18hp Johnson in intensive care

When I was a kid, my brothers and I used to take apart every kind of motor we could get our hands on. We moved from the lawnmower to motorcycles and eventually to our cars, rebuilt engines and all. Well, I'm older now and and wiser but have lost my skills or my courage (or both). I'm gonna need a lot of help. The first two pics are of a 1964 Johnson FD-18E I inherited and have some vague notions of making run again.

The first one looks hopeful.



The next one less so...



Tonight I took out the mouse nest and am beginning to worry...



Now you guys with skills and experience may not be fazed by that but on a closer view it seems pretty bad to me. Unless I'm mistaken, this was once a carburetor. It now looks more like some ancient Roman thing dragged up from the sea floor. I'm no expert, but that's pretty ugly.



In this one you can see down the throat a little better.



This wire or more correctly rubber insulation was stuffed inside but not connected to anything and, there was no wire inside. I don'tknow if it belongs or was a part of the mouse nest.







Two bits of good news: the motor turns over so it's not seized up. The other is that both plugs were oily which might mean the cylinder walls aren't too rusty or nasty.





So, the question is, where to start? Do I start by taking the carb off and try to clean it? Do I dismantle the whole thing and see what's in there. Do I do the minimum to see if it will run at all and if so what is the minimum? I'm not so much afraid to try as I am afraid of making a mess of it so I'll take any and all help and suggestions and remember I'm not too proud to put it back in the garage and forget about it forever if that's the best thing to do. My manhood's not at stake here so it's not one of those projects. Thanks in advance.

Looks like the engine is worth saving to me. Try and verify compression for one and second, pull the lower screw in the gearcase and see if it has oil or water in it. If oil thats great. Shopping list would include coils, points, condensors, water pump kit, (all available from an authorized johnson evinrude dealer)and then look for a replacement carburetor. Ebay has lots of parts on it and sometimes just takes a little patience. Also go to AOMCI.org and put an ad in there for a used carburetor. While looking you can start on the repairs and servicing of the engine. The "wire" you took off was a hose. You should see two nipples near the front of the powerhead where it went .

Thanks pappy. I wondered if it was a hose but the I.D. is so small I thought not.

Pappy said:

Looks like the engine is worth saving to me. Try and verify compression for one and second, pull the lower screw in the gearcase and see if it has oil or water in it. If oil thats great. Shopping list would include coils, points, condensors, water pump kit, (all available from an authorized johnson evinrude dealer)and then look for a replacement carburetor. Ebay has lots of parts on it and sometimes just takes a little patience. Also go to AOMCI.org and put an ad in there for a used carburetor. While looking you can start on the repairs and servicing of the engine. The "wire" you took off was a hose. You should see two nipples near the front of the powerhead where it went .

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I agree with Pappy. One thing some people don't realize is if you drain the lower unit and find any water mixed in refill it and don't leave it empty, you can ruin a lower unit very quickly if it is left emply after water was found in it.

Bufford

I would check the compression before doing anything. Any motor can be saved if the compression is good. The good news is that parts are still generally available for these old motors.

Yes, I agree it's certainly worth fixing if has compression and it didn't cost you much.
This could turn into another hobby for you though.
Also agree the Antique Outboard Forum is a good resource for a parts, manual and
knowledge.
Another option is to trade it. There are a lot of guys around the twin cities that like to
fix up motors and resell, check craigslist. You could probably work a deal for a vintage
motor in working condition.

So when I check the compression, how many times do I need to turn it over until I have a good reading? The cord pulls pretty hard and only gets a couple of revolutions. Also, should I squirt some oil into the spark plug holes to lubricate above the piston before I do too much pulling? I haven't looked at what the compression should be but I'll report as soon as I get it tested.

Lubricating the cylinders is a good idea esp since it looks like it setup for a long time. Lubricate the cylinders (a few squirts of oil) and rotate the fly wheel clockwise a few revolutions by hand. Then do your compression test. You'll notice the dial on the compression tester peaks out after a few pulls. Go with that number. Good luck.

Pull both spark plugs when you do the compression test. It will make it easier to pull and you will get a higher reading. Spray some WD-40 in the cylinders and pull the rope 4-5 times.

Your most likely going to have to buy another carburetor so keep an eye on ebay. To get it running right your probably going to have to replace the ignition system, fuel pump, fuel lines, and the carb. Add up the cost and see if its something worth doing. That motor isn't really valuable. It my area running its only worth around $200 tops but it could be worth double where your from.

This is a good on line source for parts. I got some genuine OMC parts for my 1958 Evinrude from here.

https://www.marineengine.com/

Here's a link to the parts catalogue for your motor - https://www.marineengine.com/parts/vintage-evinrude-johnson/380047/catalog.html?https://www.marineengine.com/parts/vintage-evinrude-johnson/380047/38004700001.htm

bobberboy said:

So when I check the compression, how many times do I need to turn it over until I have a good reading? The cord pulls pretty hard and only gets a couple of revolutions. Also, should I squirt some oil into the spark plug holes to lubricate above the piston before I do too much pulling? I haven't looked at what the compression should be but I'll report as soon as I get it tested.

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I Agree. Lubricate the cylinders before doing any pulling on the starting rope. If there is something on the walls(rust or scale) , it could damage them quicker than you realize. I might would even put a hefty amount of oil in the cylinders myself and let it set overnight before pulling too vigorously on that rope..

KMixson said:

bobberboy said:

So when I check the compression, how many times do I need to turn it over until I have a good reading? The cord pulls pretty hard and only gets a couple of revolutions. Also, should I squirt some oil into the spark plug holes to lubricate above the piston before I do too much pulling? I haven't looked at what the compression should be but I'll report as soon as I get it tested.

Click to expand...

I Agree. Lubricate the cylinders before doing any pulling on the starting rope. If there is something on the walls(rust or scale) , it could damage them quicker than you realize. I might would even put a hefty amount of oil in the cylinders myself and let it set overnight before pulling too vigorously on that rope..

Click to expand...

It seems like a good idea. I was going to work on it tonight but had to run errands instead. I'm waiting for a compression tester anyway so in the mean time I'm going to try to get the carb off and I'll let the oil work some magic inside the cylinders while I wait. Speaking of off, I have tomorrow off and hope to get some fishing in before the rain starts again. If it rains I'll pull the car out of the garage and work on the motor in there.

The motor is out of intensive care and has been upgraded to living. My brother came down and we did a compression check this morning. The top cylinder is 120# and the lower is 110#. I oiled the cylinders through the spark plug hole and we used jumpers to turn the starter. It turned over freely and a shot of fuel down the throat and it fired and ran for a second or two. It's still a mess but now I know it's worth the time to clean up and fix up. I guess the carb is the next project. I don't know whether to rebuild or replace. I also need to get a manual before I take too much apart.
I got two pressure tanks with the motor but no hose so I have to find that also. What is the best way to clean out the tanks?

bobberboy said:

What is the best way to clean out the tanks?

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Empty the tank and fill it with small rocks. Then shake vigorously. I have used that method on on tanks before and it works like a charm.

You mentioned you have two "pressure tanks". A pressure tank has two lines, one for a fuel supply to the engine and the second for crankcase pressure that feeds and pressurizes the tank and pushes the fuel to the engine, hence the name pressure tank. On your engine you have a fuel pump and need only a single line tank.
Also, don't be fooled by the engine firing on a shot of fuel (although thats a great sign) you should still be replacing lots of service parts before running the engine for an extended time.