rebuilding an 1962 evenrude 40HP, no idea what i'm doing!

[steveh2112]

i just bought a 14' starcraft with trailer and a 40HP vintage evenrude for the princely sum of $250! i'm putting a new transom and floor in the boat which i can handle ok i think, but the motor is another story

it was completely disassembled by the previous owner and i believe i have all the parts, at least it looks that way so far.

its not completely disassembled, the lower unit gear box was in one piece and the power head main block is in one piece. the head, carbs, starter, etc is off.

so i stated looking at reassembling the lower half, i seem to have all the bolts, the water pump looks good, has copper pipes to feed to the power head. the drive shaft spins the prop shaft ok and forward/reverse seems fine.

so my questions are, when i put the water pump housing top piece back on, does that need a gasket? i don't see one in the parts box but he may have thrown the old gaskets away. since i probably can't buy a gasket, how would i make one if needed?

when i reassemble the lower unit to the mid section, do i put some kind of liquid gasket between the casings?

should the bolts holding the lower unit to the mid sections have split washers? i can't seem to find any in the parts box.

thats' as far as i've go so far, thanks

[Sailmonkey]

The lower unit needs to be periodically dropped to service the water pump…..do not glue it on. You also don’t want to use split washers, they chew into the aluminum of the leg.

[steveh2112]

what about thread locker then? and should i use RTV between the aluminum casings?

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by steveh2112

what about thread locker then? and should i use RTV between the aluminum casings?

Use nothing between the casings….maybe grease.

I’ve always used grease or lanocote on the bolts as well.

[Ramona]

Find the right section on this page to suit your motor.


https://leeroysramblings.com/

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by steveh2112

i just bought a 14' starcraft with trailer and a 40HP vintage evenrude for the princely sum of $250! i'm putting a new transom and floor in the boat which i can handle ok i think, but the motor is another story

it was completely disassembled by the previous owner and i believe i have all the parts, at least it looks that way so far.

its not completely disassembled, the lower unit gear box was in one piece and the power head main block is in one piece. the head, carbs, starter, etc is off.

so i stated looking at reassembling the lower half, i seem to have all the bolts, the water pump looks good, has copper pipes to feed to the power head. the drive shaft spins the prop shaft ok and forward/reverse seems fine.

so my questions are, when i put the water pump housing top piece back on, does that need a gasket? i don't see one in the parts box but he may have thrown the old gaskets away. since i probably can't buy a gasket, how would i make one if needed?

when i reassemble the lower unit to the mid section, do i put some kind of liquid gasket between the casings?

should the bolts holding the lower unit to the mid sections have split washers? i can't seem to find any in the parts box.

thats' as far as i've go so far, thanks

I've heard that Phuket is loaded with guys that have the skills to fix these - usually very cheap. You already got a good deal on the boat. Spread the joy around and hire somebody to do it. OTH, 40hp does seem a bit excessive for a 14' skiff. Maybe swap it to some fisherman for a 15hp Yamaha that's in one piece and runs.

[steveh2112]

actually i'm in upstate new york now. if i was in thailand i'd let a pro do it, here in the US you need to figure it out for yourself unless you have deep pockets.

[freshalaska]

I’ve had a few of those 40hp evinrudes over the years and they are heavy shake badly and use a lot of fuel. Really they are a very poor design. I wouldn’t bother with them and I don’t think you can find parts any longer. They where made around in the 70’s. The manual rewinds would break all the time and well I hated them. Up to you.

[freshalaska]

I’ve had a few of those 40hp evinrudes over the years and they are heavy shake badly and use a lot of fuel. Really they are a very poor design. I wouldn’t bother with them and I don’t think you can find parts any longer. They where made around in the 70’s. The manual rewinds would break all the time and well I hated them. Fouled spark plugs and where hard to start. Up to you.

[steveh2112]

Originally Posted by freshalaska

I’ve had a few of those 40hp evinrudes over the years and they are heavy shake badly and use a lot of fuel. Really they are a very poor design. I wouldn’t bother with them and I don’t think you can find parts any longer. They where made around in the 70’s. The manual rewinds would break all the time and well I hated them. Fouled spark plugs and where hard to start. Up to you.

i have some reservations about even trying to get it back together. i don't want to spend any serious money on it. i figure i'll put a week into it and if no progress i'll sell on ebay for parts

[Jammer]

Exploded diagram with part numbers available at Crowley Marine:


https://www.crowleymarine.com/johnson-evinrude/734.cfm


If memory serves, the 1962 and 1968 were effectively the same except for the change from an aluminum to fiberglass cowling.


I have repaired several 1960s era outboards. Johnson/Evinrude still have good service parts availability. The frustration comes when dealing with parts that have failed that are not a routine part of service and which are difficult to substitute, particularly plastic/rubber parts where junkyard parts are no better than what you're trying to replace. Tiller handle, fuel shutoff valve packing, rubber insert between propeller and hub. I believe your 1962 would still have the two-line pressurized fuel tank system for which components are available but costly to source.


Whether it's worth it depends on the condition of the motor (particularly cylinders and rings as these fail over time and can no longer be replaced with new) and your goals for it. Good luck

[pesarsten]

One important thing, the motor needs to be reassembled after being meticulously cleaned. Even a hair that finds its way into one of the needle bearings will cause a bearing failure. Find a repair manual and an evinrude parts guy and ask for advice.

[steveh2112]

if i can't get the power head running, i'm thinking of getting a cheap motor like this https://www.surpluscenter.com/Engine...ne-28-1877.axd and connecting it to the lower unit.

i don't know what kind of coupling i'd need for the shaft but this motor is 1" and i think the outboard shaft is 1"

also don't know about the rpm, the motor would have to be set up for variable speed

[steveh2112]

i am thinking i can buy a used lawn mower engine with a vertical shaft just to try out the concept.

for the coupling i guess i'd use a jaw coupling like this
https://www.surpluscenter.com/Power-...f-1-3421-9.axd

the outboard has a 5/8" 14 tooth spline which i think is not a standard spline, must be evinrude custom, i can't find much that used 14 tooth spline anywhere so that looks like a problem. i think the motor size no problem, they seem to use a simple keyed shaft.

this couple should handle the power from a lawnmower motor
https://www.ebay.com/itm/114506090354
maybe just fit a key into one of the spline slots