1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

[dstroud1987]

I just thought i would make this thread and thank the people that helped with the many question I asked about my motor. I tried calling around and visiting almost every marine shop in my area and every single on of them told my my motor was too old or that i should even waste my time figuring out why it wasnt running great.. one guy even told me the best thing to do would be take it off the boat, tie a rope to it and use it as a anchor lol

So i posted a video on here of how it was running and i got a lot of good advise and answers to all my questions.. and decided i would go ahead and check everything over insteading of scrapping the motor and looking for a new one.. so my friend came over and after replacing the plug wires and giving the carb a damn good clean.. and fixing some issues it had and then worked out some timing issues.. and now she runs better than i ever thought it would when i bought it in the winter.
I figured i would post the video i took on the first test run.. it gets up to 42km and does a steady 38 or 39 at full throttle.. faster than i thought it would go for such and old boat and motor.
Once again I have to stay thankyou to everyone who helped me with it.. not to mention all the people that helped in the winter time when i was re doing the floors and fixing it up.. I dont think i would have done any of it if it werent for iboats.. Thanks again!

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

Sweet, great to hear feedback!

Enjoy the water

 

[yorab]

Re: 1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

Ahhh, great feeling, eh?

Boat anchor my a**. Glad you got it working.

Can you post a pic or two of your steering connection at your motor?

 

[dstroud1987]

Re: 1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

its a very good feeling lol

I dont have any pics handy, but I'll definitely take some good ones for you tomorrow and post them up.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

Well, personally, I think those old Big Twin class motors are the best built and the new stuff won't even hold a candle to these classics. Too damned much plastis and expensive electronics on them.
Motors like yours are about 50 years old now and a vast majority of them have suffered decades of neglect and abuse. Funny thing is, after a good tune up and fresh gas, they come back to life willingly. Boat anchor? Tell that bum to bite your tongue. I currently own 4 of these motors, from 1957, '58, '59 and '64. I sold off two others this year (1961 and 1962) and they were good runners. You can buy boat loads of these things each and every week, for practically nothing. If you spend about $150 - $200 and thoroughly tune it up, you won't have to do anything to it, for a couple more decades, other than change the oil in the gearcase and and adjust the points. It's so funny how people think that you should throw away an engine rather than just tuning it up. HAH!!

 

[F_R]

Re: 1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

There is a somewhat valid reason that shops won't touch them. Most people don't want to pay the bill. The shop spends three or four hours working on it at $100/hr, plus a couple hundred for parts to get it running and a water pump, then find out during the test run that the clutch dog and forward gear are shot. The customer tells him where to stick it and he's out the $$$$$, and the ungrateful customer goes all over town saying what a bum the mechanic is.

If you are going to have an old motor, you better learn how to fix it yourself.

 

[Blacksting]

Re: 1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

great vid . it just gave me a shot of inspiration to get my '66 done . ,....btw, i think your girlfriend did a clever job letting the competition know you're taken . nice chunk of ICE on her finger .

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

Yep, that is a great point Frank. It is so much cheaper to fix your own oldies, than having the shops do it. Three hours labor alone, will surpass the value of the entire motor. $100 an hour though. Sheesh. That's half as much as my attorney charges for services.

I find it is a lot more fun tinkering with these old motors, than having someone else do it, anyhow, but that's only because I have a bit of an addiction for these things.

 

[dstroud1987]

Re: 1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

I agree with that 100% all i wanted the shop to do was let me know what they thought might be causing it to run bad.. I have absolutely zero experience with any kind of motors, but I was excited about getting this old one to learn how to start fixing them myself.. I was just surprised that they wouldnt even give me a diagnosis on her.. or even look at it for that matter. I have no bitter feelings towards those mechanics.. one guy even told me almost the exact same story you were talking about.. he said last year he did 2 of them and both broke down a week or 2 later and the customers blamed it on him and tried to get their money back.. so i defintely get that they have their reasons and its understandable that he didnt want to touch it.. but that doesnt change my excitement or pride i have getting this old gal to run like she does lol

and just f.y.i. blacksting.. that ring was an anniversary gift.. we are NOT married lol shes going to love this comment when she checks out this thread later im sure.. uh oh...

 

[dstroud1987]

Re: 1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

hey yorab, i ended up taking some photos of the steering setup at the motor for you today..

not sure if thats exactly what you wanted me to take a pic of.. let me know if you want a pic of something specific and I'll see what i can do for you.. hope they help!

 

[kodibass]

Re: 1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

In my neck of the woods, there is starting to be a bit of an attitude change on repairing some of the older stuff, mostly 9.9 & 15's but other smaller Omc's as well, They are getting harder to find and for what they can do . throw on the back of a ATV, in a bush plane, bow of a skiff etc. folks seem to be willing to spend the dollars to get'em fixed, I have sold six 15-hp & 9.9 this boating season all were in fair shape I had no problem selling them for 800-1200 each.

 

[dstroud1987]

Re: 1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

I think its just the fact that these days no one has the extra cash to drop on a newer motor.. and these old ones seem ideal to work on from your home garage.. even for people like me that started with literally zero experience with any kind of motor can spend a little bit of time and energy to rebuild them or give them a tune up, and they run almost like they did when they were new.

I am now in the process of buying a bunch of old outboards from the 60's and tearing them apart to try and bring them back to life.. I am actually starting to find that to be a seperate hobby all in itself.. something i never thought i would like until buying an old motor and getting it ready for the water.. feels good when you think that your motor is 50 years old but still runs like a champ.. I hope I am in as good as shape as my outboard is when i turn 50 lol

 

[kodibass]

Re: 1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

Yep it is addictive, I have many. I just picked up a 1960 johnson 40 super quiet and had High hopes for it, but upon further inspection I found a hole in the block behind the fuel pump, ouch...

 

[jimmbo]

Re: 1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

I see why you keep calling it a 1962 40hp. The front half of the lower engine cover and transom bracket, where the Model # is located, is 1962 with a partial repaint. The powerhead and some other parts are from a newer motor. My guess is the powerhead is from a 1971 40hp electramatic as is the engine cover and rear half of the bottom cover. Or both front and rear lower engine covers are from the 1971 donor motor.

 

[dstroud1987]

Re: 1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

exactly lol I know that it wasn't quite a 62 when i got the manual for it. But whenever i post a question people always want to know the year so i figured i would just go with the serial number and say it was a 62 lol if you were asked would you say that it was a 62? or would you say it was a 71? just curious lol

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1962 40hp johnson..Thanks for the help!

1971 was a single wall midsection, like the old 33's. 1970 and earlier was a Super Quiet midsection.

As far as mechanics go. I have seen buttheads on both sides of the fence. I have had customers complain about the "other mechanics" and the lousey work they have done. Then again, I have had customers who want a perfectly running boat and motor, with the reliability of a 2012 Cadillac for a mere $300 bill. There are dirtbags on both sides of the fence. This is a tough business for both, the mechanic and the customer. The bottom line is: If you're going to be a tight wad who doesn't want to spend anything, to have your motor fixed, learn how to fix it yourself. If anything goes wrong, you learn from it and get it right the next time (hopefully) If you're a mechanic, learn about the people you're dealing with. If they sound like someone who wants to have a perfect running motor and only want to do it for ten bucks, HANG UP ON THEM!! These kind of people only want something for nothing and it won't happen in the real world.

I had to learn at age 11 to fix anything I broke, because I had no poppa to help me do it and mom didn't have the money to hire a mechanic. If I didn't fix it, it didn't go. I started out on bicycles then graduated to lawnmowers, then cars and motorcycles. I took on outboards, after being experienced with the other stuff and found what a breeze it is to tinker on them. Now I'm addicted. LOL