Help with Ted Williams 4.5 HP

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Y_J

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OK gang. I'm stuck. I have a Sears Ted Williams 4.5 HP, model #: 217-59464. Has a Tecumseh engine with a brand new Short Block in it.
I'm having a problem with no spark to the spark plug. So.... Taking the suggestion of a couple of you guys I started breaking down the motor to get to the electronics under the hood. I've been through the parts images at Sears Parts Direct and it seems that this motor does in fact have points. I'm thinking that just maybe when the engine was assembled last time, maybe a ground wire didn't get so grounded.
Now. Here's the problem I'm up against. I've spent the last couple of days trying to figure out how to get the flywheel off so I can get to those electronics. I've taken off everything from the top down to that point. I called Sears Parts Direct today in hopes of acquiring an Owners Manual for this motor but no dice. I've checked through eBay a few times and found one but it's on a DVD that I guess I'm going to have to get and just print it out myself. But in the mean time, does anyone here have any experience with this motor that could clue me in on how to get the flywheel off. There are no screws or bolts on top and I've been all the way around underneath with a flashlight and haven't found anything. The bolt that comes up through the center of it is still there and appears to be a part of the flywheel itself but the diagrams don't show it that way.
Can somebody help me out here, PLEASE......
 
I can't help you specifically, but I would give this guy a holler and see if he has any insight.

https://www.maxrules.com/fixelink.html

When I first got my 1648 and before I did any modifications, I ran it with a 1965 Johnson 5 hp. Great little motor by the way. This was the best place I could find for old outboard parts and he seems really knowledgeable on older outboards. I think he charges for more in depth troubleshooting/diagnosis', but I would hope he wouldn't charge someone to explain how to remove a flywheel. Might even be able to get you an owners manual. Worth a shot anyway.
 
Is there not an inspection hole on top of the flywheel to clean and adjust the points? Just a quick search told me it's a '74 model and referenced these three sites for info. I have NOT looked at them.

https://www.precisionservoutboard.com/Information/ArtsFivePointPlan/tabid/65/Default.aspx

https://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=158086

https://www.duckworksmagazine.com/07/columns/max/articles.htm

Now, I've 'played with only a handfull of outboards, but every one had a nut on top of the crankshaft, holding the flywheel on. Put a ratchet on the nut, and wack it with the handle of a hammer. Don't pry up on the flywheel. Leave the nut on, and flush with the top of the crankshaft(keeps the flywheel from flying off when it pops loose). You need a 'harmonic balancer puller'. A simple, cheap wheel puller may just bend. Hardened steel washers, and 'grade 8' hardened bolts. For my '52 Johnson, I needed three 1/4X 20X 3" bolts. Yours may be different. I used a 12" cresent wrench to back up the wheel puller and a 10" ratchet on the center nut of the puller. I tighened SO HARD I thought it would break but it finally popped off.
 
They may have a manual here...

https://www.boatsportandtackle.com/manuals/

Does the fly wheel have cooling fins, just curious.

Since there are no holes for mounting of a puller (unless you get a real wide gap puller, or fab something, or...) your best bet would be the tapping on the crankshaft (don't drop the key when it comes apart).
I also like to gently tap up on the outer edge of the flywheel using a piece of wood or something.
Don't hit it too hard.

Got pics?

BTW how do you get YJ from your real name?
 
Not to change the subject but I've got a Sears Ted Williams also. But mine isn't rated in horsepower. It's rated in caliber, 22 caliber semi automatic to be more specific. I wonder how many different items Sears plastered old Ted's name on. haha
 
Y_J, found this, this morning. Might help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofmrcjuD9d8&spfreload=10

Still don't like the idea of prying up the edge of the flywheel. But that's just me.
Gary
 
I've got a tester that test condensers. but I'm in ga. and coils lol! working on boats is what I do full time so I've got a lot of old test equipment. maybe points gap?
 
southga said:
I've got a tester that test condensers. but I'm in ga. and coils lol! working on boats is what I do full time so I've got a lot of old test equipment. maybe points gap?

I was thinking gap and or corrosion. Of course I get another guess if the coil is falling apart. :D
 
ggoldy said:
Is there not an inspection hole on top of the flywheel to clean and adjust the points?
I didn't see one. Just the three holes for the rope pulley and what appeared to be some sort of a key slot.
ggoldy said:
You need a 'harmonic balancer puller'. A simple, cheap wheel puller may just bend. Hardened steel washers, and 'grade 8' hardened bolts. For my '52 Johnson, I needed three 1/4X 20X 3" bolts. Yours may be different. I used a 12" crescent wrench to back up the wheel puller and a 10" ratchet on the center nut of the puller. I tightened SO HARD I thought it would break but it finally popped off.
I was just watching a video about that. Thanks. I'll see what I can come up with tomorrow.
 
SumDumGuy said:
They may have a manual here...

https://www.boatsportandtackle.com/manuals/

Does the fly wheel have cooling fins, just curious.
Thanks. I found one on ebay. It's on CD and I'm not to wild about that but hopefully I can print out the pages that I need.

SumDumGuy said:
Since there are no holes for mounting of a puller (unless you get a real wide gap puller, or fab something, or...) your best bet would be the tapping on the crankshaft (don't drop the key when it comes apart).
I also like to gently tap up on the outer edge of the flywheel using a piece of wood or something.
Don't hit it too hard.

Got pics?

BTW how do you get YJ from your real name?

I may go to AutoZone tomorrow. I hear that they loan tools, and see If maybe they will have something that will work.
Pics will be coming tomorrow. Thanks for reminding me. :oops:

YJ.. Hmmm I wondered if someone would hit on that one :) My grandmother (my mothers mother) had property inside of Yosemite National Park so the whole time I was growing up, we were there nearly every weekend. When I got old enough to have a job (13-14) I would work in the horse stables so I could stay there all summer long. When I had become an adult, and my grandmother had passed, I tried to take over the lease on the property but the government wouldn't go for it. They said that her lifetime lease meant just her lifetime. Darn. At any rate I still spent any free time I could get in Yosemite. I have hiked and backpack several hundred miles there over the years and have even been to the top of the Half Dome in Yosemite a couple of times. By then my friends had taken to calling me a Yosemite Junkie cause just about any time I disappeared, that's where they could find me :) so I started using Yosemite Junkie as a online suado name and eventually shortening it down to YJ. Now that's what most people I know call me. Just YJ.
 
southga said:
I've got a tester that test condensers. but I'm in ga. and coils lol! working on boats is what I do full time so I've got a lot of old test equipment. maybe points gap?
That's what I was thinking when I started tearing it down. Either gap or burnt, or something not grounded right.
I've got a multitester here. I wonder if I could figure out how to use it to test some of this stuff.
 
ggoldy said:
Y_J, found this, this morning. Might help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofmrcjuD9d8&spfreload=10

Still don't like the idea of prying up the edge of the flywheel. But that's just me.
Gary
Watched that video. He did have some decent ideas. Seems to me that prying on the edge might bend or warp it somehow.
 
Not alot of time, will comment further tomorrow.

Check out the troubleshooting guide at this link (link is mine and is safe)....

https://jmp.sh/GktxvH8
 
SumDumGuy said:
Not alot of time, will comment further tomorrow.

Check out the troubleshooting guide at this link (link is mine and is safe)....

https://jmp.sh/GktxvH8
Got it and downloaded after reading it.. Thanks so much SDG. Gives me some info to work with. Really appreciate it.
 
Here are some of the pics as promised. BTW I did manage to get the flywheel off today using one of the techniques used in the video I watched yesterday. Shown in the photo's.
Using a large screwdriver and a hammer, I put a bit of pressure under the FW and tapped the shaft with the hammer, turning the FW a quarter turn between each shaft tap. After 5 or 6 taps the FW came loose and I was able to wiggle it the rest of the way loose and lift it off, being careful not to loose the the key in the process.
The condenser seems to have some rust or corrosion on the outside and the points had some sort of residue on the top side though I haven't pulled them out just yet. Trying to find the instructions for my multimeter so I know where to set it for some of the different tests in there.
 

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ggoldy said:
That looks MUCH cleaner than my Johnson was! Coil looks new. Points and condenser and you may be in business.

That's what I thought, too.

You can see if the condenser (capacitor) will charge and discharge, which is more than likely.

Then clean up and set the points.

You can aggressively clean the points by putting a very fine sand paper or emery cloth (preferred) in between while they are closed and work it back and forth. Follow that up with a cloth soaked in acetone or alcohol to ensure removal of any oil and or particulates.
You wont have to be to forceful in the clean, you're just trying to remove dirt/oil and oxidation.
 
Yep. I'm gonna try to get to those points and get them cleaned up tomorrow. Been spending most all my time the last few days, trying to level the ground where my portable garage is being set up. The ground at the back is 2' lower than that at the front. That makes for a lot of dirt I have to cart in there. 10' wide and 17' long. UGGGGG.
I want to try another spark test also, in a different way I didn't think of the other day when I originally did it.
Thanks guys for all the input. I really appreciate it.
BTW here is two more pics of the flywheel, of the underside, that I took today..
 

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