1966 33 hp johnson (RXEL-14D) needs help please!

[kfa4303]

Hello all. I'm trying to get a 1966, 33 hp, electric start Johnson outboard (tiller drive) up and running. Serial # J2625996. Engine was serviced and ran well approx 2 yrs ago, but has since sat idle.
So far I have: fresh fuel/oil mix at 50:1 with TCW 3 oil, the lower unit is well lubricated, manual gear changes are easy, freshly charged battery, starter works great, fuel is getting to carb, but can't get engine to turn over :/ ???
I think I have a spark/ignition problem, but I have no experience with points, condensors, and other scary sounding electrical things I've read about people replacing in these forums and else where I guess I'm wondering if it's even worth bothering to fix at this point. Assuming the problem is electrical, which I'm pretty sure it is at this point.
I'm a soon to be medical student with little funds and even less experience vintage outboard motors, but willing to give it ago. Is there a free online diagram of the major components of this or similar motors? Any help would be greatly appreciated. No detail too trivial. I want/need to learn as much as I can.

Ignorant, but enthusiastic,
kfa4303

 

[Daviet]

Re: 1966 33 hp johnson (RXEL-14D) needs help please!

You can't get the engine to turn over, do you mean the starter will not turn the engine over or that you have no spark, you did check for spark and compression didn't you?

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1966 33 hp johnson (RXEL-14D) needs help please!

Sorry about that I should clarify. The motor "turns over" fine. I can rotate the flywheel manually and/or with the starter. It seems to do so freely. I believe the compression was approx. 113 psi in each cylinder when it was serviced 2 yrs ago, but I could be remembering that incorrectly. There doesn't appear to be any trouble getting the engie to cycle, but I can't seem to get it to "fire up" so to speak. The spark plugs were replace when the engine was serviced and are Champion JC6. The s/plug wires appear to be fine. No cracking, scorching, etc... I can follow their path until they "disappear" under the flywheel, at which point my knowledge runs out. Thanks for the super quick response and for your patience. Please forgive my ignorance when it comes to some of the terminology.

P.S.
Do these engine have a generally good reputation? They seem a bit obscure due to age and odd hp. thanks again!

 

[Daviet]

Re: 1966 33 hp johnson (RXEL-14D) needs help please!

There are a couple of things you need to check first. Check the compression, a lot of rings could stick over a two year period of time if the engine was not prepped for storage properly. Then you need to check the spark with an air gap tester, spark should jump a 3/8' gap and be bright blue. If both of those check out then it is probably going to be a fuel problem, carb may have to come off and be overhauled.
There are a lot of those engines around, with a little TLC they will preform well.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1966 33 hp johnson (RXEL-14D) needs help please!

Hello Daviet. Not exactly sure what an "air gap tester" is, but I did just run out and disconnet each of the two s/plug wires, one at the time, and try to start the motor. Starter engaged and spun flywheel with ease, but no blue spark seen arcing from s/plug wire to tip of s/plug on either wire. So I suppose the s/plug wires are bad (i.e. not carrying current to the spark plugs themselves?). Thanks again!

 

[Daviet]

Re: 1966 33 hp johnson (RXEL-14D) needs help please!

Maybe not the wires. If you have no spark you need to remove the flywheel and check the ign componets, points, condensers and the coils. Make sure the coils are not cracked, the points should be cleaned and the gap set properly (.020). And then recheck the spark.
An air gap tester will test the strenth of the ign system, the system might fire a plug held against the block but breakdown under load. At this point in time don't worry about an air gap tester, just get spark to the plugs.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1966 33 hp johnson (RXEL-14D) needs help please!

Will do. I'll let you know what I find out ASAP. thanks again for all your help.

 

[F_R]

Re: 1966 33 hp johnson (RXEL-14D) needs help please!

Bad spark plug wires, while possible, are a bad and unlikely assumption. Sorry, but you have to dive in where angels fear to tread. well some angels anyway--others should have stayed out of there. Seriously, the flywheel has to come off to see what is wrong in there.

DON'T do it till you read up on the proper way to do it, and have the proper tools. You will need a strong 3-bolt puller with Grade-8 bolts to get the flywheel off. It is mighty stubborn to get off, so you must have a decent puller and some determination. Once you have found and located the trouble, and are ready to reassemble it, the shaft and flywheel tapers MUST be shiny clean and dry. And you MUST use a torque wrench to tighten the nut to 100-105 foot pounds. Ignore this and you are apt to destroy that fine old motor.

There is no voo-doo in electricity. Only ignorance. It is electricity that holds you and I and every other atom in the universe together. Get in there and learn some thing.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1966 33 hp johnson (RXEL-14D) needs help please!

Thanks F R. I just tried to doso butt no luck. I don;t have the proper tools to do so. every time I tried to loosen top nut the whole flywheel would just spin as I tried to remove the bolt. I don't have a 3-bolt puller with Grade-8 bolts. I don't even know what that is No torque wrench either. I'm obviously out of league here. I guess I'll try to sell it as is to someone with enough chops tohandle it. Thanks for your help. I might have just done something bad/dumb without it.

 

[lindy46]

Re: 1966 33 hp johnson (RXEL-14D) needs help please!

Hello Daviet. Not exactly sure what an "air gap tester" is, but I did just run out and disconnet each of the two s/plug wires, one at the time, and try to start the motor. Starter engaged and spun flywheel with ease, but no blue spark seen arcing from s/plug wire to tip of s/plug on either wire. So I suppose the s/plug wires are bad (i.e. not carrying current to the spark plugs themselves?). Thanks again!

Did you ground the body of the plug to the engine? You won't get any spark unless the plugs are grounded.