1982 Johnson 50 Sea Horse - Constant Beep While Accelerating

[tphoyt]

Agreed get the tab out of the way.
Not sure what you have for tools but a few things to try on the cheap would be to use a dremel and carbide cutter to grind in some new flats, cut a slot and try a hand held impact driver, hammer on an old socket or drill just the head off and leave the stud to work with later.
Best of luck

 

[cyclops222]

Why are we tearing apart something that is probably working ?
The damaged rubber piece might solve the problem ?
Trouble shoot and repair. Not rebuild the engine.
The saying....If it is not broke ? Do not just change parts on old engines..
Put it together & run it on the trailer. Back in deep enough to completely fill the water pump. Check for serious leaks only.

 

[Crosbyman]

I think he need s to do the impeller !

 

[Elessar_94]

OK, so I got the trim tab off my prying it with my hammer. It was soft enough that it started to break off in pieces until there was nothing left. There is no bolt underneath, except the main bolt which once held it in. I can get the bolt to spin in place but it will not come out for some reason ??

EDIT: The bolt is slowly coming out and the LU maayyyy be beginning to separate. My fiancé is spotting me. Standby

 

[racerone]

Keep turning and turning and pry it out.

 

[Elessar_94]

UPDATE: Got the rounded out trim tab bolt out! I DO think it was “structural” (attached to the midsection) because of how long it is. Now I can replace it and the trim tab assuming I can get the LU off. The LU has a tiiiiny crack on one side now (the side without the snapped bolt) which leads me to consider the wooden wedge / hammer method next. The snapped bolt is impossible to reach with a drill. I can heat it up though as was recommended earlier. Thoughts???

 

[Elessar_94]

Why are we tearing apart something that is probably working ?
The damaged rubber piece might solve the problem ?
Trouble shoot and repair. Not rebuild the engine.
The saying....If it is not broke ? Do not just change parts on old engines..
Put it together & run it on the trailer. Back in deep enough to completely fill the water pump. Check for serious leaks only.

I’m assuming the impeller hasn’t been changed in well over a year and we’re getting an overheat alarm. Many people suggested starting with the gearcase. While I wait for the parts (poppit valve grommet, thermostat and gasket) to come in for the water jacket, I thought I’d try and get the LU off. If I still can’t get the LU off by the time those parts come in, I’ll reassemble the whole thing and bring it to the lake with a thermal gun to scan the cylinder heads after it beeps. If it’s within normal operating temp, I’ll quit tinkering.

 

[tphoyt]

That bolt looks to be broken off above the lower unit so its likely is not holding on to the lower.
Wooden wedges are your best bet at this point.
Gat after it.

 

[saltchuckmatt]

Your committed now....all or nothing. You can put wedges between the LU and the mid section and either the shaft will pop out or you will destroy the water pump leaving the shaft hanging in the block.

That's what your up against... Either it will be "bingo" time or a hunk of scrap.

 

[racerone]

That bolt threads into the exhaust housing to hold gearcase at the back.-----Obviously that will need a heli-coil.-----There MUST be a local shop that can sort this motor out.

 

[Elessar_94]

That bolt threads into the exhaust housing to hold gearcase at the back.-----Obviously that will need a heli-coil.-----There MUST be a local shop that can sort this motor out.

Yeah I’m going to be calling around this week for help. Will keep you all posted.

 

[Elessar_94]

MINOR UPDATE:
I brought the boat to a local outboard repair shop that is highly rated. They have it now and will begin working on it soon. If they cannot get the LU off, my next plan is to bring it to a friend who KNOWS he can get it off (violently if necessary - since it is dead to me otherwise and will become a spare parts motor if we can't get the LU off).

The work I did to the power head (new thermostat, poppit valve grommet and water jacket gasket) did NOT solve the overheating issue. I reconnected the temp sensor using a WAGO for easier quick disconnects in the future and I think it actually improved the connection a little.

I gently putted around the pond last weekend to test my repairs and the high-pitch ringing coming from the motor is starting earlier now in my acceleration, like around 2000 RPMs if I had to guess. The problem is getting worse. Also, the pee stream coming from the tell tale is getting weaker. It's still a steady stream, but barely. We all suspect a deteriorated impeller/water pump kit as the main culprit, with a possible obstruction in the water cooling circuits as well. I barely ran the motor that day and was very cautious. The cylinders felt hot when I got back to the dock.

There are two bolts which snapped upon removal (1 of the 4 main bolts and the trim tab bolt). These could be the only thing preventing the LU from dropping.

Fingers crossed the shop can get the LU off and get the cooling system working right. Stay tuned for another update soon...

 

[saltchuckmatt]

If the lower dropped a 1/4 to 3/8 inches than it's the shaft to powerhead problem. If it didn't drop at all than massive corrosion in the bolts which just requires heat.

If the shop is experienced with these motors problem 2 will be easy.

 

[Elessar_94]

If the lower dropped a 1/4 to 3/8 inches than it's the shaft to powerhead problem. If it didn't drop at all than massive corrosion in the bolts which just requires heat.

If the shop is experienced with these motors problem 2 will be easy.

The lower hasn't budged AT ALL. Maybe like 1/16th of an inch on one side (the side without the snapped bolt) but not enough to get any type of wedge in between. The bolts were indeed heavily corroded. There are some pics in post #66 which show how badly salted over they are and the miniscule gap as well.

This motor has an easily removable cover directly under and in front of the powerhead which gives direct access to the drive shaft and the shaft looked very clean. I know that's not a good indicator of the condition of the splines, but I feel like it will drop if the snapped bolts are dealt with. Wishful thinking maybe, but we'll see

 

[racerone]

Heating the area where the bolt snapped off expands the aluminum at twice the rate of steel.----It may let go.---Shift rod was disconnected ?

 

[Elessar_94]

Heating the area where the bolt snapped off expands the aluminum at twice the rate of steel.----It may let go.

I remembered this suggestion of yours from earlier but don't own a blowtorch. I have an electric heat gun for heating shrinkwrap which may work. I'll ask the mechanic to try heating the bolts if they haven't already when they call.. thanks!

 

[racerone]

Shift rod was disconnected ?

 

[Crosbyman]

Shift rod was disconnected ?

o m g....

 

[Elessar_94]

Shift rod was disconnected ?

Yeah I disconnected the shift rod in the beginning when I was taking out all the bolts. I had to remove the starter to access the shift rod pin. It's back in now for my lake test last weekend but the shop mechanics should know it is part of the disassembly procedure and will remove it again.

 

[Elessar_94]

FINAL UPDATE:
Great news everybody! The mechanics were able to drop the LU by heating the snapped bolts and used wedges to work it down. The drive shaft was NOT fused to the crankshaft, thankfully. The old impeller fins had lost their memory and the impeller housing began melting as a result.

They installed a brand new water pump kit, new bolts with anti-seize, a new trim tab and ran the motor in a tank for 15mins at various RPMs with NO issues. They really saved the day.

The overheat condition appears to be fixed and the motor is ready to go. Will be bringing it to the lake this weekend for extensive testing and of course fishing!

THANK YOU to all who assisted in diagnosing this problem and sticking with it. Your advice was incredibly helpful and I've learned a lot.