Outboard Motor

There is a new participant in the outboard motor marketplace. On July 19th, Briggs and Stratton announced that after 100 years of cutting grass, they will start powering boats. Briggs and Stratton is producing a 5 HP four cycle outboard motor. It is a marinized version of one of its overhead valve lawn and garden engines. The outboard will be air-cooled, have a full gearshift and an above water exhaust. It will also meet all the upcoming anti-pollution regulations. With a weight of 56 pounds, it is comperable to the competition. One area it is not comparable in is the price. With a suggested retail price of $729, it will cost about half of what the competition costs. The outboard is now available through the Briggs and Stratton lawn and garden network and will be in mass retailers by Spring.

In our opinion, this is a major achievement for the outboard industry. For many years there has been a great need for a basic, inexpensive outboard as an alternative to the expensive sophistication of today's motors. It is interesting to note that Briggs and Stratton played a major role in the early development of the outboard industry. More on that later.

SERVICE DEPARTMENT

We previously discussed how to pressure test your lower unit for leaks. We will now begin to discuss how to reseal it.

The first step is to gain access to the seals. This means taking apart the lower unit. On newer or high horsepower motors I would suggest purchasing a service manual to assist you. On older and smaller motors, this is usually not necessary. On some motors, like many Mercurys, it is not necessary to completely tear down the unit, but on many Johnsons and Evinrudes it is. Whatever kind of motor you have, don't disassemble any more than you need to.

As an example, say you have an 18 HP Johnson from the 1960's. The first step is to remove the impeller housing, impeller and plate. You can then pull the driveshaft out of the unit. If this is where the leak is located, you can replace the driveshaft seal and you are done. If you need to keep going, turn the unit over and remove the six screws that hold the lower housing. Then remove the shift pivot screw and separate the housings. Then remove the prop shaft and gears and pull out the shift rod. Degrease the parts and look for any other damage.

The shift rod seal is a common source of leaks on these motors. You need a special tool to change it. You can make the tool by taking a 5/16 diameter steel rod about 12 inches long and turning down about one inch of it to 1/4 inch. Insert the tool into the shift rod hole from the bottom, tap out the shift rod bushing and replace the o-ring. Insert a new o-ring and carefully press the bushing back in place. Remove the driveshaft and propshaft seals from the housings. This is easily done with a seal remover. This is a hooked shaped tool with a long handle. It can be purchase through an auto parts store or our website. Press the new seals in place. Then clean the mating surfaces of the lower unit housings and the groove for the sealing strip. Install the shift rod and prop shaft assembly. Place the sealing strip in the groove holding it in place with some gasket cement. Spread a thin layer of cement on the mating surface and around the piece that holds the propshaft seal. Reassemble the housings and insert the shift pivot screw and you are done. We usually let the unit sit for 24 hours before pressure testing it or putting in lube, to allow the cement to harden.

Chrysler and West Bend motors are similar to Johnson and Evinrude, but Mercurys do not usually need to be torn down completely to reseal them. Next month we will do a Mercury.

HISTORICAL

As we mentioned earlier, Briggs and Stratton played an important role in the early days of the outboard industry. In the 1920's, Evinrude Motor Co was struggling. Its founder, Ole Evinrude had left the company earlier and had now returned to form the ELTO Motor Co. Ole Evinrude introduced many innovations to outboards, such as extensive use of cast aluminum, and the ELTO Quad, which dominated the racing circuit. Evinrude Motors could not keep up with ELTO and another newcomer, Johnson Motors.

In 1928, Stephen F Briggs of Briggs and Stratton surveyed the market and began to assemble a corporate complex. He purchased Evinrude Motors, and then purchased Lockwood motors. He finally convinced Ole and Bess Evinrude to sell, and thus formed Outboard Motors Corp. with Ole Evinrude as President. With the stock market crash of 1929, demand for outboards fell dramatically. The Lockwood line was discontinued in 1930, and Evinrude/ELTO struggled through the depression. The company returned to profitability in 1934, and in 1935 Steve Briggs and Ralph Evinrude purchased Johnson Motors to form the Outboard Motors Corp. that continued for many years.

It is difficult to guess what the outboard business would have been like had not Steve Briggs entered the picture, but it is safe to assume OMC would never have existed.

This month's motor is Commodore

Commodore motors were made for three years by West Bend. I have been unable to determine if it was a private label made for someone else, or simply a West Bend designation.

Model number HP

1962

23201 2

73201 7.5

103201 10

183201 18

1963

23501 2

73001 7.5

104001 10

183001 18

1964

2320 2

7320 7.5

10320 10

18320 18

Next month Comanco

Source: Laing's Outboards

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