Is there life in this old motor??

[c172cpt]

I have acquired an old motor, boat and trailer. I feel i have gathered enough information to restore the boat, now its time for research on the motor. I have started a gallery to show off the progress http://thescottfund.org

It is a 1964 40hp Johnson RKL-26R, i have acquired the parts catalog and the factory service manual, the parts catalog does not show part numbers for things like the carb rebuild kit etc.. is there an online copy of the accessories parts catalog?

The parts catalog also doesn't give me part numbers for the throttle cable that's shot, it says contact the dealer is there a way that i can pick the length and just order the cable online?

And finally i want to test the motor to see if it runs at all as is, all of the wiring to the junction box (see picture on gallery) is dried, crack and has exposed copper, i want to disconnect the connectors and just run the motor by its self, starting it with the pull starter, can that be done?
The motor turns over and there is good compression, but can i jerry rig a test bed free of the throttle assembly, oh and the key is missing for the ignition? How would i turn off the motor and shift gears, its an electric shift too.

also the last time the motor was run was once 3 years ago, and before that it sat for another 3 years, what other kind of seals, gaskets, etc should i be looking at possibly replacing

what kind of gear oil do i need, i read somewhere that this motor uses a special oil is that true?

I know this is a bombardment of questions, but i have been researching for many many many hours all week and these are the questions i have yet to figure out

-scott-

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

I have acquired an old motor, boat and trailer. I feel i have gathered enough information to restore the boat, now its time for research on the motor. I have started a gallery to show off the progress http://thescottfund.org

It is a 1964 40hp Johnson RKL-26R, i have acquired the parts catalog and the factory service manual, the parts catalog does not show part numbers for things like the carb rebuild kit etc.. is there an online copy of the accessories parts catalog?


The parts catalog also doesn't give me part numbers for the throttle cable that's shot, it says contact the dealer is there a way that i can pick the length and just order the cable online?


And finally i want to test the motor to see if it runs at all as is, all of the wiring to the junction box (see picture on gallery) is dried, crack and has exposed copper, i want to disconnect the connectors and just run the motor by its self, starting it with the pull starter, can that be done?
The motor turns over and there is good compression, but can i jerry rig a test bed free of the throttle assembly, oh and the key is missing for the ignition? How would i turn off the motor and shift gears, its an electric shift too.



also the last time the motor was run was once 3 years ago, and before that it sat for another 3 years, what other kind of seals, gaskets, etc should i be looking at possibly replacing

what kind of gear oil do i need, i read somewhere that this motor uses a special oil is that true?

I know this is a bombardment of questions, but i have been researching for many many many hours all week and these are the questions i have yet to figure out

-scott-

If that motor is electric shift as you say, it may not be worth working on if someone has already boogered up the wiring harness in the midsection by incorrectly removing the lower unit, or if the switch for the electric shift is no good, since they're really expensive.
Before going any further, you should check compression and look at the lower unit oil. If the lower unit oil is watery or coffee-like, I would trash it, and poor compression as well. The '64 is not exactly a thing of beauty anyway, and the electric shift parts are NLA, at least a lot of them.
Yes, you should be able to order a throttle cable any length, as they are still made. Iboats sells them, as does other online places.
Yes, you will need special oil for the electric shift lower unit.
JBJ

 

[c172cpt]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

i dont think that inside the motor has been messed with, i noticed that the shift switches are expensive, online i found one for $500 and $195 on ebay, i will check out the lower unit oil in the next week or so, what should it look like, and what do i replace it with (keeping in mind it sat for several years)

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

Carb kit here:
http://www.iboats.com/mall/partfind...gd_poid=109330&gd_row=45&**********=278808701
Throttle cable can be Googled "Johnson Outboard Throttle Cable". They are available online.

The motor can be started with the wiring disconnected. It only uses battery power for the starter. The starter can be jumpered directly with jumper cables.

The electra-matic gearcase uses "Type C" oil: http://www.iboats.com/Gear-Lube-Typ...5242212--**********.073785259--view_id.187329

First thing I'd do is run a compression check to see if it's worth going further..

 

[c172cpt]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

what happens when i start it with out the shift switch connected and once started what is the best way to stop the motor? I believe that the compression is good, i will hook it up this week and confirm

also the service manual says that you drain the gear oil from the bottom and fill it from the bottom only topping it off at the vent hole, why is this, is the oil thick, why doesnt it come right back out of the drain plug?

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

The type "C" oil is actually thinner. You fill it with the top and bottom drain plugs out. Filling through the bottom plug, you will see it reach the top plug hole. Replace the top plug and vaccuum will keep the oil from draining back out really fast. Just pull out the oil bottle and put your finger over the hole until you are ready to replace the bottom plug.

First things first..........compression, lower unit oil. It should look like dirty oil or clean oil, but not milky or have actual water in it. Compression should be within 10% of each cylinder.

 

[samo_ott]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

"...The '64 is not exactly a thing of beauty anyway"!

 

[rockyrude]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

I have a 69 115hp electric shift and found a spare shift switch on ebay by buying a whole control assembly for $50 and tossed the control.

 

[patrick4266]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

That is a very old heavy motor. You would be better off buying a little newer something. Those things really weigh a boat down. It's like having a anchor trying to drag you under.

 

[tx1961whaler]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

The 1966 40 hp is 145 lbs. A 1991 40 hp is 185 lbs.
The old ones are bigger, but not heavier

 

[TN-25]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

1964 was a good year for the 40. The oil ratio was leaned out from 24:1 down to 50:1. The choke mechanism change from the hot water type to the hot air type (better).

The 40 not a thing of beauty? Personally I have always liked them even though they appear to have huge cowlings and a Frankenstein midsection. The eye of the beholder...

 

[c172cpt]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

the only way i would just go out and buy a newer one is if this one is 100% fried or will cost more than $1,000 to repair in to working order.

Not a thing of beauty is something that can be fixed with a little airbrush work, beauty doesn't affect mechanical operation.
i hope someone doesn't get rid of me when i become old and not a thing of beauty

i was wondering how much that motor weighed, thank you for answering that.

please don't take my comments in the wrong way, i very much appreciate all your comments, just need to defend my baby

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

I'll help defend your baby. I happen to like the old 35/40's myself.

I once bought a '68 Evinrude Lark 40hp, that had a bad lower unit. I removed the drain plug and found nothing but solid rust. It had a great powerhead though, so I removed it and used it on a '59 35hp body.

So, if your lower unit ends up being shot, don't sweat it. Go get ya an older 40hp with the manual shift lower end and you can be up and running again for little a nothin. The 1960 - 61 40's were noted for runaways and sheared the cranks in two, (they still had the smaller cranks like the 35's and bigger pistons) so you can probably pick one of those up (with a good lower unit) for about 50 to 100 bucks. Your newer and improved powerhead would make one of those run nicely

By the way, here is a good parts break down of your baby.

 

[lindy46]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

Not a thing of beauty? I beg to differ. Here's one I restored.

 

[sturdavj]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

Now thats what an outboard should look like !

Before there were color TV's to take us from our fishing.....

FISH ON

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

Not a thing of beauty? I beg to differ. Here's one I restored.

Beautiful job lindy.

 

[jbjennings]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

Not a thing of beauty? I beg to differ. Here's one I restored.

Lindy, that's a good looking 40, one of the nicer looking models. But, it's not a '68 or '69 johnson 40---they look different!


TN-25:
"Is she pretty??? Heck yes, man! Except for her frankenstein looking midsection and legs, and huge head......."

They look a lot prettier when they're running good! I personally would not be interested in restoring such a motor for several reasons, but to each his own.
Good luck,
JBJ

 

[samo_ott]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

Not a thing of beauty? I beg to differ. Here's one I restored.

And that's a not bad looking Evinrude 40. In fact one of the better looking 40's. The original comment was about the Johnson 40's though... They are not things of beauty!

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: Is there life in this old motor??

It's okay. The Johnsons may not look as good as the Evinrudes, but they're just as reliable. After all, they are the same damned thing, from '56 on.