Grrr

[Victor]

All set to go out tomorrow, the (*&^%$ shifting linkage broke in half. Rats! Could just leave her in forward, she started and ran fine that way last time. Actually I found this a better way to maneuver around the dock anyway. When you shut the engine off the prop provides just the right amount of drag to slow you down without losing steerage. Better than frantically shifting back and forth and forgetting which way to steer in reverse - just like Murdoch! Hard aport, full astern! I wonder if he really did that.

This old Johnson is definitely DIY. No one will touch it. Can't blame them. Fix one thing, break another - and who pays?

[ 07-15-2005, 07:59 PM: Message edited by: Victor ]

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

Victor.......How old is your Johnson outboard motor?
I have a 1961 75HP collecting dust in the garage. If I can help with linkage parts, let me know.
Peace---> Kevin in Ohio

[martin schulz]

We are talking about a sailboat, right? ;)

[Victor]

Turned out to be the piece the shift lever goes into, split in half. I know where to get another one, thanks, but I'll let you know if I can use your largesse.

[bamamick]

Good luck, Victor. I have had the worst luck in the world while trying to operate a sailboat with a motor. Motors are just not dependable.

They are supposed to pull the 25 horse Perkins out of my schooner this morning. Nothing really wrong with it but a seal leak. They will clean the bilge, clean and paint the motor, new belts, filters, etc. I hate motors breaking down so much, it's worth it to me to just have the whole thing made new.

Mickey Lake

[Victor]

Sailboat? Who said anything about a sailboat? I come from a long line of sailors, and it took me long enough to come out of the closet. I don't need no stinkin sails, I want a big Johnson! tongue.gif

When I want to commune with nature I drift. Half the sailors you see at any given moment are under power anyway.

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Right on Victor... What size Johnson is it? :confused:

[Victor]

An old 75, like the one in the Alan Jackson song. She just won't die. I've had two Mercs and they've been nothing but trouble. This one is like the Energizer Bunny. But that old aluminum sure is brittle, and of course all the bolts are spalled or seized except the ones I've replaced or broken.

All the old-timers look at her and say yep I used to work on those, nope I won't do it now. The plan was to upgrade, but the fuel economy on the new units still sucks so bad it's hardly worth the trouble. For several thousand dollars I'm gonna get another 2 mpg? I don't think so. The only real problem with these old motors is the oil they spill. I'm planning to run castor oil.

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

The one that was shaped sort of triangular on the cover with the fat part at the back? Four cylinder .... a great old motor.

[Victor]

Yeah, a V4. They used that same block until only a few years ago. Still a great motor, and cheap! I thought they were inordinately heavy, but the local Johnson dealer showed me the weights of the new ones and they're not much lighter. The 4-strokes are heavier, of course. 60 or 61 was the first year they went with the alternator design, which was the basic configuration of all outboards for 40 years. I still don't think this motor has been significantly improved upon in terms of weight, power/weight ratio, reliability, and fuel economy. Lucky for me everyone else thinks it's junk, so I can get all I want of them for practically nothing. They made millions of 'em.