1965 Johnson 3HP JH20 tilt lever

[BoatinIdaho]

I just bought this engine off craigslist for $70, it starts I only ran it for a about 30secs because we didn't have any water to put it in where I was buying it at and I just wanted to make sure it would start. Anyways a plastic nipple on the fuel pump was busted so I ordered a new fuel pump and when I was messing with that I noticed the tilt lever was missing. Everything else is there but the metal bracket thing for adjusting tilt. Part number is 379438 I was just wondering if anyone has any good ideas for just jimming something like dropping a bolt in because I don't really want to spend $36 for a little metal piece at least not till I make sure everything else on this thing is working ok because I already spent $70 on motor and $50 on pump.

P.S. This is my first boat engine and I kinda bought it on a whim because the price was initially cheap and my girlfriend has a little aluminum boat with no motor. I am not familiar with a lot of the boating terminology etc and I wouldn't call myself a mechanic. I am looking forward to the learning experience of getting this neat old motor running nicely again I just hope it doesn't turn into a money pit.

Thank you for any advice and help it's greatly appreciated.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1965 Johnson 3HP JH20 tilt lever

IH BoatinIdaho. Welcome to iboats. No worries. Ask all the questions you want. I have motors with similar tilt mechanisms. I would try to keep it stock/adjustable, if at all possible. You may be able to find the correct part for less money on sites like ebay. There is also a list of salvage yards in the TOP SECRET file at the top of the forum from which you might be able to get the part for less. Here are some handy links regarding your motor that can walk you through most basic maintenance tasks. The links may not be for the exact same as your motor, but all of the basic processes are the same. That's what's so great about these old OMC (Johnson/Evinrunde/Gale) motors from the mid 50's - mid 70's, once you can fix a 3 hp, you can basically fix a anything up to a 33 hp and beyond. Hope they help. Keep us posted.


http://www.outboard-boat-motor-repa...on 3 HP 1952-1967 Ignition System Tune-up.htm

http://www.outboard-boat-motor-repa...hnson 5.5 HP 1954-1964 Carburetor Tune-UP.htm

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/07/columns/max/index1.htm

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=167352

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=158086

 

[BoatinIdaho]

Re: 1965 Johnson 3HP JH20 tilt lever

Thank you for the info, there are a couple new ones there I hadn't seen yet. I get the new fuel pump tomorrow and then will start the motor in a trash can of water and go from there. After reading around more I hope I didn't mess the impeller up by running it dry for 30 secs or so.