Old Johnson outboard…

[gilmarlin]

Hi, I’m new to this board and was hoping someone can tell me if this motor is worth fixing or should I just let it go for parts. My Uncle owned it and I ended up with it. All the parts are there including , carburetor, gas tank, exhaust and manifolds. I don’t know anything about it, except that the one cylinder appears to have seized. Any help would be much appreciated, thanks in advance. I’m in the San Diego area. Scott

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[Mumbles]

It’s hard to make out the number stamped on the rope sheave but it looks like A 172XX which would make it a ’24 A model built in South Bend, Indiana before they moved operations to Waukegan, Illinois later in the 20’s.

You’d have to do a complete teardown to see what condition the internal parts are in to see if it’s worth fixing or not. Open motors tend to rust inside and rust is an enemy of finely machined parts. I can’t tell if the magneto plate is still there but it will definitely need a port side cylinder as this one is cracked on the end.

[outbdnut2]

IS that a crack in the port cylinder?/…or is that line a spiderweb hanging on it?

[Mumbles]

quote outbdnut2:

IS that a crack in the port cylinder?/…or is that line a spiderweb hanging on it?

That’s hard to say but that’s where they usually crack from freezing or corrosion buildup. Maybe someone else can see it better. In this pic it looks like the Welch plug on the end has already been replaced with a one cent coin. It has the green patina on it.

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[Tubs]

That Johnson is a pretty common motor.
Your motor would be better used as a source of parts
IMO. as the power head has so much damage.
I would suspect the gears in the lower unit
mostly likely are junk also. There are parts
there though. The reversing lock is often broken.
If yours isn’t that a plus. Good props are always in
demand. The magneto may still be good. The
water drain screw is in high demand as there are
no screws of that thread size being manufactured
to replace it. What does the gas tank look like.
Good tanks are always in demand. There is a
motor out there you could save with what you
have and what’s left over could put some other
motors back in running condition. If your
just looking to pass it on the value is minimal
as they are so common. If your motor was stored
well with no damage the most it would bring
would be around $300.00 +/- but they can be found
for much less. I got one last month for $50.00
that with some spark plug wires and a lot of
cleaning will be ready for the water again.

A "Boat House Repair" is one that done without having tools or the skills to do it properly.

[gilmarlin]

Sorry it took me so long to respond, I had trouble finding my own post. 😀 I appreciate the feed back and will try and locate the numbers on the motor today. All the parts are there, tank, prop, carb, manifolds etc. John

[gilmarlin]

The only numbers I can find are on top of the flywheel, they are #A17267, does that tell you what year it is?

[Mumbles]

Yes it does. ‘A’ is the model and the numbers following it are the serial number. These early motors were also known as Waterbugs or Light Twins. Here’s a link to some good information about the early Johnsons and also a partial list of US built Johnson serial numbers.

http://www.yankeeaomci.org/johnsonat85.htm

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