HELP: Johnson 50hp rattle - lower-end?

[taekat]

Ok,

So I was driving my boat today and towards the end of a trip down our river I started hearing a really loud rattle that got louder over a period of 30 seconds. Thankfully we made it to the dock and trailered the boat but that is only good news in the shadow of some really bad news. I checked the spark plugs and there was no shavings or any kind and the pistons moved freely. The powerhead was just rebuilt this past spring. However as I manually cranked the motor I heard a squeak sound coming from the top of the lower-end - like a rubber squeaking sound. The boat was in neutral and this is a new sound so I'm wondering if is my lower-end and what it could be in my lower end. I drained my lower end gear oil and it was milky green - johnson gear oil.

Aaron

 

[boobie]

Re: HELP: Johnson 50hp rattle - lower-end?

Pull the lower unit off of the mtr, rotate the d/s and see if you still got the noise. If you do you have lower unit probs.

 

[taekat]

Re: HELP: Johnson 50hp rattle - lower-end?

I do know that it was a bit rough going from neutral to forward or reverse - a little clunky.

 

[taekat]

Re: HELP: Johnson 50hp rattle - lower-end?

Ok,

So it's not the lower end it's the mid-section where the squeaking sound is coming from. Any ideas. I just looked at the break-out diagram of the mid section and I was a little overwhelmed.

 

[coolguy147]

Re: HELP: Johnson 50hp rattle - lower-end?

Ok,

So it's not the lower end it's the mid-section where the squeaking sound is coming from. Any ideas. I just looked at the break-out diagram of the mid section and I was a little overwhelmed.

It's not that bad.

 

[boobie]

Re: HELP: Johnson 50hp rattle - lower-end?

Just remember, sound can travel.

 

[taekat]

Re: HELP: Johnson 50hp rattle - lower-end?

Hi guys, just an update - brought it to a co-workers house who offered to have a look. The first thing he did was check for play on the fly wheel - guess what - he said there is almost an inch of rotational play. I didn't know what that meant and he said that was very bad - most likely my bearing but could also mean my rods. He pulled my plugs off, rotated the fly wheel to a certain spot and pressed against the piston and showed me how the flywheel had play and if it shouldn't move if he is pressing the piston. His best guess was that my bearing was gone and at least one of my rods.

So my question is: Can a loose upper bearing lead to rods or even the crank shaft wearing down or breaking? He saw what he thought was aluminum dust all over the engine. The ironic part was that this powerhead was just rebuilt - cylinders bored, new pistons, rings and rods and I was just over 2 hours on the rebuild go figure. Is it even worth it to fix the motor? The rattle started about 100 metres from the boat launch so I couldn't have run it more then 30 seconds with the rattle.

Aaron

 

[taekat]

Re: HELP: Johnson 50hp rattle - lower-end?

I called the outboard shop that rebuilt the motor and explained to them that I have put 2 hours on the new rebuild and the needle bearing or rod bearing assembly on my top piston is gone as I can turn the flywheel, pushing the piston to the top and then press on the piston and watch it pop back about 1/4". He said "anything can happen with an older outboard motor" and that this is normal even after a rebuild. I didn't know how to reply. He thinks I ran the motor without oil and burnt out the bearings - but I have been running 50-1 fuel mix from the beginning. He said he is willing to look inside but if he sees any signs of superheating like blue metal then it's not the rebuild and he will charge me for everything.

Is this a trap or is it a fair proposition?

Aaron

 

[Chamelion]

Re: HELP: Johnson 50hp rattle - lower-end?

Ouch.. How did you go with this teakat?

 

[taekat]

Re: HELP: Johnson 50hp rattle - lower-end?

In the end, I brought it back to Shipwreck Boat Repairs and after waiting 10 days and nothing happening I realized that they weren't interested in rebuilding the motor. Going to rebuild it myself this winter - long and short of this story is you buy used you are taking that risk of getting something that isn't working properly.