New to me old Johnson outboard

[cntrllglnn]

I just purchased a Johnson outboard off of Craigslist for $125 There is no indication of horsepower on the cowl. I used marineengine.com and can't find the serial number listed on their list. The plate on the transom clamp isn't there either. I've had previous success finding similar info on my older Evinrudes using the same website using the serial number that's stamped on the freeze plug. The number on this freeze plug is J24B5234. If someone has a better link or any info as to what year model and HP this outboard is that'd be fantastic. Thanks in advance for any direction and help.

 

[Rick.]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

I have had good luck calling evinrude customer service with the number you have. They have bent over backward to help me. Best of luck. Rick.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

Typically, Johnson will stamp the serial number only on their welch plugs. Evinrude will stamp the model and serial numbers.

 

[jasper60103]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

I just purchased a Johnson outboard off of Craigslist for $125 There is no indication of horsepower on the cowl. I used marineengine.com and can't find the serial number listed on their list. The plate on the transom clamp isn't there either. I've had previous success finding similar info on my older Evinrudes using the same website using the serial number that's stamped on the freeze plug. The number on this freeze plug is J24B5234. If someone has a better link or any info as to what year model and HP this outboard is that'd be fantastic. Thanks in advance for any direction and help.

Just curious, what hp did the seller say it was? Also, some pics could help us identify it.

 

[cntrllglnn]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

Just curious, what hp did the seller say it was? Also, some pics could help us identify it.

Seller said he was guessing it to be a 20-25hp. I'll take some pics today and upload them when I can. I've had few older Evinrudes 67-70 that I got for next to nothing, and my guess would be a early 70's model mabe a tad older. Although that won't work at the parts counter if/when needed. It has GREAT compression for its shown age and needs a little cleaning up. Thanks to ALL that have replied already and I'll use y'all's advice and previous experiences.

 

[cntrllglnn]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

Now upon a better look the number that's stamped seems to be J2405234. There is a scratch on the plug that led me to believe initially it was a B.

 

[cntrllglnn]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

Side image shot of the cowl.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

Hi cnt. Your cowling looks almost identical to my '66 20 hp that's virtually identical to the old 18 hp. Here's a great link that may help you out a bit more.

Maintaining Johnson E & FD Serie

 

[tanuki]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

Try this site---> Boatinfo - The library, containing manuals, brochures and other technical documents from the last hundred years!
It has a load of service manuals and original brochures on most brands of outboards for all years, and I checked the site and it does look like "kfa4303's" cowling as stated (from a 1966 Johnson brochure). Good luck.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

I agree it does look alot like a '66 20 hp. If it is a '65, it is an 18hp.

Seems to me that with that serial number, it would be closer to a '65 though. The last serial number in '61 was 2,249,094, and for the last few years before that they had been averaging over 100, 000 motors a year.

It is definately not a '64 or older, based on the cowl. Unless it has a substitute cowl of course.

 

[cntrllglnn]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

I took Cappin' Ricks advice and called Evinrude/Johnson customer service ( (262) 884-5993 ) at 11:42 am. I was helped by Dan Clark; a real stand up guy that I have to say was an absolute pleasure to speak to and deal with. I emailed him some pictures of the freeze plug and side shots of the cowl. One other phone call was placed at 1:40 this afternoon also. By 2:28 this afternoon I'd received an email from Mr. Clark with news that it is a 1965 19 hp Model FD19. I included the phone number above for anyone in the future that may need to take the same route I did. I will ALWAYS be a Johnson/Evinrude fanatic. I have 3 other Evinrude outboards a '70 6hp, '73 6hp, & '66 18hp. I have about $65 in parts for the '70 6hp, traded some FREE China steel some four wheelers were shipped from over seas in for the '73 6hp, and paid $25 for the '66 18hp. All the Evinrudes run and parts are pretty reasonably priced and available. Gonna try and fire up the Johnson tomorrow for the first time, and I bet it'll bust right off. I'm building my first aluminum flat bottom and have a choice between the 18hp Evinrude and 19hp Johnson to power it until I find something a little larger for cheap that'll move a 20' flat decently. Thanks everyone for contributing and your replies. Have a fantastic weekend folks.

 

[steelespike]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

Never heard of a 19hp I wonder if the 19 was a miss print.
FD19 is listed under the 18hp motors in my service manual.If your other motor is older say from the 50s the newer
motor might use slightly less fuel.The 18 is a great motor capable of speeds around 27 mph on a light reasonably fast boat.
And doing well for its category with a load.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

+1. FD-19 is the model year prior to mine, which makes it a 1965 18hp (they became 20 hp in '66). I actually have one as a parts motor for my '66. The FD/E models were some of the best pound-for-pound motors ever made. My motor is great and pushes me along at +20 mph in the 14' boat in my signature. Be sure to run at least 50:1 mix with Champion J6C spark plugs and you should be good to go. Here are some more handy links including one of me running the motor on the water. Good luck bringing her back to life. Holler if you have any questions.

1965 Johnson FD-19 18 hp Outboard Motor Parts

Wakulla Beach, FL movie.wmv - YouTube

 

[cntrllglnn]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

Fired it up in the yard for about 10 seconds and it ran and backfired. Took it to the lake to let it run a little. My knowing better I unstrapped everything but the winch bow hook. Wouldn't fire up for ch!t! Took it back home pulled the flywheel and the woodruff key had sheared flush with the crank! Coils, condensers, and points look relatively new. Getting great fire on he top plug and nothing on the bottom plug. I've got a couple spare coils from the 6's that look to be identical. Gonna do some coil swapping and see if I can get it running right.

 

[cntrllglnn]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

Does anyone happen to know what one these coils is suppose to ohm out at?

 

[HighTrim]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

If the coils are replaced they are likely good. Clean and dress the points and may have fire back. Fold a piece of wet/dry in half and run it through the points several times. Then blow with compressed air. Dip a business card or paper stock in acetone and run it through to clean. Even fingerprints can limit spark.

Do you have continuity from through the plug lead?

 

[cntrllglnn]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

I had a brain fart and hit quick reply too quickly. I'll just ohm the known good coil out to get a base line for to use a reference for the spares I have.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

You should bury the needle across the primary (ground lead to lead which attaches to points) and you should get around 3000 to 8000 ohms across the secondary (ground lead to spark plug lead)

If there is nothing across the secondary, pull the plug wire out and test from the ground lead to the pin. If there is now a reading, the plug wire or connections along the way was faulty.

 

[cntrllglnn]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

The timing plate has some slop in it and as a result hits the coil that feeds fire to the bottom spark plug. In fact all the other Evinrudes I have have the same slop in the timing plates.

 

[cntrllglnn]

Re: New to me old Johnson outboard

Thanks High Trim. 3-8K ohms is a pretty wide range of acceptable tolerance for a coil. Do you know what the primary's range should be using a digital ohm meter? Thanks for everyone for your replies and time. I love getting one of these old jewels purring and just enjoying the ride from one of my hot spots to another. Can't beat an OMC I'm my opinion.