'72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

[scipper77]

I just bought a basket case '72 johnson 9.5.

Previous owner claims it ran 2 years ago and it sat in a barn, collected a rat nest and now the throttle on the tiller handle is stuck.

Here is what I know:
-Good, even compression when you pull the rope, I have not checked with a gauge yet but from feel I'd say were in good shape there.

-The tiller handle is stuck. It appears to be the linkage that goes under the flywheel. I have never had to deal with this issue before.

-There is no spark on either plug but the wires to the stop button are so corroded that I doubt the coils to be the issue "at this point".

-The mice only chewed on the main fuel line a little, plug wires look to be updated and in good shape (I'm gambling that the coils are the same).

-there is evidence that there is a leak coming from the lower unit. greasy dirt at prop that smells like gear lube (only gear lube smells like gear lube in my experience)

-this is a long shaft and I really need a short shaft, I'll likely fix it up and sell or trade for a short shaft unless I can find a short shaft with a bad power head to swap with.

I'm not sure where to start with the tiller being frozen? Where should I begin with this thing?

All I can think is that the first thing should be to fix the stop circuit so I can check the coils for spark.

Please, veterans here. Tell me what to do. I enjoy working on these motors but I don't have the experience/confidence at this point to trust my own diagnosis skills.

 

[Rick.]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

There is a knurled disc on the tiller right at the elbow. Try turning it counter clockwise a few turns and see if that allows the throttle to free up some. Might be clockwise too I just don't remember. Other than that it's just a bunch of leaning and greasing to get things moving again. Get some oil in the cylinders through the plug holes before you pull it much. Imagine how dry the cylinders must be. Pull the flywheel and take a look. If the plug wires have been changed there's a good chance the coils were too. Clean/file/re-gap the points and recheck for spark. I had a 73 and it was a great motor. Also check the top of this forum for Top Secret File and there is lots of real good information there. This link will help as well.
Johnson
Best of luck. Rick.

 

[scipper77]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

Thank you. I read the "ramblings" about this motor and it looks like pulling the power head to get at the lower unit is more difficult than it was on my '62 Evinrude 5.5. It's going to take a lot to get this thing running properly im afraid. As long as the engine internals and lower unit internals are good I will be ok. Carbs and coils don't scare me. I have never resealed a lower unit however.

 

[Rick.]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

well I've good news for you, unlike your 5.5 you don't pull the power head to drop the lower unit. I would just change the gear oil and use it and check for water intrusion. I'm doing my first lower unit reseal right now and it hasn't been very difficult really. Everything is ready and waiting for new parts delivery. Rick.

 

[scipper77]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

well I've good news for you, unlike your 5.5 you don't pull the power head to drop the lower unit. I would just change the gear oil and use it and check for water intrusion. I'm doing my first lower unit reseal right now and it hasn't been very difficult really. Everything is ready and waiting for new parts delivery. Rick.

This is great news. It looks like I might get away with a carb kit, and maybe a new set of coils. If I put $150 into this motor I will have spent what one of these goes for in top running condition. So far my rough estimate puts me at more like $85 for carb kit ($20), coils (40), impeller kit ($15), gear lube ($ in my shed), a little fuel line (couple bucks), and some wire (I'll take my toaster apart ).

For the record, I paid (overpaid) $250. A running 9.5 brings $350-400 on the local craigslist no problem. I know this because I have called an a few and there always gone before I get to them. I took a chance at $250 for a longshaft mostly because I actually enjoy doing small engine work. It's just a shame that what I need is a short shaft.

 

[Rick.]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

If your up to it there was a post in the last couple of days about converting a L.S. to a S.S. 9.5. Have a look. Rick.

 

[scipper77]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

OK, lets get into the meat of this.......
The motor


The magneto base plate was frozen solid. It took a ton of effort to get it off without breaking anything. You can see in the following pictures that the mating surfaces are no longer pristine. Do I need to replace anything or can I just go at the corrosion with a scotch brite pad??



The coils and points look really good. I think I might just get away with a case of dissassemble, clean up, and reassemble. I'll try to get things running without a carb rebuild. Of course if there is any issue I'll tear into the carb as well.

 

[kodibass]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

Just thought I'd thro this out, in the 9.5 motor the long shafts are much harder to come by.

 

[Rick.]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

Saw a 9.5 drive shaft on Ebay this morning. He probably has what you need to make it a s.s. From your neck of the woods too. Rick.

 

[scipper77]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

I just want to get this thing running right now. I will run it with the long shaft just to have confidence when i sell or trade it.
If it costs me $100 to convert it I would just as soon sell it and put that hundred into the replacement. Of course if i have to reseal the lower i will already have things apart at that point so we will see how this plays out.

 

[scipper77]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

Is there a trick to getting the magneto base plate back on? There are 4 bolts. Two that go through the coils and two that go through the base plate only.

Also there is a key cut into the collar below. I would assume that is there for a reason. (sorry if my terminology is off. The collar is the part i leaned up against the crank in one of my pictures above.)

Edit: never mind, I had the thing clocked so only 2 holes would line up. My mistake

 

[scipper77]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

Is it true that you can not adjust the timing on this motor??

 

[scipper77]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

What is the torque spec for the flywheel nut?

1972 Johnson seahorse 9.5

 

[ultra353]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

45 Ft- lbs on the flywheel.

 

[scipper77]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

What kind if grease or oil can I use to lubricate the base of the magneto plate? I think I read somewhere to use white lithium grease. Could I get away with general purpose automotive grease?

 

[scipper77]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

This morning I sanded and then polished (fine, fine grit paper) the points. Good strong spark on both plugs. One of the plugs was not touching ground but I could hear it snapping as it bridged the gap to the frame of the motor. I tested the stop circuit and it was actually working. I got excited and hooked up a gas can. When I started priming Gas came pouring out of the one fuel line that the mice chewed. I work this afternoon so I'm hoping to have the motor running by the end of the day Saturday.

Also I decided to go with the high temp bearing grease that was already in my gun. From my reading it seems that the only real advantage to white lithium is that you can see where it has been applied, and you can easily tell by color when it is shot.

 

[scipper77]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

Smells like..... Victory!! (new impeller to be done when lower unit is resealed)


I still need to rewire the stop circuit. It works but the wires are corroded and one is missing nearly all of the insulation.

 

[scipper77]

Re: '72 Johnson 9.5 overhaul

Only a small victory I guess. I ran it in a bucket and, the motor seems like it is missing at all rpm's. At low rpm's you can tell because the motor jumps when it misses. At higher rpm's it just doesn't feel smooth. I will have to try hooking up my timing lite after dark and running to see if I can associate the miss with a particular cylinder.

My tank is mixed at the 32:1 or maybe even 24:1 that my '62 evinrude fisherman uses. (I have recieved conflicting reports about what mix is right for that motor)
Is it possible that I am having an issue from using the wrong fuel mix?