Topic: 1976? Ted Williams 7.0 HP Tecumseh 640-12 – Antique Outboard Motor Club,Inc

This topic has 19 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 5 months ago by Kheng Be.

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June 16, 2020 at 6:13 am #205875
Kheng Be
Participant
Good morning,

I’m trying to get a little help identifying this motor/year and finding a parts manual for this motor. Its a Ted Williams 7 HP with a Tecumseh motor 640-12. I haven’t been able to find a model number plate or anything for some reason. I’m curious if anyone knows of a generic gas cap that will work on this as well.

Please ignore the girls’ bikes and I’m hiding from my wife in the toy shed as she told me to leave it on the side of the road where I found it, lol.

Thanks for the help in advance,

Kheng
June 16, 2020 at 6:17 am #205876
Kheng Be
Participant
June 16, 2020 at 8:54 am #205892
Buccaneer
Participant
US Member
If you can find any more numbers you could try plugging them into
Sears Parts Direct. I tried it with the number you gave, and
a bunch of Tecumseh looking carbs came up.

https://www.searspartsdirect.com/search?q=640-12

If that model has electronic ignition, I understand parts are either
non-existent or would cost 10 times what the motor is worth…..
might be a reason it was on the side of the road!

Prepare to be boarded!

1 user thanked author for this post.

Kheng Be
June 16, 2020 at 9:48 am #205895
Kheng Be
Participant
Buccaneer, I think I can do the carb relatively easily and I appreciate the response. I’m hoping for a free minute to give it a good cleaning so I can assess the condition of everything else and see why this thing was free lawn art on garbage day.
June 16, 2020 at 10:36 am #205900
seakaye12
Participant
US Member
A lot of the Sears 217.xxxxxx part numbers are listed here:

http://discount-marine-parts.com/ob_eska_sears.html

Pick one that you think might be yours and then go to Sears as Bucaneer suggests above. Your primary mission in the beginning is to see if you have spark…..and if you don’t….then determine if your engine has the Solid State ignition. Hopefully it has the older points and condensor type ignition as they are servicable. The Solid State versions are very challenging; there are people who use their electronic engineer background to do work-a-rounds…..but most would feel it is not worth it.

The motor you have is powerful but loud and has a lot of vibration. They are simple though and with the points and condensor ignition they are pretty reliable.

Think lawn-mower shops for Tecumseh parts.

Good luck; let us know what happens.
June 16, 2020 at 7:16 pm #205936
billw
Participant
US Member
Tilt the motor up and look around the transom bracket area. I just got a five horse that is similar. You can’t see the ID plate until you tilt the motor up.

Long live American manufacturing!
June 17, 2020 at 5:32 am #205951
billw
Participant
US Member
Also, my gas cap looks just like yours. I was looking at it and wondering if there was a vent screw missing or if there is a one-way valve in it, and that might be the way it is supposed to be….?

Long live American manufacturing!
June 17, 2020 at 1:05 pm #205988
Kheng Be
Participant
Hi Billw, if your gas cap looks like mine, then it must be the right one. Mine had a rubber gasket that came off and deteriorated when I took it off. I had a 3 hp Eska/Sears that has a vented screw cap. It fit so I ordered another one of those. I hope it fits. Sometimes the numbers get superceded and the parts have the same reference number but don’t actually fit.

I will take a look under the transom bracket area when I get out to the shed.

Thanks!
June 17, 2020 at 9:36 pm #206027
retiredoz
Participant
Bit of an oddball. Sears sold them (and Eska made them) in ’70 and ’71. I have the vented cap for that tank. If you try to run this off a remote tank, you may find out the little rubber element that serves a a fuel pump has petrified. Ignition is Tecumseh, I’m sure the components are still out there, as well as the impeller. Don’t run it out of water for any length of time, it may do a number on the crankshaft bearing or seals…
June 17, 2020 at 10:54 pm #206035
seakaye12
Participant
US Member
There is a lot of information on Tecumseh out there. I don’t think that the attached PDF will address your engine specifically but it has a lot of very good information…..and it does address the correct replacement procedure for the fuel pump “element” which is rather unique to their motors.

Attached File

Tecumseh_2-Cycle_Engines_Service_Information
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