opinions on those flat top 9.5 Evinrudes

[crosbyman]

I am looking at an add ( Good condition but won’t start $60) for a flat top 9.5 Evinrude.. the ones with the funny column rewind starters
(mid 70-mid 80s ??)

any comments for/against these low heads…

Joining AOMCI has priviledges 🙂

[chris-p]

They are ok, Im not a huge fan though personally.

I don’t like the work involved in fixing a leaky exhaust. Common issue with them. Don’t get me started on changing the motor mounts, another common issue!

I have had motor in to fix that were so bad the shaking mounts would throw off the ignition. Not that the leaking exhaust would let it run anyways ;)\

Don’t let me talk you out of a good deal though, when running well they have their advantages.

[RICHARD A. WHITE]

Also drive shafts DO get stuck in the crank… just got done with one that just did that. It also had shaky mounts. I advised the owner to unscrew the transom clamps when he decides to change the impeller again, WHILE it is running….LOL, he is a really good friend know him for years, he laughed 🙂

http://www.richardsoutboardtools.com
classicomctools@gmail.com

[Randy in Tampa]

I gave mine to Garry Spencer ask him….

[frankr]

My opinion? They are good motors. Most common service operations are easy. But the ones that are not easy are…not easy. Early models had poor idle due to excess vibration & shaking. Once they put the vibration dampers on them, it cured that problem and they ran very well. Any time this topic comes up, there will be no shortage of people telling the faults of them….which are true. Upper front motor mount. Exhaust leaks. Both of these require shucking the motor out of the shell, a challenging task for the novice. Easy enough for the experienced, but time consuming.

Somebody mentioned drive shaft splines. Hey, that isn’t fair. That problem happens to any motor if somebody leaves the o-ring out.

My biggest complaint is that BRP seems intent on getting them off the market by discontinuing all the parts. But nymarine is reproducing the shift rod boot (exhaust leak). Hoo-ray!!!!

[crosbyman]

oh well….someone else will fix this one….it is sold…:-(

Joining AOMCI has priviledges 🙂

[hugh]

I have dealt with a few of them. Not my favorite outboard. Out side of being "butt" ugly, all the things already mentioned being hard to work on. The exception is the carb. easy to get to. They seem to run good when tuned up as most of the J/E’s do.

[Mumbles]

These low profile motors are the same as any other motor in terms of reliability cause if you don’t look after them, they will give you trouble. Regular maintenance will keep them going for a long time. The Johnson I have hasn’t been to the lake yet but it runs great in a barrel.

Take a look at this beautiful ’64 first year Johnson MQ 10 I saw the other day. It’s supposed to have around five hours run time on it since new and I believe it. The only scratch I could see on it was caused when the owner dragged it out of his truck when he brought it to its new home. And no, it’s not for sale. Believe me, I tried!

[david-bartlett]

I have the 1971 Evinrude version. Has been in my family since new, and the only thing needed in that time is one impeller, one propeller, and one fuel pump diaphragm. I am sure the coils could be replaced, but will do those when it won’t start.

Very easy motor to handle off the boat too, with the built in carry handle.

[garry-in-michigan]

It is important to remember that the short coupling that saves weight and makes it easier to handle, also puts the lower crankshaft bearing, seal and spline five inches closer to the water. This is the reason for the exhaust going up to the level of the flywheel before descending to the mid section, thus increasing back pressure and limiting power. All outboards are built with compromises, this model seems to have more than most of OMCs 1950s Classics. The Fishermen loved the light weight and quilt, smooth operation – Service personal HATED taking it out of it’s shell to make major repairs. (As I have learned to HATE the latest souped up version of Apples spell checker, which drops in the wrong word if I type too slow forcing me to type faster and make more mistakes, making it replace them with MORE wrong words. I now spend more time proof reading than I do writing … 🙁

. . . . . . 🙂

[Author]

Posts