Update on new impeller

[Guppy35]

So i took someone's advice and took my motor apart to check the condition of the impeller.  Turns out the impeller was fine, but the key that holds it in place on the drive shaft was sheared.  So i replaced the key, put new gaskets in and put it back together.  I ran it in a barrel the other day to see how it would react.  (Before replacing it, the motor would start fine, run for 2-4 minutes and then stall.  When trying to start it again it would be seized right up and i couldn't even pull the cord).  So the same thing happened again, it started right up, ran for a few minutes at trolling speed, then stalled and seized up. 

 

ANY ideas as to why this is happening??? I'm stumped. 

[Chas0218]

Need a little info on the motor. Brand, year, hp.  

 

First thing I would do is pull the plugs and check compression and the color of the plugs.  The electrodes should be a light brown color. It doesn't sound good if it is seizing up.

 

Stupid question but is this motor a 2 stroke and are you feeding it mixed gas?

[Guppy35]

The motor is a 1968 Johnson 5hp (2 stroke) and yes i was told to try using a 50-1 mixture for it because the first time i had it out it left a oil smoke cloud.  When it seizes up, i notice that the motor is very hot under the cover, but if i let it set for a day and come back i can start it right back up again.

[lineman49]

Sounds like not enough oil.  Use more oil, its  better/cheaper  to have a smoke cloud & change plugs more often then to seize the motor or burn out a piston.  jmo.

[Sk8man]

Basic question: what kind of gas are you using? Is it ethanol? If the answer is yes it may be your problem it wasn't designed to use it... if it is non-ethanol how old is the gas? Was it "wintered over"? It may have water in it or in the gas line.You may want to check the fuel filter if it has one....it may be more than one issue...

 

You may want to go back to square one with the impeller and check things out again because a hot engine may mean something is plugged there....are you getting a constant stream of water out of the outflow?  I know my old 1979 Johnson had an automatic shut off when it overheated to a certain point  because algae in the water had blocked the intake and impeller.

 

The engine should not be hot at that point and it should not seize up so I would think that it is either an internal problem such as a gasket leak or malfunction, carburator issue, oil is not getting to the engine,  or the water is not cooling the engine because of a blockage of some sort.  

 

I would think that given the age of the motor that 50 to 1 may not be enough oil in the mixture either despite it being well "broken in".

Edited April 24, 2013 by Sk8man

[burkhartm]

I agree with lineman49 about the oil.  We had a 69 Johnson 9 1/2 that used at least a 32:1 ratio if not 24:1.  It was a long time ago... but I remember getting a new outboard that used a 50:1 and thinking we were saving a lot of oil.  You never say if you get a good stream of water?  Sk8man is right a little junk can clog the lines or even just the intake (happened on my old i/o just inside the intake with zebra mussel shells).  Good luck though... something about those old motors...

[finnlander]

do what i do when something mechanical goes wrong. take it to a qualified marine mechanic. 9 times out of 10 in the long run its cheaper and  its repaired properly.

[Guppy35]

Thanks for the comments guys.  The gas i use in it is non ethanol, and i got it from the pump this spring.  I put a new gas line from the tank to the motor as well.  I actually got thinking after i posted this that maybe i need to take a better look at the intake of the impeller and make sure that there isn't something stuck in there that's causing it to now circulate water.  The only problem with the outflow is that it is located just about an inch or two above the propeller so it's underwater.  I'm not sure how to check to see if it's got water coming out or not.

[Sk8man]

Hey Sean I think Finnlander's point is well taken. Sometimes it is safer to bite the bullet and have someone who has messed with the stuff before (probably many times) and also may have the necessary testing equipment etc. to sort it all out. You may have a compound problem there too. Good luck with it.

[Guppy35]

Thanks Les, i think i will take the suggestion of you and Finnlander and take it to a mechanic.  I have a few names of people in the area so i will start calling!

[finnlander]

i used to try and fix just about everything myself. sometimes it worked but most of the time it didn,t or worked for a while  or it didn.t work the way it should just half assed. i used to get frustrated and my blood preasure would go off the chart. my wife [who i consider verey wise] kept telling me to just bite the bullet and  get it repaired by a pro. know my blood preasure is under controll and i sleep at night. and have more time to fish. so in my case the benifets were three fold.

                                                  just my two cents worth

                                                                       finnlander

[Sk8man]

Sometimes its tough to take our wives advice but unfortunately they are usually right...about that kind of stuff anyway

[Guppy35]

Took the advice and dropped it off to a guy that specializes in trolling motors in the area.  We shall see what the result is in about a week.  My wife tries to tell me that i shouldn't go fishing so much, but i tend to disagree!

[Chas0218]

I wish I would have seen your location sooner.  I live in Lindley I could have come over an taken a look.

[Guppy35]

Thanks for the offer Chas, if for some reason i don't get it fixed, i will let you know!

[Chas0218]

Sounds good. Let me know.

[finnlander]

my wife is usually right about most things. took me about 15 years to catch on. maybe a little male pride it bruises very easily. she wants to come salmon fishing with me this summer, which is fine, she likes the sun and being on the water since she is from newfoundland and used to fish with her father when she was younger. anyone else take their wives or is it taboo??????

[rolmops]

Too late now,but these engines are very easy to fix. Compared to all the other mostly bad advice that was posted here,it was the best idea to take it to a mechanic.

Your problem was that there is no cooling water coming to the engine block.

[rolmops]

my wife is usually right about most things. took me about 15 years to catch on. maybe a little male pride it bruises very easily. she wants to come salmon fishing with me this summer, which is fine, she likes the sun and being on the water since she is from newfoundland and used to fish with her father when she was younger. anyone else take their wives or is it taboo??????

To have the daughter of a New Foundland cod fisherman onboard is just about the best thing any fisherman could wish for. I suspect that she can teach you a trick or two

Edited May 3, 2013 by rolmops

[finnlander]

i started catching more fish when she started comming with me...... and yes she has taught me a thing or two......