School me on Outboards

[TJDukit]

So my buddy and I have this boat. It's a 14ft Jon Boat. We got a FREE motor for it that runs amazingly well. The only problem is I know nothing about Marine motors.

It's a 2 stroke Sears 7 horse short shaft. It says Ted Williams on the motor cover. Getting the gas mixed is not a problem as it tells you how much oil to mix per gallon of gas.

I'm just hoping some people have some insight to share on what to look for on maintenance. On the bottom of the shaft it has a fill plug and right above it it says "Fill" what kind of oil am I supposed to use in it(at least I'm assuming it's an oil fill plug for the drive shaft).

 

[TJDukit]

Here's a picture of the whole thing.

So far we have $400 into the boat and trailer with a free motor, not too bad at all.

 

[BCGPER]

The 'fill" hole is the gear box level. Somewhere down near the skagg should be a similar drain plug. Pull that first. Any water, drain the entire contents, and refill with a good marine grade gear lube.

On a side note, pull the wheel bearings on the trailer. Repack, or replace as needed. Note the numbers, and go buy some spares, you WILL use them.

 

[TJDukit]

The 'fill" hole is the gear box level. Somewhere down near the skagg should be a similar drain plug. Pull that first. Any water, drain the entire contents, and refill with a good marine grade gear lube.

On a side note, pull the wheel bearings on the trailer. Repack, or replace as needed. Note the numbers, and go buy some spares, you WILL use them.

Thanks. I had planned on getting to the wheel bearings probably next week after I get some 7 month old honey do list stuff done. The trailer is a lot of overkill for this boat but it was cheap and all we had to do was dump the boat that was on it. The tires are new and we do have a spare so that's good. One new light and some electrical work and it was good to go.

 

[BCGPER]

Yeah, looks like overkill for that little boat.

Since you need to do light work anyway, weld some pipe on the frame. and raise the lights higher than the boat so you're not dunking them when you launch the boat. That will end your future lighting issues.

 

[TJDukit]

Yeah, looks like overkill for that little boat.

Since you need to do light work anyway, weld some pipe on the frame. and raise the lights higher than the boat so you're not dunking them when you launch the boat. That will end your future lighting issues.

Oh..to have a welder. Haha. I already replaced the one light, luckily they are very cheap but the lights are not waterproof so that is an awesome idea for when I feel like borrowing a welder from a friend.

 

[rdneckride]

TJ,

I have had a few of those old ted Williams outboards. They are great and the nice thing is Sears often carries most of the parts for them online. The best thing to do is get the serial number and model number from the motor. This is either on the side just below the cover on on the motor inside the cover (on the ones I have seen). Once you have the serial number and model number you can look it up on the Sears site. Here is the link to the sears site. http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/index.action?pop=flush If I remmebr right mine just used regular gear oil in the lower unit.

rdneckride

 

[cowmilker]

2 words of advice.
1. When you fill the bottom gearcase, pull the bottom plug, put the tube/nozzle in the bottom, then pull the top plug until the oil comes out the top plughole. Then put the top plug back in before you remove the tube/nozzle from the bottom, then when you remove the tube/nozzle the oil will stay in there for a second while you put the bottom plug back in. In my experience it is pretty hard to get the air out as I am trying to put oil in. They should be "sealed" from air because they are under water so if you do find that you CAN put oil in without venting the air out you may have a problem.

2. With that small of a motor (if it were me) I would just take it off while traveling rather than trying to strap it from bouncing.

 

[tisjeep]

Another good piece of advice would be to check the water pump impeller. generally they should be replaced every two years. X2 on filling from the bottom hole on the lower unit. You want to have no air in it. If filling the lower unit I would suggest doing it immediately again after your first day in the water. Check to make sure that it isn't milky or sludgy as this would be an indication of water getting in. Not sure how familiar you are with boating but be sure to watch out for rocks when close to shore. I hit one last year with my boat (didn't even feel it) and all said and done to replace the propeller and lower unit cost me about $2100. May not be that bad but a little more observation while close to the shore could save you lots of $$$ down the road.

 

[TJDukit]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate all the advice. I might be getting another boat soon. I am up in Oregon and my dad has an old bayliner he kinda wants me to take. He doesn't have the time to fix it up. Just needs some interior work well quite a bit of work and probably some engine work but it's a good boat and would be great for fishing the larger lakes.