1960's sea king 40 hp flywheel magnet(s)?

[natecollins]

I have a sea king 40 hp outboard. I do not see any serial number, but I believe it is a 60's model. I am having some trouble getting a good spark to the end of the spark plug wires. I changed the coils, and condensors. I also set the points. I went to check the magnets using a screw driver. One seems to have good magnetism and the other has none. Is there two magnets in all of these models or is one of these a counter weight? If they are both magnets, can you tell me a good place to get a new/used flywheel?<br /><br />Thanks,<br />Nate

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: 1960's sea king 40 hp flywheel magnet(s)?

Welcome to iboats. <br /><br />Those flywheels are very common and on Johnsons and Evinrudes. Finding a good used one should be little trouble. But you may not need to. There is only the one magnet. You can see the laminations. The other side is just aluminum counterweight.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: 1960's sea king 40 hp flywheel magnet(s)?

Look for a model number on the tilt bracket just between and above the two transom clamps. I belive Gale put the model number there too.<br />As WillyBWright said, magnets on these later outboards rarely posed any sort of problems. If you've got weak spark there's a few things you should check. First, the coils must be carefully aligned with the machined bosses they sit on for a good spark. Basically, the closer the coils are to the magnet the better the spark. Second, if the armature plate on which the coils and points sit is wobbly at all, it might not be holding the .020" adjustment properly. There's a simple fix if that's the case. Third, clean the points face carefully with alcohol or acetone to remove any trace of contamination. Fourth, sometimes the woodruff key that aligns the flywheel with the crankshaft gets half-sheared. Examine it closely (remove it from the crankshaft) and make sure this is not the case.<br />Last, if the underside of the flywheel is covered in oil, you may have to change the upper crankshaft seal. The oil contamination quickly fouls the points.<br />Hope this gets you started!

 

[CATransplant]

Re: 1960's sea king 40 hp flywheel magnet(s)?

One more note on the points. After cleaning them with alcohol or acetone, I suggest that you take a piece of heavy paper that is absorbent, open the closed points, insert the paper, then let the points close and pull the paper out. I use business card stock for this job.<br /><br />It's an old trick my dad taught me, and it is the final step in dealing with points.<br /><br />Paul's advice is excellent. Sheared crankshaft keys are a common reason for lack of spark. But, if you've had the flywheel off to replace the points and coils, you've already seen the key.