What should I expect out of a 5.5hp Ted Williams?

[OutboardNewbie313]

I'm new to the whole outboard motor thing. I'm hoping someone can give me some insight into the problems I should look for with this motor I bought.

I just picked up an old 1975ish 5.5hp Ted Williams Sears Eska 217.59980 for $80 bucks. It starts on the second pull almost everytime and runs pretty good although I've only ran it in a bucket for no longer then 10 minutes. I already opened the lower gear part and noticed it had almost no oil in the gear case so I ordered the gasket (the very bottom one for the lower gear case) from Sears. I'm hoping after I install the gasket and refill the oil that this problem is solved. The gaskets for the oil hole screws still look good so I don't believe the oil is leaking out from there. I am getting water through the shaft and out the top holes so I'm assuming the pump is still good. Beside these issues, what other things should I look for to fix before I give this thing a good test run on the water? I'd hate for it to blow up on me first time out.

What is the correct oil to fuel ratio? Do I use marine oil or chainsaw/lawnmower oil (I've heard both ways)?

All help and information is greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time and help in advance.

 

[steelespike]

Re: What should I expect out of a 5.5hp Ted Williams?

Water should mist out the relief holes on the leg.If the pump fails it wont hurt the powerhead but will get very hot and must be changed.If your using a remote tank the fuel pump in the carb mounting flange is problematic.
70-73 motors use 24:1 mix 74 and later use 32:1.All my after market manuals
covering all these type motors 55-85 suggest any quality 2 stroke or outboard oil.impeller is weak,fuel pump is weak and solid state ignition is prone to failure.Otherwise a fair entry level motor.

 

[OutboardNewbie313]

Re: What should I expect out of a 5.5hp Ted Williams?

Thanks for the info Steelespike. Have you ever worked on one of these motors? They seem to be pretty simple machines. I'm not a real harcore gearhead but hopefully I'll be able to do the needed repairs myself. If for some reason I can't keep it running correctly do you think a shop that repairs marine engines would work on this antique? I live in Michigan so I'm assuming there should be quite a few places that do that sort of work around here.

 

[steelespike]

Re: What should I expect out of a 5.5hp Ted Williams?

The power head is closer to a big 2 stroke rotary mower motor.
I think a small engine shop would be more familiar with it.The leg perhaps an outboard shop. I think a small mom and pop outboard repair would be more likely to tackle it than a main line shop.Parts are a pain in the butt if you
you haven't been doing it regularly.A Sears repair center might work on it but probably won't have parts.I definately wouldn't put any big money into it.
I'd put the money away and save for a 5,5.5,0r 6 hp Evinrude or Johnson.
smooth,quiet,easy to work on and routine parts are available right here at
iboats or NAPA all the way back to the early 50s.

 

[OutboardNewbie313]

Re: What should I expect out of a 5.5hp Ted Williams?

Well I took the motor out on the water this weekend and it worked great!!! I hooked it up to my 12 foot Sea Eagle inflateable an was leaving wake in no time!! When I got home I checked out everything and noticed that my lower gear oil had turned into a coffee color substance. I believe this means I'm getting water in the lower gear somehow. I have the gaskets coming from Sears for the prop shaft and for the bottom cap that fits on the leg. Hopefully that will fix this issue.

I guess I can't complain. I've only got around 90 bucks invested in motor and parts thusfar. I figure if I can spend another 50 or 60 bucks to get it running in tip top shape I'll still be ahead of the game. New motors at 5hp can break the bank for sure!! I'm cool with my running fossil of a motor for now!!

Thanks for the replies Steelespike...

 

[Big Muddy]

Re: What should I expect out of a 5.5hp Ted Williams?

I bought a 1961 Eska Blue Jet from a guy in 1978 for a canoe I had at the time. It was 17 years old when I bought it and I paid $75 for it.

I have some carb issues to iron out right now, but I'm on my 30th year with this motor and expect to be running it this summer.

Can a motor this old be trusted? The last decent trip I took with this motor was a few years ago, 125 miles down the Allegheny River in western PA.

Run your little "fossil" with confidence. It might run a whole lot better and longer than you expect!

 

[freddyray21]

Re: What should I expect out of a 5.5hp Ted Williams?

if by coffee colored you mean black then it's okay. If you mean coffee with cream yes you are getting water in. Always change the seals on the drain screws. They can seldom be used twice.

 

[OutboardNewbie313]

Re: What should I expect out of a 5.5hp Ted Williams?

I got the coffee with cream for sure. I'll replace the screw gaskets as well as the lower case gasket and the prop seal. I wonder if I can just hit the local Home Depot and find small seals/gaskets for the drain screws? Sears seems to be shipping my parts extra slow. I ordered the lower gear case gasket around 10 days ago and still have not got it in the mail yet. I gotta get my "little engine that could" up and running in tip top shape by May 15th when I hit Fletcher's Floodwaters near Hillman MI for some serious bass and pike fishing!!

 

[fishrdan]

Re: What should I expect out of a 5.5hp Ted Williams?

Sears is going to be slower than molasses in January getting the parts to you, been there, try Certified Parts Corp next time. Use Sears to look up the parts and then call Certified to order, parts are cheaper, quicker shipping and they actually know what you are working on. (Also, Certified is right over in Wisconsin I believe, so shipping time should be very quick to MI)

I had a 7.5 Sears for a few years that ran good. These older outboards are kind of weak since they rated them at crankshaft HP instead of prop HP. I tested my 7.5 HP Ted Williams (Sears) against a Mercury 5HP and I couldn't notice a difference, tested it against a 7.5 HP Mercury,,, night and day difference.

I would also replace the raw water impeller and clean and relube the shift clutch. The shift clutch is an obsolete part so take care of it.

 

[OutboardNewbie313]

Re: What should I expect out of a 5.5hp Ted Williams?

Thanks for the info fishrdan.

Fortunately the person who had this motor before me just changed the impeller, so that shouldn't be an issue. Ok I hate to sound dumb but here goes...What is the shift clutch and where is it located on this outboard? I'm not a real gearhead and I couldn't seem to find this part on my diagrams. What type of lube should I use after cleaning?

I got 22 days to get this Teddy Williams running good so I can catch some largemouth lunkers at Flectchers Pond. Any and all info is greatly appreciated. Thanks for helping support my fishing habit.... lol..lol..I got problems...lol..lol

 

[fishrdan]

Re: What should I expect out of a 5.5hp Ted Williams?

I don't exactly remember where it's located, but I had to change mine and was lucky enough to get one out of a scrap outboard. Let's see if I get this right...

The shift clutch is attached to the crank shaft, extending down into the leg and the lower unit's drive shaft has a splined fitting that slides into the clutch. The spring was bad on mine and it wouldn't shift out of drive, no neutral. I cleaned out the used replacement with carb cleaner and lubed it with marine grease. worked fine for years.

 

[OutboardNewbie313]

Re: What should I expect out of a 5.5hp Ted Williams?

I don't know if my motor has this part because it has no neutral or reverse. As soon as I pull the cord and the motor starts I'm off and running!! I have a slide throttle on the front of the motor that controls the speed. The motor spins all the way around for reverse.