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Outboard engine reasembly-advice wanted!

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
I'm in the middle of rebuilding the power head on my 1985 60hp mariner(3 cyl). I'm ready to re-install new pistons. This is the first outboard I've rebuilt. I've done several snowmachine engines before. I packed the needle bearings in the connecting rod/piston pin with grease as a preventative measure. Now, my question for everyone is the pistons.

They are ready to be installed but I'm unsure if they should be oiled or anything before re-installation. I don't want to risk gumming up the rings on the pistons. What does everyone think? How should I pre-lube them?
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Okay.........one more quick question about this rebuild. Can't find an original crank gasket anywhere for it. Will that liquid form-a-gasket)think that's what it's called) be sufficient for a gasket for the crank? Any thoughts????
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Got the engine block back together today. While going to re-install it on the rest of the motor, I had a hell of a time getting the exhaust shaft to line up right. I had it together, then realised I forgot to re-install the water tube going to the lower end. Took it all back apart and installed the water tube. While trying to get everything lined up to drop the block down, the exhaust pipe connecting to the lower end snapped a big chunk off. So, take it all apart again and bring the exhaust shaft to a local guy that does aluminum welding to see if he can do something with it. If he can't, I'll have to re-think how I'm going to do this without going out and buying a new exhaust. Next comes the lower end. Plan to take it off and change the impellar and any seals that need replacing.
 

mbsieg

awful member
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Thanks for posting in the boat section!!!! Do you have any pics??? I would love to learn about outboards!!!!! I currently am working on a few inboards. Always want to learn something new!! Mike
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Okay, finally got the chance tonight to work on it again.(been a busy week!) Got the exhaust pipe welded(it was aluminum). First thing I did today was take the lower end off as I have to change the water pump anyways. This made installing the engine block a bit easier. Got all the throttle linkages reconnected. the only thng left do do on the upper half is try to remember how the heck all the electrical goes. I'm following a marine manual for my engine but it's not to specific. I'll get it figured out. Then I can re-install the carbs. I rebuilt them last year at the beginning of the season so they should be good. I'll check them over before reinstalling.

Sorry, no pics!:pat: Knew I was forgetting to do something.

After the top end is done, I can pull the water pump assembly out and change the impellar and inspect everything. Put that back together and reconnect it to the rest of the engine and re-install it on the boat and I'll be ready for summer fun! I use the boat primarily for fishing but the odd time, I'll pull the kids around on the tube.
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Finally got the whole engine back together today and back on the boat. Hooked it all up and put the muffs on it so I could fire it up in the yard. Cranked it over a couple of times then it fired right up. What a sigh of releif to hear it running again after a year. (she blew a piston last may and I never had a chance to tear it apart till now) My sigh of releif was shortlived however as water started shooting out the side of the engine where the mid section base gasket is located between the base and the block. I'm hoping I won't have to tear it right down to fix this problem. I'm thinking that if I loosen the 6-8 bolts connecting the lower half to the engine block, I should be able to seperate the two just enough to get some sealant in there. The gasket looked alright when I put it together but it's obviously not sealing properly. So, a word of advice to anyone out there attempting to do the same type of rebuild............replace the gaskets and use proper sealant in areas where you think it might leak.

Hope all the bugs are worked out in time for the start of sishing season in two weeks.(up here in Ontario Canada)
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
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Good luck. I hope you don't have to tear it back apart. :eek:
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Ended up seperating the block from the shaft. Cleaned up the surface and removed the old gasket. I put it back together, put the water muffs on it and fired it up. No more water leak problem.

Now comes another issue. I brought the boat down to the lake yesterday to test it out before our annual fishing weekend trip next weekend. The motor ran fine as long as I kept priming it with the primer ball. One thing that boggled my mind when I bought this boat three years ago is that someone completly bypassed the fuel pump so the fuel lines connect right to the carbs. I tried reconnecting the lines to the fuel pump to see if that would fix the problem. The motor fires right up and runs strong for about five seconds then dies. So apparently I discovered why the pump was bypassed in the first place but it still doesn't make sense that the engine would even run with no way to suck gas from the tank without a pump.:smileywac

So, I unhooked the fuel lines from the pump and rerouted them a different way and connected them the way they were originally and now it seem to run allot better. Now, if I can just get the thing to idle right. Runs fine at every speed but idle so I started fine tunning the idle by turning up the idle speed a bit as it seemed to idle really slow. That seemed to help but it will take some fine tunning.
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Well, figured I'd better give an update on the boat motor. I finally had it running fine with the fuel problems solved. I put a new fuel pump kit in it and a new end on the fuel line coming from the external tank and that did the trick. I ran it for a bit in the driveway with muffs on it and it ran fine. Burned about a half tank of gas in it in the driveway.

Brought it out on our anual camping trip on the long weekend in May and it fired right up on the lake. Just to be cautious, I ran it between 1/2 and 3/4 throttle going accross the lake. I turned to the wife and mentioned that this was the best this thing ran since we got it 3 years ago. Well, that jinxed it!:pat:

Not even 30 seconds later, the engine died right down but was still running. I shut it down and pulled the plug on the top cylinder to find metal shavings on the plug. It was also black as heck. I put a new plug in it and it fired right up again and I made it back to shore.

I'm thinking that there may be an issue with the timing on the engine that's cuasing that cylinder to fire before the piston is top dead center. I tell ya, I'm ready to go ape $h-t on that thing:2gunsfiri :flame2: :gun2_smi:

I'm thinking that there may be a new engine on that boat before summers over.
 

NorthernRedneck

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
update............sold the boat! Getting a new one soon! Just couldn't justify spending $6-8000 on a new engine for an older boat when I could pick up a similar boat motor trailer package around here that's allot newer for the same price as a brand new engine.
 
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