1968 Johnson 5HP

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  • June 20, 2022 at 4:13 pm #261725
    Anonymous

      Hello,

      I know NADA about antique outboards, so maybe one of you would advise me? A relative died and left a 1968 5HP Johnson OB  in his garage; he used it as recently as a couple years ago to power a small sailboat once in awhile.  I don’t know if it’s ready to use again or would need a tune up or new parts to be viable. I know nothing about what it may be worth or how to find out. Would be grateful for any counsel you members might provide to me. Thank you.

       

      June 20, 2022 at 4:19 pm #261727
      frankr
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        US MEMBER PAY BY CHECK

        Salt water????

        • This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by frankr.
        June 20, 2022 at 7:15 pm #261742
        crosbyman
        Participant

          Canada Member

          good little kicker  easy to service  parts  available…propeller turns  counter clockwise  if my memory is ok            so the prop  is left handed … more $$$$

          price  depends on condition and amount of TLC

          In  fresh water  away from the sea  they last longer   purr all day …   no reverse gear to fail  you simply  turn the motor around  180 degrees

          I buy  4-5 hps  mostly around 75$ CDN …refurbisgh them  and resell $150 CDN    (no tank incl.)

          but depending on demand  a good kicker  can fetch  200$  +   prices vary a lot          some sellers are crazy  with prices

           

          Joining AOMCI has priviledges 🙂

          June 20, 2022 at 10:34 pm #261751
          Mumbles
          Participant

            The mid 60’s five horse motors were composed of a detuned six horse powerhead grafted to a three or four horse lower unit. Why OMC did that I don’t know unless they had a lot of spare parts laying around. They are excellent trolling motors but as mentioned, they are direct drive with no neutral or reverse gear. The left hand prop is unique to this motor and a replacement can be hard to find if it gets damaged or broken. The motor drinks a 50:1 fuel mix and uses the common Universal Magneto under the flywheel so coils, points, and condensers are readily available as is the impeller for the water pump.

            One thing I find which wears out on them is the spring loaded nylon follower which rides in notches on the rear of the mag plate.  When it wears down, the throttle/speed lever on the port side doesn’t want to stay where you set it. This can get annoying after a while.

            June 21, 2022 at 7:56 am #261764
            crosbyman
            Participant

              Canada Member

              last one I sold felt  pretty solid/strong compared to it’s  cousin 4hp …just a feeling but that extra 1hp  made a big difference ….   I know it was  a 25% boost

              Joining AOMCI has priviledges 🙂

              June 21, 2022 at 8:37 am #261765
              frankr
              Participant

                US MEMBER PAY BY CHECK

                The reason for the OMC 5hp was Sears.  Sears was selling their Eska-built motors like crazy.  So, OMC built their 5hp to directly compete.  The strategy was to offer a good, high quality, motor at a competitive price to Eska’s noisy lawn mower-on-a prop.  Didn’t work, as Sears continued to out-sell with their Eska’s.  The REAL reason was their no down payment, easy monthly (or no) payment Revolving Charge Accounts.

                1 user thanked author for this post.
                Mumbles
                June 21, 2022 at 8:56 am #261766
                crosbyman
                Participant

                  Canada Member

                  and…..much like EATON’s of the old  days they respected their customers satisfaction promises.  I my case  after 2 years  I returned my first ever OB  ..a  funky viking ..6 hp it was?? … back in 1968

                   

                  the head gasket had leaked and  when I told them I was not satistisfied  ending up with a “brand new” but repaired engine I  was willing to  “trade up”  to a nice Merc 9.8…

                   

                  the deal was done 🙂      best deal I ever made 🙂

                  Joining AOMCI has priviledges 🙂

                  • This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by crosbyman.
                  • This reply was modified 2 years, 10 months ago by crosbyman.
                  June 21, 2022 at 9:59 am #261769
                  Mumbles
                  Participant

                    Ha!  OMC beaten up by Eska!  They kept that cat in the bag.

                     

                    June 24, 2022 at 6:40 pm #261895
                    fleetwin
                    Participant

                      US Member

                      Like everyone says, old outboards just are not worth much money. Don’t go by the crazy prices you might see posted on ebay or FB. Just because someone asks a crazy price does not mean they actually end up selling it for that amount.
                      So, has it been used in fresh or salt water? Fresh water engines are usually in much better condition than comparable engines used in salt water. What kind of cosmetic shape is it in? Does it have an external gas tank, or is that lost? Look inside the tank, make sure it is clean. A tank that is rusted/fouled inside is worthless.
                      I’m guessing you don’t know if the engine will run or not. It requires a fuel mix of 50:1, 1 pint of tcw3 outboard oil to 6 gallons regular fuel. The engine must be run in the water/test tank, or the water pump impeller will be damaged and the engine will overheat. Running the engine even for a few minutes without the proper oil/fuel mix can damage it permanently as well.
                      Does the flywheel rotate freely when you operate the recoil starter? Does it feel like the engine has good compression on both cylinders? Post some pictures of the engine here so we can have a better idea of its condition.
                      Like others have said, this model is kind of unique, and a bit more rare, but that doesn’t mean it is worth more money. $50-200US seems like what you might expect to sell it for, depending on its cosmetic condition and whether or not it runs properly.

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