Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

[Tsvallette]

I have been corrected its a: 1959 Evinrude 35hp Golden Anniversary Edition

I have two boats and this was the first one that I purchased last year. It was another good deal but then frustration hit and I lost interest at the end of the season. I had the motor running like a top out of water in a drum. It cycled water like it should so next was to see if I could get it out and in the lake. Well it ran in the water on the trailer but once I had it in the water floating from shore, it puttered out and would not start. This frustrated me to no end and I called it done. So this year I decided to give it a go once again.

I took the boat into the local marina to see if they could figure out my running issue and once they told me the price for repairs, $400 to just get the motor running, I told them not to worry about it and I would do the work myself. They where nice though and told me what they thought was needed. I bought most of the parts and did all the work myself. No biggey there I am mechanically inclined. To my surprise I had it running once again the same morning that I put the freshly rebuilt carb back on. So I called my brother up and we went out for fishing (boat test) the following day. It started right up and actually moved through the water but at a walking pace. Here is my new dilema. I rebuilt the carb and have the needles set (pics will be coming in the thread shortly) I cant seam to find the sweet spot for the lower adjustment screw it doesn't seam to effect the motor running. In neutral position it runs like a top but when I put it in gear it bogs down.

So now we are at the second fishing trip and this time we could only move at a crawling pace. I had my brother navigate the boat why I tried to do a few adjustments and nothing seamed to work but I decided to plug this one hole that is there. I put a thumb over it and I was astonished. That engine had some power once again but not full power like one should expect but enough to get back to a walking pace once again. I put some tape over it and called it for the day. Here are a few pics:

Evinrude Lark 35hp Motor Cover

The trubblesome Lark

The Extended Shaft

And now that hole I am talking about

What is this hole here for?

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

That hole is a vent for the carb bowl. It allows the air in the carb bowl to get out as fuel comes in. If you close that off with the engine running you essentially force more fuel into the jetting, which may give the appearance of running "better" as it increases the pressure inside the carb.

Start the low speed needle at 1.5 turns from fully (and gently) closed. Start the high speed needle at one full turn. With the motor running at low idle, in gear, slowly turn the low speed needle inwards until the motor balks or sneezes. Back the needle out 1/8 turn from that point. You're done with it. Then bring the motor up to top speed, in gear. Obviously, you'll need your helper again to do this. Slowly turn the high speed needle inwards until the motor loses RPM. Back out 1/8 turn from that point. You're done. Good idea to center the knobs on both needles at this point so you can easily tell if they've moved of their own accord, or been moved by someone else thinking they can "adjust" things better than you can.

If I had to guess, your major power issue is due to running on one cylinder. Do a spark check, followed by a compression check to verify both cylinders are firing.

 

[Tsvallette]

Re: Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

Thanks for the help Chinewalker. I may take the boat out today to do some adjustments but here's some new info.

Yesterday I went out fishing. Took out the boat and it wouldn't run once again. This time I had the hole plugged so I removed the plug. Now it runs like it should but then again when in gear it doesn't seam to run like it should. So in gear moving in the water it has a tendency to pop out and it doesn't like to stay in. Sometimes it stays in and doesn't pop out but once in a while especially when the first few minutes getting in the water. After a few minutes it seams to hold. I am starting to thing that the lower unit needs to be taken apart and cleaned. I was fiddling around with the shifter and noticed that when adjusting it slightly, while going through the water, will affect the engine running.... like the "transmission" is putting a strain on the motor. I finally had a good day with the motor yesterday, had it running like it should. This time going through the water with the motor almost sounding like its at top speed, a sprint not a crawl.

Edit: Going outside to work on the cover.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

Could be an adjustment issue with the shift cable. Could also be the clutch dog on the propshaft being worn. The dog engages the forward or reverse gear when shifting. Over time, the crisply squared corners on the dog get rounded over, thus allowing the dog to disengage periodically. Do not continue to run it until you get this sorted out.

 

[Tsvallette]

Re: Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

When I was out working on the cover I decided to check out the part on the motor to shift gears. ITS STUCK@! It moves from left to center but will not move from center to right. You can feel it (from left to center) and see the part on the motor shift. Is this due to something in the lower unit or the upper unit. Basically what do I need to do?

On another not I got the cover fixed up and back on the motor... not moving around here's what I did.

Broken area

I did a little trimming to whats left of the area that holds the cover down inplace.

The piece I cut for it

The piece mounted and weather stripping inplace

Now a complete engine on the boat.

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

When you move the shift handle back and forth, do the gears actually shift in the unit? By that, in reverse position, is the propeller limited to approximately a 1/4 turn back and forth before it stops? Does it spin freely when the shift handle is vertical? Does it shift forward if you spin the propeller by hand while you're shifting? Side note: Not a bad idea to remove the plug wires from the plugs before spinning propeller by hand.

 

[Tsvallette]

Re: Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

First I removed the plugs, by the way what is the gap spacing for the plugs? Then I spun the prop. It was free and I had it in Neutral. Then I shifted it to the left and it went into gear. Without rotating the engine theres about 1/4 to 1/3 of a complete rotation of free play. Then once I had it in gear it wouldn't get back into neutral but now I could shift it to forward. Let me check something brb......

Now its in neutral once again. Its gummed up. I replaced the gear lube last year.

Edit: The plugs that are in it are Autolite 303 with gap .8mm according to what I just found out the plug gap should be .3-.4 depending on the speed that you generally use. Can I use the same plugs but set the gap accordingly or should I buy new plugs?

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

Hi T. For starters, you need to change the plugs to Champion J6C gaped at .030". Make sure you're running 24:1 fuel/oil mix as well. As for the gears, it's probably worth while to drop the lower unit. Once removed you can still cycle through the gears to see if they're working properly, or if your issue is in the linkages and controls. If they're still acting weird, you may need to open up the gearcase in which case you'll need to reseal it, but we'll worry about that if need be. I would start fresh with the motor and check the compression, replace the spark plugs, rebuild the carb and inspect the lower unit. The link below can walk you through a tune up from top to bottom. You can get any routine parts you may need right at iboats.

Reviving a Vintage Big Twin - Part 1

 

[HighTrim]

Re: Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

If you are trying to shift out of the water, not running you may need to spin the prop a bit to engage gears.

regarding your running issues, have you inspected the ignition yet? Are the coils original or replaced? Will spark jump 1/4" gap on an inline tester with a bright blue ZAP!!??

Faulty coils are often mistaken for carb issues.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

Also to note, that long shaft motor may not be suited for that boat. Perhaps the camera angle is deceiving me though.

 

[Tsvallette]

Re: Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

I know but its what fit the budget at that moment and I really want to make it into a short shaft. Doing what needs to be done will greatly improve this outboard motor. Like I have said this one is my first boat, my first boat motor, my first boating experience. My whole goal was to rebuild the whole thing but now I am to the point where all I want to do is fix it up in tip top working condition and part ways with it. So far its been a good experience for $300 total (Motor, Boat, and Trailer) plus my time and about $100 additional for misc parts and pieces. But this boat got me interested in boating and this is why I got another one. The money from selling this one will fuel the repairs for my other one.

Ok back on topic, today I will break down the engine and try to "Revive it" I will post pics of the process first thing to come: Let it warm up and make some breakfast! COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE!

 

[F_R]

Re: Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

That is a classy looking boat and motor combo. If you do sell it, I hope somebody gets it that will appreciate it and do a nice restoration.

BTW, that is not a 1958 motor cover. It is a 1959, Evinrude's golden anniversary

 

[Tsvallette]

Re: Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

Wow I have been calling it a 58 since I had it. Time to figure out exactly what year it is.

I had to leave to get some cleaner. I called around my local town and I couldn't find "Castrol Super Clean" cleaner so I ended up getting carb and choke cleaner. That stuff did the trick! I got about 90% of the grease, sludge, and oil off and around the engine. Its looking a lot better and I also picked up some new J6C Champion spark plugs. I have the pull start recoil removed and the next part is to remove the flywheel. I may need to buy/rent a puller to get this one off. The only one that I have is for smaller flywheels and I can't seem to find it. Go figure. So this will probably halt my process for today. Tomorrow brings a new day and I will mostlikely run into a near by bigger town to get more cleaner and find a bigger pully puller.

Edit: Looks like I am going to the near by town to get this in a little bit. $11.49 I want it now!

 

[Tsvallette]

Re: Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

I picked up the Harmonics Pulley Puller yesterday evening and today I need to go get the right bolts. If its not one things its another. As for work on the motor goes today, I probably wont have the ability to do so. Its to bad because I really want to get this thing back on the water very soon. The main part of fishing season for me is bass season and the one place where my brother and I catch bass after bass is only accessible by boat.

What will I need and where can I get the parts to get this back to a short shaft?

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

Hi T. You'll need to get 3, (1/4" x 20 x 3") GRADE 8 bolts and washers to use with the puller. You'll probably want to search on ebay, aomci.org and/or ask around here in the forums for the short shaft conversion parts. You'll need a new drive shaft, water uptake tube(s), and lower shift shaft rod. It's not a hard job, but it may not be worth the expense. You may find it easier to build a small transom riser to lift the motor a few inches to the desired height. I had to do the same for my 20 hp and it worked great.

 

[Tsvallette]

Re: Question about my 1958 Lark 35hp

I went into town two days ago and got the bolts. I actually had some that were lower grade, all I needed to do was take the one in that I had and get more. Yesterday it rained all day so there was no time to work on it. The transom needs to be replaced so I can just make a new transom taller. Here's a picture of the points that are in it but it really greasy in there. Does this all look like it should?