1958 Evinrude 35 Lark Questions.

[duncndonut]

Hey Guys!

I recently bought a 1957 Barbour Vacationer w/ a 1958 Evinrude 35 Lark on it. We took the boat out for a Saturday Cruise and I noticed a little quirk. The needles liked to move on their own, when I got home I tightened the packing on them and they seem fine now. The motor seems to be running good and strong when the needles are correctly positioned. My real question here is, would you take her in to be tuned up, or do you think since the needles are nice and snug she'll be good to go? Any thoughts or suggestions would be good, since I'm not terribly familiar with outboards, but I am familiar with other motors I am not adverse to doing some work myself.

Thanks!

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1958 Evinrude 35 Lark Questions.

Those old '58 Larks are great motors. I happen to own a nice one myself. Those packings just needed a little bit of tightening up, just like you did. New packings come with a new carb kit, should you ever decide to re-kit it. From what it sounds, you got it dialed in pretty good. How long has it been sinse the water pump impeller was replaced? It's good to do those every 2 - 3 years. How do the coils look? You can get a visual on those coils, by removing the hand starter assembly and the little inspection cover on top of the flywheel. Turn the flywheel clockwise only, when you inspect.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1958 Evinrude 35 Lark Questions.

+1. Great old "Big Twin" motor. Here's a great link to show you how to do a tune up from top to bottom. You can get any routine parts right here at iboats too. Holler if you get stuck.

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/04/s/columns/max/24/index.cfm

http://www.marineengine.com/parts/v...evinrude-johnson/ITEM_2925/ITEM_292500001.htm

 

[lindy46]

Re: 1958 Evinrude 35 Lark Questions.

Every Spring, I figure I ought to clean/rebuild the carb on my 1957 Lark, but she always starts right up and purrs like a kitten. So I've never even pulled it or done anything with it in over 5 years I've had it. She trolls down to 2mph and will run that way all day. I figure, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Great old engines.

 

[duncndonut]

Re: 1958 Evinrude 35 Lark Questions.

zephyr, I am not sure about the water pump/impeller, but I can tell you that there is a heavy stream that flows from the tell-tale, at idle and at speed. I'll definitely order one though, and replace it soon. I checked out the coils last night, they look clean and relatively new, does the ignition coil get replaced often on these guys? Should I stock one?

KFA, those links are great, I have the "shop manual" for the motor so between those two resources I feel pretty confident about gettin' my hands greasy. Thanks for letting me know about iboats parts too, I'm a newbie here and probably would have searched for days to find parts. Kudos!

Lindy, That was kinda my thought... she trolls great and wide open there's no signs of strain. I might run it for a while and see if there are any changes, I feel like if someone gets in there and starts messin' about they might stir up something that wouldn't have been an issue to begin with, ya'know?

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1958 Evinrude 35 Lark Questions.

If the coils have been replaced, you should be good for your lifetime. The old ones had a guaranteed failure rate.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1958 Evinrude 35 Lark Questions.

Yep, exactly. The newer coils are made with better insulation and have a lower failure rate, than the factory ones. The coating on the factory ones were prone to drying up and shrinking, then finally cracking and once that happens, the coils leak out.

If you see the motor is pumping a nice stream, them keep a new impeller on hand, for when the stream gets weaker. Make sure to never run that motor without a thermostat too.

 

[Bigkat650]

Re: 1958 Evinrude 35 Lark Questions.

I just picked up a '57 Lark myself, and it seems to be bullet proof! I did change the impeller and also have a spare just in case. The carb was really clean on mine, but I did go through it and replace a few valves. From what I have gathered on here and a couple other sources, when you get a new-to-you old outboard, as a general rule you always want to replace the impeller and the lower gear lube. It is also a good idea to check to make sure the plugs are in good condition, and in the case of these old big twins--check the coils. Once you do that, these motors will last ages with just minimal upkeep.

Yep, exactly. The newer coils are made with better insulation and have a lower failure rate, than the factory ones. The coating on the factory ones were prone to drying up and shrinking, then finally cracking and once that happens, the coils leak out.

If you see the motor is pumping a nice stream, them keep a new impeller on hand, for when the stream gets weaker. Make sure to never run that motor without a thermostat too.

Not to hijack the thread, but I had never heard this before, and since Zephyr you've owned more classic Johnyrudes then anyone else I know of, I gotta kinda think of you as an authority on these old things. I assume if a '58 needs a thermostat, I should run one as well? If so, how do you install such a thing? I assume it has to attach to the block somehow... I know it would really give me some piece of mind having one, thats for sure!

 

[lindy46]

Re: 1958 Evinrude 35 Lark Questions.

I just picked up a '57 Lark myself, and it seems to be bullet proof! I did change the impeller and also have a spare just in case. The carb was really clean on mine, but I did go through it and replace a few valves. From what I have gathered on here and a couple other sources, when you get a new-to-you old outboard, as a general rule you always want to replace the impeller and the lower gear lube. It is also a good idea to check to make sure the plugs are in good condition, and in the case of these old big twins--check the coils. Once you do that, these motors will last ages with just minimal upkeep.



Not to hijack the thread, but I had never heard this before, and since Zephyr you've owned more classic Johnyrudes then anyone else I know of, I gotta kinda think of you as an authority on these old things. I assume if a '58 needs a thermostat, I should run one as well? If so, how do you install such a thing? I assume it has to attach to the block somehow... I know it would really give me some piece of mind having one, thats for sure!

A 1957 Lark doesn't have a thermostat - '58 was the first year.

 

[duncndonut]

Re: 1958 Evinrude 35 Lark Questions.

That is totally OK Big Kat, I kinda have the same question. Where is the thermostat? I can't find replacement thermostats on iboats for the '58, any other sources/does the '59 thermostat fit the '58?

I checked the compression last night and both cylinders are just above 120 psi, I swapped the plugs even though they looked pretty good (I'll just keep 'em around). All-in-all I am thinking I got a pretty sweet deal on this thing! Here's a pic of the boat/motor!

 

[Bigkat650]

Re: 1958 Evinrude 35 Lark Questions.

A 1957 Lark doesn't have a thermostat - '58 was the first year.

Well thats a shame... I thought it was a bolt on accessory! :facepalm: hehe

That is totally OK Big Kat, I kinda have the same question. Where is the thermostat? I can't find replacement thermostats on iboats for the '58, any other sources/does the '59 thermostat fit the '58?

I checked the compression last night and both cylinders are just above 120 psi, I swapped the plugs even though they looked pretty good (I'll just keep 'em around). All-in-all I am thinking I got a pretty sweet deal on this thing! Here's a pic of the boat/motor!

View attachment 152080

With PSI just over 120 in each cylinder, your in good shape. I would check your coils next--you can pull the fly wheel or you may be able to look through the openings in the top of the fly wheel to see the coils. If they look old (cracked/weathered), they need to be replaced.

BTW, SWEET looking ride!!!

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1958 Evinrude 35 Lark Questions.

Zephyr meant to not REMOVE the tstat, as some guys do thinking they are doing the right thing. Terrible idea. Pump wont work acutally with the t stat and valve removed on these particular motors under certain conditions.

The tstat and assembly is accessed by removing the cover on the top of the head, quite easy to do actually.

Gasket part #305196
TStat part #377612
Spring part #305199
Valve part # 305197
Lower gasket part #305198

The housing is 3905266, but you should not need that hopefully, it is not a consumable item.

 

[duncndonut]

Re: 1958 Evinrude 35 Lark Questions.

Thanks for the part list! I found it last night after sifting through my manual, It looks like it hasn't been touched in years... and I don't intend to disturb it at this point (unless there's an issue).

One thing I do notice is that from the stop switch on the side of the block to the little "mercury vials" near the throttle linkage the wires have been cut and the little "vials" bypassed. The guy I bought it from said that they leaked and would keep killing the motor so he just bypassed them, is this OK? Can I get replacements?

Thanks everyone, it's great to find such an active and knowledgable community!

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1958 Evinrude 35 Lark Questions.

It could be dangerous bypassing them. I use to have quite a stockpile of them but no longer have spares. Post a wanted ad at aomci.org in the webvertize section or call the salvage yards in the FAQS

 

[duncndonut]

Re: 1958 Evinrude 35 Lark Questions.

Hey Guys!

I just bought a new prop for my 1958 evinrude 35 lark, I put it on and noticed that the hub doesn't make contact to the washer around the shaft on the backside of the prop when the pin is inserted. Is this normal/ok? Let me know... thanks!