Johnson 48 SPL been sittin. New to me. What do I need to do?

[martin1b]

Hey all! I just got my first boat. It's a Monark 15' (I think) boat with a Johnson 48 SPL on it. It's been sitting for a few years and has been rebuilt by the previous owner (which happens to be my wife's grandpa). I has 5 hours on the rebuild.<br /><br />I plan to use it once, maybe twice a year.<br /><br />My questions are:<br /><br />What do I need to do before I attempt to start it?<br /><br />Is there a specific type of grease that I need to use on the grease zerks?<br /><br />It appears to be a manual raise and lower on the motor. There's a lever on the right side of the motor. Whenever I push it up or down, the motor doesn't raise. On the right, there's also a plastic lever really near the other lever. It appears to do nothing. Is it broken? Ideas? I'm really willing to post pics if necessary.<br /><br />What type of oil should I use and what is the mixture ratio?<br /><br />I hear that there is a lower end lube. How do I replace it and with what?<br /><br />Where can I get a good and inexpensive/free manual for the motor (and if possible, boat)?<br /><br />Since I will be using it on such an infrequent basis, could I use a car battery?<br /><br />I'd like to start it up and test it before I get it out to the lake. Any way to do this?<br /><br />Anything else I need to know?<br /><br />Glad to finally be in the boat community. Looks like this is a really great and active board!<br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br />Bill<br />Wichita, KS

 

[OBJ]

Re: Johnson 48 SPL been sittin. New to me. What do I need to do?

Hey Bill...first, congrats on the "new" boat. <br />Second....welcome to iboats.<br /><br />Prelimiaries: Check the compression, I know, just been rebuilt. Won't hurt and you will also have a reference to go by in the future. The compression should be with in 10 to 15% on each cylinder.<br /><br />Check the spark. Each spark should be able to jump at least a 7/16" gap with a strong blue white spark.<br /><br />After the prelims....<br />The first two things I would do is pull the carb and give it a good cleaning out. Get a rebuild kit from the local Johnny/Rude dealer. Setting so long, I would not chance the real good possibility that there is varnish in the bowl and probably jets.<br /><br />Second thing I'd do is put a new water pump impeller in it. The impellers are rubber and lose there memory after a long set like that.<br /><br />Check the gear case lube. Make sure there is no water in there and replace the lube with a good gear lube like Hi-Vis. You can get this stuff from the Johnny/Rude dealer.<br /><br />Fresh gas! Mix at 50:1 (16oz oil for 6 gal of gas) with a good TCW-3 oil.<br /><br />A good marine rated grease will do for the zirk fittings.<br /><br />You can get a pair of muffs for drive way starting. Put these on the lower gear case over the water inlet and connect a hose to them. These are good for checking out engine temp and looking for fuel system leaks before you get to the water. Try not to rev the engine over 2K rpms.<br /><br />Manual...you can get a generic manual (Seyloc or Clymers) from right here on iboats. Just scroll down to the bottom of the page.<br /><br />Don't hesitate to post any questions you might have and keep us up-to-date on whats happening tween you and the engine.

 

[martin1b]

Re: Johnson 48 SPL been sittin. New to me. What do I need to do?

What's your thoughts on the raising and lowering of the engine? There appears to be an 'assist' cylinder on it. Do those lock up commonly? If it is locked up, what are my options? Are there rebuild kits available?<br /><br />The water pump impeller, where is it?<br /><br />Also, any problems with using a normal car battery?<br /><br />TIA!

 

[OBJ]

Re: Johnson 48 SPL been sittin. New to me. What do I need to do?

You have what's called a tilt assist cylinder. This is a gas filled cylinder that is supposed to make it easier to lift the engine up to a tilt position. The large lever you mentioned is what locks the cylinder in place. Push the lever forward and the cylinder assist's in lifting the engine....you have to help to. Push the lever to the rear and it is supposed to lock the engine in the position you have it in.<br /><br />The cylinder is non repairable if it goes south. And they are still availabe but expensive to replace. Usually what I find goes wrong with these cylinders is the cable gets out of adjustment or there is a little plastic ball joint at the end of the cable that connects to the lever, this will break.<br /><br />The water pump impeller sets in a housing on top of the lower unit. This requires the removal of the lower unit to get to. You really need to get a manual if you intend to do the work yourself.<br /><br />I would not use a car battery. They are not designed to take the pounding that a marine battery does.<br /><br />Hope I've helped out a little. Again, don't be afraid to post a question. Just try and keep it on the same thread. With all the posts coming in, it's sometimes hard to keep track of what's doing with who.....

 

[martin1b]

Re: Johnson 48 SPL been sittin. New to me. What do I need to do?

Yeah. This all really helps. I found that the plastic piece that hooks to one of the levers to engage the lift assist cylinder my means of a wire was broken. <br /><br />Also, bidding on a service manual. Hope I can get it.<br /><br />Thanks for the help!!