TOPIC: 1966 40 hp Evinrude Lark re-birth

I've had a 1974 9.9 for years and preformed all the maintenance and repairs(gear replacement, water pump, coils, etc) Now I'm the proud owner of the title engine. (I'll be a little more proud when I get it pressure washed, there were mice in it...) The generator has been removed, and my brothers '62 Big Twin generator has also been removed. Were these being used for something else? Wind generators or something? Y2K emergency preparations? Anyway, are there any generators out there in your spare parts bins? I understand the engine will run on the battery alone, until it runs out of charge and the gear clutch releases its spring, and voila! no forward propulsion! Do I have that correct? I also noticed the choke solenoid was removed (I hope the pistons are still inside... so I e-Bayed one of those and the bracket. There is a spring inside the solenoid, does that mount on the pin in the bottom of the solenoid and fit up inside the plunger that is attached to the choke spring? I'm glad I can figure things out...

Does anyone know if it would be possible to use a later model year ('73+) flywheel/magneto assembly with the charge and exciter coil/regulator with external coil design to get some charging while the engine is running?

First, I got your mail. I don't know the answers to those questions but there are two persons on this site that will have them, Jim Mandros and Bruce Gerrard. Bruce walked me through a change out of my '66 100 hp from cdi to conventional ign. You're talking about a lot of changing. My first motor was a '68 40hp Rude without a generator and I never had a problem with the battery running dead, it uses it to start the motor only and just sits there unless you use your mooring lights. If you have the electric shift I think if you lose power the gear defaults into forward.

On the old electric shift, when the respective Fwd or Reverse electromagnet is energized, it causes the Fwd or Reverse spring to engage its clutch hub to drive the propshaft. When the magnets are deenergized, the gearbox is in Neutral.

So, if you lose power you have no drive at all. Or if a spring breaks, as happened one sunny day Many Moons ago to my Dad while we were fishing in our Glasspar Avalon with a 60hp electric shift V4, you have to motor back to the boat ramp in Reverse! I still recall sitting on the bow with my Uncle, to keep water from pouring over the stern.

On the magneto upgrade, I can't recall if they changed the top of the block casting to accommodate the new-style mag plate. That would be the biggest concern and you'd probably just have to find one and test-fit it. Be sure to get all the parts that go with the plate mounting, as they are quite different from the old-style. I suppose you could make some sort of mounting plate for the external coils. There should be enough room inside to hang the plate in a similar position as the later model engine.

HTH...........ed

I agree with Ed exactly but I'm concerned the timing linkage will be wrong too.

OK, thanks for the input! Since it hasn't been ruled out entirely, I'll explore the possibility.

Well I picked up a generator on e-bay. The sprocket is different from the original shown on the schematic. I hoped they would be interchangeable. Apparently not. The sprocket is 1 in wide, where the one on the schematic is about 3/8 in. And there is an alignment issue, the height is not matching the drive sprocket on the flywheel. I think it may be from a V4 style engine, though other generators listed with this same sprocket claim to be from the 40 hp. Were there different length shafts on the generator if used on the V4? The pictures of other generators show more shaft length. Or perhaps the "correct" sprocket has sufficient reach to be in line with the flywheel? Maybe I could drill a hole and put a set screw in . . .

Remove the sprocket from the shaft. When I bench tested mine I found that there was a spacer on the shaft to raise the sprocket to match up with the engine belt pulley. You may have to remove the spacer if the sprocket sits too high for you. If I recall it's about a 1/2" to 3/4" spacer.
I circled the area here. Mine has no keyway for the sprocket, just sits on the shaft with no way of really tightening it down because the shaft turns with the top nut. My nut is just about flush with the top of the shaft when installed.
Cal

ohhhh, a spacer, maybe that is what I need, my sprocket sits too low.... did it thread on the shaft or was it like a tube that fit over the shaft? If I raise my pulley up, I don't have threads for the nut . . .maybe I need to get the right pulley . . .

Ya, just a tube that slipped over the shaft. If you can fabricate one to fit there should be just enough thread on the shaft to put the lock washer and nut.

how did you bench test it. I tried using a wire brush in my drill to turn the pulley. I had some twitching on the voltmeter, but not much voltage...

I'm doing a cut and paste here from the iboats forum. If you look close by the two bottom terminals you will see a tiny "F" and I think the other is "A" I put a jumper between the F and the generator case. and then run a wire from the generator case to a battery ground, touch another jumper from the A terminal to the battery + and the generator should run like a motor. Just a slight touch though cuz rumor has it that if you let it run like a motor things will go bad. This should also polarize the generator in the right direction. I still haven't gotten my boat out on the water for a speed test to see if the generator works.

"There is a very simple test for the generator. You need a couple of jumper wires with alligator clips on each end.
1. Remove the belt.
2. Just to be safe, I prefer to disconnect the wires from the generator.
3. The battery negative cable must be hooked up.
4. Clip a jumper wire to the generator Field terminal stud. That is the smaller one. Clip the other end to a good ground on the powerhead.
5. Clip another jumper to the battery positive terminal. Clip the other end to the generator Armature terminal. That is the larger one. The generator should run slowly like a motor. If it does, the generator is working. Run it just long enough for a test. It is not good to run it long and overheat it.

This only determines whether it is working NOW. It says nothing about the condition of the brushes etc.

Make sure you identify the larger and smaller terminals correctly. If you hook it up backwards it will polarize the generator backwards. Let's not get into that just now.

Hi All! I pulled the lower unit to change the impeller. Before pulling it, I tried the forward and reverse buttons, they were locking the clutches. When I pulled it, the was some bare wire showing through a crack in the insulation. I checked the resistance, none, either between the two coils or between coil and ground. The manual says there should be 8 ohms . . . Could this be due to improper(conductive) lube? or anything else? I'd rather not have to rebuild it, but that is partly why I bought it...

As the saying goes. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". If the clutches are locking up like they are supposed to I would leave them alone. Clean up all those bare/cracked areas with some solvent and use some heat shrink tube to fix 'em up.
Sounds like you already know this but there is a special lube for the lower unit. Type "c" from OMC. There are some knock off brands but I usually stick with the OMC brand. Those are $$$$$ units to replace.

So I opened the water pump. There is a little pitting and some ridge worn into the housing and plate. The gear case seal is worn away and the driveshaft is wobbly, probably why the seal is worn, unless some wobble is normal, I doubt it. That is a needle bearing. Will the needles fall out if I remove the driveshaft to just change the seal? I kinda think so. I doubt that I could get the bearing out without opening the lower halves, and then what is the likelihood the drive shaft is worn too much... oh brother..... any thoughts?

Just my thought but unless you're pretty handy with wrenches and loaded with cash it might be less trouble to either get a different lower unit or see what's available on Craigslist. I see that one needle bearing is $140. + not to mention what you might find if you open it up.
On another note. At Kosh I'll be looking for someone to ride along when my motor would be taking it's initial first open water run. You have to be knowledgeable on use of a paddle and towing line handling. Or things just might go alright.

Cal, I would be honored to ride with you! I need to clear it all with my wife... When do you think this would happen?
Also the bearing in question is #28 under the water pump, I wouldn't need to pull the prop shaft . . .

It would be Saturday afternoon when most of the group goes out for a group run. Just a cruise around the lake and then back. If the Admiral wants to come along she's more than welcome, I'll throw in an extra life jacket. Plenty of seating in that buggy. The Anchor Inn where the event is held has their own bar and grill. The admission price for boat owners covers everything including tickets for drinks and food.
Here's their site to look around on.
www.anchorfun.com/menu/

Ok, sounds great. I'm and excited to meet you and go for a ride! A nice overcast forecast so we don't have to worry about sunburn too! (trying to be optimistic, there is rain expected). I still hope to bring my Rocket, I need lot's of advice. My buddy also just bought one on Saturday! Much nicer than mine! I don't know if he'll bring his (why not?). He has the fever, this is his first boat! Should be fun!

I'll be watching the weather. No point of me making the 3 hour drive if it's going to be raining all day. Will let you know.

Right, could just as well spend 3 hrs (each way) chatting on here, or on the phone! The weatherunderground site is showing 75% at 10 am through 10 pm... it could change, but . . . . I'm trying to get the upper seal under the water pump out without removing the driveshaft, since I don't want to mess with the needle bearings around the pinion gear and drive shaft. however is Saturday is rained out I could not be in a hurry to get it back together, but the drive shaft is necked down, and the seal between the 2 lower halves is leaked when I turned it upside down to drain more of the gear lube out. So a drive shaft and upper bearing and seal with the middle seal would be a complete fix, without going into the gearbox itself. How are those pinion bearings to work with? I am good with the tools, a little short on cash...

Ok, humpty dumpty is back together! Good enough for now. So what oil/fuel ratio should be used ? (1966 40 hp Evinrude Lark) I think I read that 24:1 I had an outboard mechanic tell me that leaner mixtures can be used with the newer lubricants. What mixture should be used? Should some sort of re-lead be used? The carb was rebuilt in 2008 so the seals and gaskets should be good with the ethanol...

Well, between the backyard deck and the stubborn flywheel, I am finally back at it! I am not getting spark. I checked the coils, one was bad, replaced. the condensers had no leak to ground, and the points look ok. I bypassed the safety switch and vacuum cutout to be sure they were not the problem. No spark, either cylinder. The high voltage wires had continuity through the plug boot. Ignition switch? Any other thoughts?

Several things to talk about. Forget about the later ignition system/charging system. OMC had more problems with those than the old reliable points system by far! The generator can be pesky, but now that you have one might as well make the best of it. You can go on MarineEngine. com to look up parts. I think you will find there are two different pulleys that are making up you heigth difference? That and the spacer should allow you to figure that out. You can remove the driveshaft without fear of needle bearings falling out anywhere unless a bearing has failed in which case you need to replace it anyway. Any water in this system can not be tolerated. It does take the C type lubricant & does not mix with water well. I just bought 4 of these gearcases at Tomahawk for $100, but I have been searching for a while. They are pretty cheap when you find them. Very mis-understood system. The most important thing is good connections and a good switch! The unit can not go into both gears at once! BAM! Something has to give if that happens. Get you an OMC service manual off Ebay. Later the better. 1970 was the last year for this unit. The motor must run properly so you can shift at low RPMs. You can't rev the engine & shift! The tangs of the springs must be against the gears before they are tightened down. It is all in the manual. You can seal the gearcase without complete disassembly. Good luck & let me know if I can help further.
Oh, your points must have perfect continuity. Make them bright & shiny. Run a business card thru them last. Even a new condensor can be bad (Sierra) although both new ones should not be? Disconnect the two black wires coming out from under the mag plate. These are the stop button. (Pretty sure this model has that, could be shorted).

Dan in TN

Don't matter how the points "look" if they're dirty. They must be disassembled, cleaned to bare metal then contacts degreased. If they look dicey, replace them. A "tune-up kit" is inexpensive and a good insurance policy against failure of old parts.

My favorite way of cleaning/polishing points is with a whetstone, as it'll cut the points without taking too much material away. Polish the bare metal with crocus cloth. Set to a slightly "loose" .020".

To do a spark test, take an extra plug and open up the ground electrode (or remove it) so there's a large gap to jump. Insert plug in the spark plug wire's boot & lay against the block. Crank over the engine and you should get a hot, purple/bluish spark. If it's orange you've got a weak spark.

HTH..........ed

Ok, thanks for the info. I'll let you know how it goes!

Houston, We have ignition! The rocket engine is running! Cleaning up those points did it! I should have known better but, thanks to all! Woo Hoo! Now to put her in! a little temporary repair on the keel and transom Splish splash this weekend!

ok, ran it this weekend. the idle is a little rough, but i hope some new points will clear that up. concerned about the oil and emulsion dripping from the lower unit drain holes and exhaust port when we pulled it out of the water. I did replace the upper gearcase seal under the water pump. could this be unburned engine oil from the exhaust? the geargase fluid typc C I put in was red. the leaking stuff is black...

Most likely is burnt fuel & oil residue. It would smell like gear lube if it was that? You can lessen the amount by making sure the engine is in best tune (you are working on that) & making sure it is up to operating temperature at idle (143 degrees). That should be uncomfortable to the touch of your hand for a prolonged period of time or shoot it with a temp gun if you have one. A new thermostat may be in order? Make sure the seat for the thermostat is in good shape. Even a small amount of leakage can make a big difference, especially if you live in cold water area when it returns. A cold running engine will not run as well as You will have to adjust it to run rich to compensate for lean spits, etc.

Dan in TN

Ditto

My 61 40HP does the same thing but it's just burnt stuff coming out. I'm dealing with my ignition and carb too. I finally tracked down a rebuild kit and the parts are in for the ignition. I'm not sure how similar our motors are but ed-mc told me to start by popping the knob of the mixture adjuster, turning it all the way right until it's gently seated, then go 1 and 3/4 turns counter clockwise to establish a base point. I'm doing that today and running it on Sunday so I'll let you know how it goes ! It's great on the top end but the bottom ain't right. Have a great day.

that sounds like mine too. i'm completing the ignition rebuild, hopefully that will clear it up. the lo speed adjustment you described helped some, but . . .

I'm finding that EVERY part of my fuel system has an issue so I'm replacing all the hoses everywhere and eliminating the fitting at the motor. You might find some cracks in your lines if they are original. You won't see them, but they are there. It ran better on Sunday but fuel was pissing out that fitting so it's gone. I might actually be able to keep prime now. Once that's achieved I can tweak. I'd suggest removing your fuel lines and giving them a serious once over. My looked good, nice and soft, dark black and everything. Then I pulled on one and it snapped off just under the carb ! Hoses are cheaper than fuel or mechanics so that's my starting point. Good luck.