Hand me down boat and motor. Where to start?

[i386]

I was just given a small fishing boat with an old Chrysler 20hp motor. I don't have the model number of the engine yet. The boat is fiberglass and has a "Bream Buster" decal on the side.<br /><br />I don't know anything about outboard motors, especially old ones. I'm just want to get some ideas on where to start.<br /><br />The last owner has given me some tips:<br /><br />The motor has "2 sets of points"<br /><br />The motor is hard to start and required taking off the flywheel to access the points. From there something has to be done to them to get the motor running. Maybe he said filing them?<br /><br />The points are supposed to have little felt pads that lubricate the cam. The pads are missing.<br /><br />The motor smokes a lot. So much apparantly that the motor runs better with the cover off because otherwise, smoke gets pulled into the motor.<br /><br />I have been instructed how to check and replace the lubricant in the "lower unit".<br /><br />According to the previous owner, once the motor is running, it runs pretty well but it smokes a lot. He says this is normal.<br /><br />I don't know how good of a "mechanic" the previous owner is but those are the things he told me.<br /><br />I expect I'll need to find a manual for that motor and do some studying. Other than that can you give me any tips on where to begin?

 

[Scaaty]

Re: Hand me down boat and motor. Where to start?

Start by getting all numbers off anywhere on the motor so someone here can determine the model and year

 

[eurolarva]

Re: Hand me down boat and motor. Where to start?

Here is a link to a manual. syloc chrysler manual <br />You may want to test the compression on this motor first before dumping a lot of time and money into it. If you cant test compression at least look at the tips of the spark plugs and describe them here. That motor should not smoke like the previous owner said. Your smoke and exhaust gases should be going out the lower leg and into the water. What color is the smoke?

 

[i386]

Re: Hand me down boat and motor. Where to start?

Alrighty, I have a little more information now.<br /><br />Model: 202HD<br />S/N: 2143<br />Year: 1972<br /><br />Much to my surprise, the motor is in much better shape than I thought. It's not that hard to start and doesn't really smoke that much.<br /><br />Here's are some observations I made today. I'd like to hear your thoughts.<br /><br />We were testing it in a trashcan full of water. Upon removing it I notice a whitesh grey foam coming from the exhaust port.<br /><br />We went ahead and changed out the lube in the lower unit. It was a little milky so I know there's some water in it.<br /><br />Here's the thing that's really got me puzzled...<br /><br />It does in fact run much stronger with the cover off. I believe the engine "breathes" better with it off. I'm just not sure why. We discussed putting some vents in the cover to allow more air in. One would think though, if that was necesarry, Chrysler would have done that. The only thing I can think of is she's running too rich and having the cover off leans her up enough.<br /><br />As far as the plugs go, they were wet when I checked them. <br /><br />** I read the plugs just after putting the boat back on the trailer. It wasn't a test of reading them by running at WOT and then killing the motor if that matters.<br /><br />I'm no mechanic by any stretch of the imagination, but from what I learned when I re-jetted my motorcycle, I'm going to take an educated guess:<br /><br />Somebody worked on it before and spend a good amount of time with the cover off. They fiddled with the carb and now it's "tuned" to run better with the cover off. I need to find out where those adjustments are done and "tune" it to run with the cover on. What say you?

 

[rbruce63]

Re: Hand me down boat and motor. Where to start?

The foamy exhaust is fuel and oil that remains in the motor after the combustion has stoped and finds its way through the exhaust ports to the lower leg drainage. It is the culprit of water contamination and one of the reasons for the environmentalists to point the finger at two stroke motors. Its impact on the enviroment can be minimized by using the proper oil to regular unleaded gasoline ratio and the usage of TCW3 motor oil which is biodegradable.<br /><br />The lower unit should be air tight and there shouldn't be milky oil in it. Otherwise there is water comming inside. Finally it should be filled from the bottom screw with the upper screw called lower unit vent taken off to avoid bubbles from forming and not filling properly the lower unit.<br /><br />The carburettor should be properly synchronized with the stator to perform correctly with the spark advance of the motor. This is a proceedure described extensively in the Seloc manuals and the Clymer's. If you are into mechanics then you should also consider getting an original service manual at http://www.hurrikain.com/ChryslerMarineStore.htm. <br /><br />The carburettor idle mixture screw should be set at operating temperature, in forward gear then you should start closing the idle screw to achive the highest and smoothest running at the lowest possible RPM, preferrable 750 to 850 rpm's.<br /><br />The motor should run with the cover in place to muffle the noise and if a wave hits your boat it should prevent the motor from drowning.<br /><br />I've made long trips with my Chrysler 20 HP and it is a prized possession making boating practical. My fuel consumption has ranged from 2 gallons per hour to 4 gallons per hour! So it pays to get an extra tank of fuel. If you want to learn more of your Chrysler 20 please explore the web site: http://www.hurrikain.com/Chryslercrew-new.htm <br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Robert

 

[i386]

Re: Hand me down boat and motor. Where to start?

<br />The foamy exhaust is fuel and oil that remains in the motor after the combustion has stoped and finds its way through the exhaust ports to the lower leg drainage. It is the culprit of water contamination and one of the reasons for the environmentalists to point the finger at two stroke motors. Its impact on the enviroment can be minimized by using the proper oil to regular unleaded gasoline ratio and the usage of TCW3 motor oil which is biodegradable.<br />

Good stuff to know. I checked my 2 cycle oil bottle and it is TCW3 so I'll keep using that. After some proper adjustment of the carb I can hopefully improve the situation.<br /><br />

<br />The lower unit should be air tight and there shouldn't be milky oil in it. Otherwise there is water comming inside. Finally it should be filled from the bottom screw with the upper screw called lower unit vent taken off to avoid bubbles from forming and not filling properly the lower unit.<br />

Looks like I definitly have a problem with this. I'll read up on how the lower unit is sealed once my manual comes in.<br /><br />

<br />The carburettor should be properly synchronized with the stator to perform correctly with the spark advance of the motor. This is a proceedure described extensively in the Seloc manuals and the Clymer's. If you are into mechanics then you should also consider getting an original service manual at http://www.hurrikain.com/ChryslerMarineStore.htm. <br />

Again, good info. This will hopefuly make more sense once I have the manual in hand.<br /><br />

<br />The carburettor idle mixture screw should be set at operating temperature, in forward gear then you should start closing the idle screw to achive the highest and smoothest running at the lowest possible RPM, preferrable 750 to 850 rpm's.<br />

Again, when I have my manual this should be simple for me to do. There are several screws on my carb, but I do not yet know what adjusts what. <br /><br />

<br />The motor should run with the cover in place to muffle the noise and if a wave hits your boat it should prevent the motor from drowning.<br />

Should I make the carb adjustments and then put the cover back on to test? As I previously stated, the motor is currently running much better without the cover and I don't know why. <br /><br />

<br />I've made long trips with my Chrysler 20 HP and it is a prized possession making boating practical. My fuel consumption has ranged from 2 gallons per hour to 4 gallons per hour! So it pays to get an extra tank of fuel. If you want to learn more of your Chrysler 20 please explore the web site: http://www.hurrikain.com/Chryslercrew-new.htm <br />

This motor seems pretty sound. I think it just needs a little tlc and it'll last me a long time. I probably have some more questions after spending some time with my manual. Finding parts for this jewel might be a challenge too.<br /><br />Thanks for the tips.

 

[eurolarva]

Re: Hand me down boat and motor. Where to start?

Finding parts for that motor is going to be a challange. Parts for chryslers are still sold by mercury but they start around 1974. The good news is that a lot of parts from 1974 will work on your motor. You will probably need a seal kit for that lower unit. They run around 30 dollars and it would be a good winter type project. The best way to find the leak is to buy a pump for the lower unit oil and screw it into the vent hole and submerge the lower unit and squeese air into the unit and look for the bubbles. Most likely places for air escape will be at the bearing cage in front of the prop. Alot of times fishing line will get caught there and mess up the seal. New washers for the drain and fill screws might also take care of the problem.<br /><br />If you go to www.chryslercrew.com see if you can find a parts manual on CD for your motor. Alot of those parts will cross reference over to mercury part numbers. <br /><br />One other possiblility for your motor running better with the cowling off is somehow the exhaust gases are not escaping the way they should and you are not getting enough oxygen in the air from your carb. This would also explain the unburned fuel coming out of your lower unit.

 

[i386]

Re: Hand me down boat and motor. Where to start?

Thanks. The parts manual will come in handy I'm sure. Good idea on finding the leak too.<br /><br />When I changed out the lower unit lube it was more oily than watery. Should I not use the motor at all until the leak has been repaired? I've only taken the boat out once since I got it. The motor probably got about 20 mins. run time with the fresh lube. I'd like to continue to use the boat, but it's not worth ruining the lower unit.<br /><br />The jury's still out on the cowling on/off thing. I don't really see any opening to allow much air into the carb anyway. The exaust seems to be coming from where it's supposed to. It's a real head scratcher.<br /><br />Thanks

 

[eurolarva]

Re: Hand me down boat and motor. Where to start?

I ran mine with a leak for two years before I finally was able to seal it. Just keep checking it and changing the oil. For about 10 bucks you can get a hand pump for the oil. It sure is a lot easier then trying to use those stupid cone type fillers. I dont know if you use your boat all winter down in Georgia. If you dont that would be the best time to work on the lower unit. With a manual you can easily take one apart and reseal it in a weekend. Keep an eye out on ebay for lower units. You can probably pick up a spare one for around 100 bucks.

 

[rbruce63]

Re: Hand me down boat and motor. Where to start?

The idle mixture screw is located in the front of the carburettor throat in upper portion. It is a bronze screw with a spring. It should be closed as much as the motor will allow to compensate for the "loss" of air when you close the cover and to prevent from excess carbon build up. <br /><br />Remember that a pre mix 50:1 means that the gas to oil proportion is the same for all the revolutions per minute of the motor. So, at close to idle you will have much oil than needed and at wide open throttle you will have all the needed oil to keep the motor from seizing.<br /><br />As far as the year of the motor goes, it could come with oil recirculation (red colored tubbings that come from the cylinder drainage area below the gasoline pump) and this system could be clogged. Mine, a 1969 model didn't come with one, but stick to a branded TCW-3 preferrably from a motor manufacturer if possible.<br /><br />Look for a rebuilt lower unit at ebay. There are a number of dealers that still have parts for your motor and you could email me for the name and telephones of some of them.