Re: [OMC-Boats] The finish line

Bill,

Not so sure about that finish line......I can't speak for others here, but I have been messing with my sportsman for about 8 years now. I still have a list a mile long of things I'd like to do or will get around to someday. Rather than tearing it all apart and doing a sort of "ground up" restoration I chose to get mine working so I could enjoy it, then pick a couple projects every year to do to improve or fix stuff. some years I have done more than others.

While my Sportsman is at a point where it is generally very functional, reliable and pretty nice looking. Every year this list gets my wheels turning about things I can do to improve it,  make it look better, or fix some minor lingering "quirk", I don't think my Sportsman will EVER be 100% finished, and I kinda like it that way.....

Looking forward to hearing that you are out there enjoying that beautiful Explorer, even if it is after labor day, guess you'll have more of the lake for yourself. :-)

Cheers,
B.C.

On Aug 18, 2009, jd <jdood@...> wrote:

On Aug 18, 2009, at 2:38 PM, BLDFW wrote:

> The biggest challenge to DIY projects and doing things on "your
> schedule" is the old adage "why do today what I can put off till
> tomorrow".

true - but then again many mechanics live by that same adage. Which
gets worse when they're faced with working on an "older" boat.
>
> Truth be told, while I did all the restoration work myself on my
> Explorer.....had I not too frequently perscribed to the above
> adage...I probably could have had the boat done by the time March/
> April rolled around. Here it is nearly the unoffical end of boat
> season; Labor day weekend (at least here in Dallas) and I am only
> just now finishing up on the odds and ends and conducting my test
> runs.

yep - sounds familiar. i'm experiencing that same dilema. Just
installed the bilge in my boat today. Waiting for replacement
speedometer to arrive. Then that is really it as far as the
"important stuff" . Contrary to popular belief - there really IS a
finish line where you kind of step back and say "what else can i
possibly do on this thing?" I think many people on this list have
gotten there and have spent all summer using their boats relatively
trouble free. I'm hoping that's me next summer! Building custom
side storage, and painting the trailer are really the only things
left on my todo list. And they can wait til winter.

time to start using the boat! Just in time for summers end.



>
> And since I mentioned it.....Why is Labor Day the seemingly defacto
> end of boating season?? In Dallas, the lake on weekends is pretty
> active but after Labor Day weekend you see probably a 50% or more
> drop in boating traffic. And yet, it can stay in the 90's here
> through November.

Back to school. The whole country seems to think that when kids go
back to school, the adults can't continue to have summer fun.
>
> -Bill
> Dallas, TX
> 1970 Evinrude Explorer - 155 Buick V6 - OMC Sterndrive
> http://www.photobucket.com/evinrude_explorer
>
>
> --- On Tue, 8/18/09, jd <jdood@...> wrote:
>
> From: jd <jdood@...>
> Subject: Re: [OMC-Boats] Lower Unit Rebuild
> To: "Evinrude & Johnson Boats of the 1960's and 70's" <omc-boats@...
> >
> Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2009, 3:48 PM
>
> i'm with ya completely on this. It's one thing to pay someone to
> do something cuz they have the knowledge and special tools that you
> don't have, but it's so aggravating when you find out that whatever
> they did was so basic. And worse, when after waiting forever and
> paying someone gobs you get it back and it's still screwed up.
> After years of experience with both those things happening, the DIY
> permeates everything I do. Unfortunately, I haven't had that
> DIY attitude with my boat as much as I should have and it has cost
> me big time. And wasted almost two summers. You almost HAVE to
> do the DIY thing as a requirement when you get some 50+ yr car or
> boat. And once over that learning curve, it becomes REALLY
> fun ! You're saving big money, you're on YOUR schedule instead of
> relying on someone mechanics, and you get a ton of satisfaction and
> gained confidence when something you didn't think you could handle
> ends up actually working, and working BETTER in the end.
> "Almost" more fun than actually using the boat!
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Aug 18, 2009, at 6:27 AM, BLDFW wrote:
>
> > Hey Andy,
> >
> > I had a classic car one time that needed a valve job so I took it
> to a car club mechanic byddy. He charged over $800 to do it. I
> visited his shop one afternoon and discovered all he did was to pull
> the heads and send them to someone else to the valve work. Well
> heck, buddy or no buddy, I could have saved $600-700 by doing that
> work myself, so the next two valve jobs I did the same way saving a
> bunch of money.
> >
> > I'll admit up front to having a certain disdain for greasy grungy
> mechanical work and would really prefer someone else to do it....but
> not enough to shell out hundreds or thousands when I KNOW I can do
> the work myself. So....with a deep breath and gritted teeth.... I
> get my hands dirty.
> >
> > I found on my last (and first) boat that marine work is terribly
> expensive to farm out soooooo.......this time, after obtaining the
> applicable service manual and the oh-so indispensible parts manual
> and studying both, I resealed my sterndrive myself. It wasn't
> difficult and I easily saved myself probably $1200-1400 or more in
> the process.
> >
> > I was going to check the lower unit as well but since there wasn't
> any obvious reason to do so, I decided not to venture into it except
> for the seal on the outer cap behind the prop. It was a good
> experience as now I "know" first hand what condition the drive is in
> should anything come up down the line. Those of us that choose to
> do the work ourselves could sure benefit from hearing your
> experiences with it.
> >
> > Maybe you can chronicalizer you venture in diary form with pics??
> >
> > -Bill
> > Dallas, TX
> > 1970 Evinrude Explorer - 155 Buick V6 - OMC Sterndrive
> > http://www.photobucket.com/evinrude_explorer
> >
> >
> >
> > --- On Mon, 8/17/09, Andy Perakes <aperakes@...> wrote:
> >
> > From: Andy Perakes <aperakes@...om>
> > Subject: Re: [OMC-Boats] Forward Clutch Won't Engage on Late-1967
> 3-wire Shifter - Update
> > To: "'Evinrude & Johnson Boats of the 1960's and 70's'" <omc-boats@...
> >
> > Date: Monday, August 17, 2009, 11:17 PM
> >
> > Wow, guys, I can't even begin to thank you for all the help that's
> come in. Short of flying up here and doing it himself, Don sent me
> just about everything he could offline, right down to a tools and
> parts list. I tried bidding on the clutch spring Joe pointed out on
> eBay and after the price jumped past $45 (hope I wasn't bidding
> against any of you!), I decided I needed to confirm the problem
> before randomly buying parts. I made a note of the Tacoma parts
> source Scott sent and expect I'll be checking prices and inventory
> there before I'm done.
> >
> > Unfortunately it looks as though my season is not only over, but
> I have no choice but to tackle this myself. I called the mechanic
> who usually does my work when I don't have time and he said the part
> was $422 and labor would run $600 - $1000. By the time you add in
> seals, lube, provision, etc. it'll probably push the $2k Don was
> quoted. So my plan is to start by spending a lot of time studying
> everything I can and collecting tools, then I'll try to get it apart
> and confirm the problem is the spring tab and not the coil as Lee
> thinks before tracking down other parts. The boat is now safely in
> my garage at the lake and once I can get the tools gathered there,
> its actually a much better place to work than home...at least until
> it gets cold. If I can't wrap things up before winter, I'll have to
> try getting the lower gearcase removed and into my basement at home
> for a winter project. Also on that to do list will be a custom
> designed ski harness that can't reach the drive! Thanks again, all!
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Lee Shuster
> > To: 'Evinrude & Johnson Boats of the 1960's and 70's'
> > Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 12:39 PM
> > Subject: Re: [OMC-Boats] Forward Clutch Won't Engage on Late-1967
> 3-wire Shifter - Update
> >
> > Andy,
> >
> > There's another easy way to check electrical operation of the
> coil. With the ignition key on, but motor not running, shift from
> neutral to forward and then repeat for reverse.
> > You should be able to detect similar current flow for both
> directions. You can usually observe this a couple of different
> ways: A) Close obeservation of the ammeter, and I do mean very
> close. B) Close observation of a light bulb or volt meter, as there
> should be a barely perceptable voltage drop when the coil engages
> (this is also a function of state of battery charge, ie a smaller
> weaker battery, will have a larger voltage drop. I'm guessing
> (educated) here, but I've never heard of a clutch coil electrical
> failure due t0 mechanical interference/stoppage. Clutch sping yes,
> coil no. The "tab" is part of the spring.
> >
> > Without access to the special tools, you mention, personally I
> wouldn't attempt to do the lower unit repairs in the wild. My
> educated guess is you'll be able to get all the parts back in
> Detroit. So if it were mine, I'd call it a season and do the repairs
> with the proper tools and service manuals handy vs on the edge of a
> lake or back of the trailer. Sorry my news isn't happier.
> >
> > Lee
> >
> > From: omc-boats-bounces@....com [mailto:omc-boats-bounces@...ltimate.com
> ] On Behalf Of ANDY PERAKES
> > Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 9:16 AM
> > To: Evinrude & Johnson Boats of the 1960's and 70's
> > Subject: Re: [OMC-Boats] Forward Clutch Won't Engage on Late-1967
> 3-wire Shifter - Update
> >
> > Thanks, Lee. I just realized my earlier reply to Don went only to
> him, but I was able to walk my wife through measuring the coil over
> the phone this morning. Unfortunately I only have a cheap
> multimeter with 10k or 1k scales so both readings of "0" could
> effectively have been "0" else 4.5 - 6.5 ohms on that scale. If I
> can get the parts this week, I feel fairly confident I can do the
> repairs next weekend. I think my two biggest concerns are:
> >
> > 1) Do I need any special tools to get it apart and put it back
> together?
> > 2) Getting parts (especially not know what part(s) failed)
> >
> > I lost all of my special tools (gear/bearing pullers, clip
> spreaders, etc.) with my Dad's toolbox (long story so let's just say
> I hope none of you ever have to experience the horrors of
> Alzeheimer's) and I only have a limited tool set at the lake. It
> was late by the time we got back in so I ended up leaving my whole
> rig there (including manuals - d'oh!); if you think its the spring
> tab that broke and I can find one for a reasonable price, I just
> assume get one now (I have much better luck finding parts near
> Detroit vs. the small town in Ontario where I boat). Its not just
> the repair costs, but if I have to depend on a shop, my season will
> most likely be over and August is the best month around here. Is
> this spring tab part of the spring itself, i.e. I need to find a
> spring pack? While I'm waiting for my wife to bring my manuals
> back, I'll try pulling the part #s from the BRP site in hopes of
> tracking parts down after work today (Michigan Marine Gear usually
> has this kind of stuff in stock). What about gaskets, springs,
> circlips, etc. -- anything else you think I'll need?
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Lee Shuster (lib1)" <lib1@...>
> > To: "Evinrude & Johnson Boats of the 1960's and 70's" <omc-boats@...
> >
> > Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 9:58:13 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada
> Eastern
> > Subject: Re: [OMC-Boats] Forward Clutch Won't Engage on Late-1967
> 3-wire Shifter - Update
> >
> >
> > First check the forward and reverse coils (one at a time with an
> > ohmeter, out of circuit.)
> >
> > A good coil will read between 4.5 and 6.5 ohms.
> >
> > Most likely the electrical coil is okay but the spring tab has
> broken
> > off.
> >
> > I wouldn't recommend fuse-protecting the coils, but you can
> calculate
> > the current flow in amps using Ohm's law. I generally see 2 to 3
> amps
> > current draw on my digital ohmeter, when shifting with the motor not
> > running and battery at approximately 12.3 volts.
> >
> > Lee
> >
> >
> > On Aug 16, 2009, at 10:46 PM, jd wrote:
> >
> > > yikes. this strikes fear in the hearts of .......me.
> > >
> > > both the up and down wires are pretty accessible before they get
> to
> > > the outdrive stuff.
> > >
> > > a) any technical reason why a person couldn't put an inline fuse
> on
> > > both those wires just for situations like this? It would be
> pretty
> > > easy to do.
> > >
> > > b) any technical reason why OMC didn't back in the day?
> > >
> > >
> > > (there i go again, wanting to put fuses on everything)
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On Aug 16, 2009, at 7:54 PM, ANDY PERAKES wrote:
> > >
> > >> Yeah, that's what I was thinking too. I was a bit surprised
> there
> > >> was no fuse -- at least not one outside the stern drive (I guess
> > >> there could be one inside, but it doesn't show on the schematics
> > >> and doesn't seem a likely place to put one). What I didn't get
> to
> > >> do was test the resistance of the coils so I guess that's next,
> but
> > >> barring any big surprises from the group, it looks like I'll be
> > >> taking my first foray into the lower unit. It still seems odd to
> > >> me that the coil would go so quickly like that, but I guess it's
> > >> possible. There's no sound like something chunking around or
> loose
> > >> when I turn the prop by hand or run in reverse.
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> ----- Original Message -----
> > >> From: "Don Mandelas" <dmandelas@...>
> > >> To: "Evinrude & Johnson Boats of the 1960's and 70's" <omc-boats@...s.ultimate.com
> > >> >
> > >> Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 9:20:23 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada
> Eastern
> > >> Subject: Re: [OMC-Boats] Forward Clutch Won't Engage on
> Late-1967 3-
> > >> wire Shifter - Update
> > >>
> > >> Since you have power all the way back then I guess its not a fuse
> > >> which would protect the forward coil.
> > >>
> > >> Don
> > >> 1697 Sportsman 155
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Date: Sun, 16 Aug 2009 18:17:09 -0400
> > >> From: aperakes@...penwest.com
> > >> To: omc-boats@...
> > >> Subject: Re: [OMC-Boats] Forward Clutch Won't Engage on
> Late-1967 3-
> > >> wire Shifter - Update
> > >>
> > >> I was able to trace power all the way back to the stern drive so
> > >> its not the shifter switch or another break in electrical power.
> > >> At this point it doesn't appear to be something I can repair in
> the
> > >> water so we're starting to paddle. Obviously a fried coil is one
> > >> possibility; can anyone name any other high-probablility
> > >> possibilities? Thanks!
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> ----- Original Message -----
> > >> From: "ANDY PERAKES" <aperakes@...>
> > >> To: omc-boats@...ltimate.com
> > >> Sent: Sunday, August 16, 2009 5:15:37 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada
> Eastern
> > >> Subject: [OMC-Boats] Forward Clutch Won't Engage on Late-1967 3-
> > >> wire Shifter
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> So once again I made the mistake of trusting someone else to
> ensure
> > >> the ski
> > >> line was clear of the drive and once again got a harness cable
> > >> wrapped
> > >> around the drive. Only a small ding in the prop and a slight
> bend
> > >> in the
> > >> shear pin (for which I had a spare and easily changed), but now
> my
> > >> forward
> > >> clutch won't engage (reverse work's fine). I have the
> late-1967 3-
> > >> wire
> > >> set-up out of the shifter, but unfortunately I can't see any more
> > >> than that
> > >> given the conditions. (I should add I'm on the water so I don't
> > >> not have
> > >> access to any manuals, limited tools, and its a bit too rocky
> to be
> > >> poking
> > >> around very much.) If anyone happens to see this and has any
> > >> thoughts I can
> > >> try before giving up and paddling back in, I'd sure appreciate
> it.
> > >> Even
> > >> though I have a 3-wire, I've already tried Lee's 5-wire trick of
> > >> shutting
> > >> down in neutral and backing in reverse; didn't work. Thanks!
> > >>
> > >> Andy
> > >> 1967 Reveler
> > >>
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