, when I bring it on home. Well, I better go and get 'er now, so check ya all later.

Leon

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

Well, the old beast is here. It doesn't look to bad actually. Unfortunately, the tiller handle is missing, but everything else is there. I figure once I get fuel mix inside and get everything lubed up, I'll be able to do a compression test.

 

[56 rude]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

Well, the old beast is here. It doesn't look to bad actually. Unfortunately, the tiller handle is missing, but everything else is there. I figure once I get fuel mix inside and get everything lubed up, I'll be able to do a compression test.

Hey!Your motors been at the same paintshop as my 54 evinrude,lol!

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

hahahahhahaha. good one. Well actually the paint is original, but it does look like death. I actually got this bugger to fire already, so I think she'll run fine one I get a tank hooked to it. I'm going to do a fuel pump conversion on it, so I can use my single line tank. The compression feels really good hard, so I'm betting that internally it's in great shape. I pulled the plugs and sloshed a bunch of gas into the carb and spun it over a bunch of times. That got everything all lubed up inside and spinning free again. Once I put the plugs back in it, she fired right up.

I think this motor will be a good one. I may just strip it all down and repaint it with the factory color. I'll go through the lower end and replace all the seals and water pump assembly. While I have it stripped down, I'll be able to further check the condition of the coils and stuff. I see newer spark plug leads in it, so I'm willing to bet that the coils were replaced at one time.

Leon

Update: I went out and pulled the starter rope assembly and looked in through the hole in the flywheel. Number one coil looks good, but number two is cracked real bad, so this baby will be getting a new set of coils when I fix it up.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

Leon, that brings back memories of mine! It didn't have the tiller handle, either! Mine was a '53 model. I was so pleased when a fellow aomci member came through with a tiller handle in great shape for a great price. They're outrageously high on ebay and rare now as well.
Good luck finding yours. I'll keep an eye out for one and send you a pm if I see one.
Since we're posting pics of our newest ugly motors, here's a pic of my newest addition I got the day before yesterday. My son and I are going to test it in just a minute on the lake. It's a 15hp superfastwin and boy is it ugly. It's a frankenstein monster right now and has a green qd-14 lower unit on it now, but the lower unit holds gear good and doesn't leak a drop! Cranks easy. I just need to get a new float and clean the carb a little better because it seems to be getting a little trash in the slow speed circuit. When I test it out and all is well, I'll fix that carb right. It has great compression (110lbs. on both cylinders) so I expect it will be a nice motor when I finish. I don't like frankenstein much so I'll have to paint it.
later,
JBJ

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1954 Johnson 25 HP Restoration

Yea JBJ, those are excellent motors. I had one of those once. That is the first year with the roto-grip tiller handle and johnson released the QD model with it in the same year too. I appreciate your help looking out for a tiller handle. I do also need the little tiny access cover, where you unhook the shift linkage, but that isn't too awful important just yet. I'll be on the look out for an engine cowl, because it appears mine was damaged slightly, by the rear access cover. I can clean it up and restore it, but a replacement, would be a bit easier.

Leon