1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

[homer25]

I am trying to replace the recoil spring on my 1961 5.5hp Johnson Seahorse and can't quite figure it out. Any out there with any pointers?

 

[homer25]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

My main problem is getting the inner eye onto the pin after i get the the spring coiled.

 

[raczekp1]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

hi.i'm not sure if its the same recoil starter as mentioned here:http://www.crowleymarine.com/johnson-evinrude/parts/32296.cfm
if its the same, so use large screwdriver and turn screwdriver counterclockwise, turn 14 times screwdriver and use sharp icepick lub sharp nail to alighn hole to put pin threw

 

[homer25]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

Thanks Rac but that wasn't it.

 

[steelespike]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

Unfortunately Its been many years since I did a spring.But I don't recall any serious problems.As best I remember you place the spring in position then wind it. Secure the pulley with a clamp and insert the rope.Then let the spring tension coil the rope.
It may take a few tries to get the right number of turns.The 61 5.5 uses a 5/32 70 inch rope. Sorry I can't be more specific.

 

[F_R]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

1. Remove the rope from the pulley if you haven't already.

2. OK, you got the spring coiled up inside the housing, right? Next step is take a pair of pliers and bend the inner few inches of the spring into a tighter curve, so the eyelet more or less is where the pin will slip in. Then grease the spring well. Then carefully lower the pulley down so the pin goes in the eyelet.

3. Grease the spindle before inserting it into the pulley. Install retaining screw. Install the plastic pawl and springs now or later. Later is easier (gets them out of the way for now).

4. Now, see that hole, about 1/8" in diameter in the pulley? Find something like a nail or whatever that will fit into the hole. OK, you are ready to wind it up. Hold the starter down with the pulley up and wind it counterclockwise. It is a two-handed job, holding it down, winding it up, and keeping it from unwinding. DO NOT let it get loose and go flying back, or it will ruin the spring. Once it is wound up as far as it will go, carefully let it unwind one turn, and then stick that nail in the hole and let it back off some more till the nail stops it. You now have the spring wound up to the proper tension, and prevented from unwinding. Relax and take your time doing the rest.

5. Install the rope through the hole in the pulley and out through the opening in the housing. Note there is a pin in the pulley, near the rope hole. The rope has to go behind that pin (toward the center of the pulley).

6. Now that you have the rope fed through and out the opening, install the handle. Hang onto the handle and remove the nail and let it slowly rewind.

7. There, now wasn't that easy?

 

[homer25]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

Thanks! Got it

 

[Common]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

Hey guys/gals, first time posting to the forum! Nice to be here. I have a similar question. I have the spring wound tight, rewound the pull rope. Now, when I pull, it recoils almost correctly, not entirely as quickly as it had, but I think I bent the coil a little bit when I stupidly took it apart. So I re-installed the pull start, but the pawl doesn't catch where it should - it probably gets to almost all the way out before it catches, which obviously isn't enough to get a proper start without wrapping the rope around my hand and killing myself. The upon recoil, it does the rewind, but still not a proper catch. Am I mis-aligning the starter pulley mechanism or could I have the flywheel on improperly. The key is fine and in place and the flywheel cover goes over the key the correct way, i think. When I do get her started, I hear the pawl clacking against the flywheel when it spins. So it sounds like I did many things wrong here. I have rebuilt regular motors (car, lawnmower, weed wackers) before, but never a boat motor, so this is new to me. BTW, I have a '63 5.5 Johnson.

 

[F_R]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

Take the recoil off and turn it upside down and watch what is going on. Hard to say from here. There must be a problem with the friction spring that makes the pawl kick out. Maybe also a second problem. Whatever, it is a simple device and should e obvious.

 

[Common]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

Thanks F_R. I was looking at the schematic and I could have the friction spring upside down. That could be it.

 

[samo_ott]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

And as for having too much slack int he rope, look at the pulley. There's an alignment arrow and on the housing a mark that says J/E or something close to that. The arrow must point here when wound up. This sets the timing so that the pawl engages right away when you pull it.

 

[Common]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

I think that's part of the problem too! It's about a half turn off and it was like that when I picked up the motor (got it from craigslist for $75 locally). How can I adjust that? When I rewound the coil (huge pita) I wound it as tightly as I could; are there a certain number of revolutions I should make our a mark when wound I should hit? I've read anywhere from "as tight as possible", to "5 1/2" turns, to "15" turns. Thanks for the help guys!

 

[samo_ott]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

No, not as tight as possible. The rope needs to be the recommended length and then you wind it up and align the arrow underneath. Look and you will see it.

 

[lindy46]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

Coil the rope on the pulley to see how many coils of rope you have. For example, if you have approximately 4 coils of rope, then tighten the spring 5 revolutions.

 

[Common]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

Guys, you have been phenomenal! As luck has it, I just found a LOCAL marine shop that actually sells parts for my '63, so I went and picked up a new pawl, coil and friction spring (and a gasket for my fuel filter assy). So this is a good time to get in there and get my hands dirty. The first time I reassembled the coil et al, my hands we literally black from the grease, so lesson learned, use gloves. I'll let you know how it goes!

Thanks again!

 

[Common]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

Hey Fellas. I put in a new coil, finally got the pawl aligned, etc., per my last post. Everything starts ok - first or second pull with full choke, and a few squeezes of the tank primer. Then after a minute, the engine dies. I'm guessing it's because the fuel pump isn't working and the engine was just running from what I manually pumped into the carb. Is there anyway to test if the pump works?

 

[BigB9000]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

Will you do me a HUGE favor?

I need pictures of your 5.5

the power head, a few shots of the sides of the carb, the hood, and the body of the thing.

Im working on a new 5.5 project and could really use the pictures.
if you feel like doing this, please send to brandonco2@yahoo.com

 

[BigB9000]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

Is there anyway to test if the pump works?

after it dies, does the primer bulb stay hard?

 

[samo_ott]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

Hey Fellas. I put in a new coil, finally got the pawl aligned, etc., per my last post. Everything starts ok - first or second pull with full choke, and a few squeezes of the tank primer. Then after a minute, the engine dies. I'm guessing it's because the fuel pump isn't working and the engine was just running from what I manually pumped into the carb. Is there anyway to test if the pump works?

Yes. Just before it stalls out, pump the bulb. If this keeps it running then it is your fuel pump as you are replacing it by manually pumping the gas.

 

[Common]

Re: 1961 Johnson Seahorse recoil spring

after it dies, does the primer bulb stay hard?

I'm not sure what you mean by "hard". It doesn't suck in, meaning I can still squeeze it and push gas in through the fuel filter chamber.

I'll send you whatever pics I have right now and can send you more this weekend. I'm not taking apart the flywheel, et al to get pics of the powerhead, though. I feel like if I touch it again, it won't work when I put it back together. But I can send you closeups of everything I can.

Thanks for the tip, samo