Outboard Motor

Laing's Outboards Newsletter April 2003
Outboard Motor | Thursday, 04 December 2008

Bombardier Corporation, the Canadian transportation giant and the current owners of Johnson and Evinrude, has decided to place their Recreation Products Division up for sale. The division includes Johnson and Evinrude outboard motors, Ski-Doo personal watercraft and Ski-Doo snowmobiles.

Unlike the situation in 2000, prior to the bankruptcy of OMC, the Bombardier Recreational Products Division was profitable through the 12 month period that ended last June 31, according to Bombardier Inc. That is in contest to Bombardier's aerospace operations, which have been struggling since Sept. 11, 2001. The recreational products division was put up for sale to raise cash to allow the parent company to endure the aerospace industry's current difficulties.

Two companies rumored to be interested in purchasing Bombardier Recreational Products are Harley-Davidson and Deere & Co.

Mercury Marine is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, and to commemorate the event, Mercury has produced a limited edition 200 HP EFI engine sporting a vintage 1968 graphics package. The engine has the same look as a 1968 65 HP Mercury. This is a limited chance to own a piece of Mercury history.

SERVICE DEPARTMENT

In the last issue, we discussed rebuilding the carburetor, now, we will adjust it and set the synchronization. The synchronization refers to the relationship between the carburetor butterfly opening and the spark advance. If this is not set right, the motor can be hard starting or have a poor idle. If it is way off, it can prevent the motor from idling at all. To set the synchronization, look for a mark scribed into the cam attached to the bottom of the mag plate. On most motors, this mark needs to line up with the center of the linkage arm or roller which opens the carburetor butterfly when the butterfly first begins to open. in other words, advance the throttle and watch for the point at which the butterfly begins to open. This point should be when the mark is lined up with the roller. Adjust linkages as needed, or on some motors, move the cam in or out on the mag plate. If the butterfly opens too late, it can cause hard starting. If it opens too early, the motor will pop and miss and low speeds, similar to a too lean condition. This applies to almost all motors, new or old, large or small. Next month-adjusting the carburetor.

Here are a few items from the Mercury archives.

In 1940, the first Mercury branded outboards were introduced. The lineup included five models- three singles and two twins- with retail prices that ranged from $42.95 to $98.50. The new line of outboards were named after the Roman god of speed, Mercury.

E.C. Kiekhaefer began his business in a plant in Cedarburg, Wis. in 1939. It wasn't until 1946 that operations moved to the current location in Fond Du Lac, when Kiekhaefer purchased Corium Farms. Even after the expansion, grain elevators were used for engine test cells.

During the summer of 1961, Ann Strang- the mother of Mercury executive Charlie Strang- visited her son and a team of engineers at a research lab in Oshkosh, Wis. Her son explained their efforts to make the new 100 HP outboard appear smaller and more compact in size. Ann's observation and suggestion forever changed the face of Mercury outboards. She stated "Well, a large woman always wears a black dress. Why don't you paint it black?" The group concurred. In Charlie's own words "We painted one black and it shrunk about 20 percent!" It was in the fall of that same year, as a 1962 model, the first black Mercury and the industry's first 100 HP outboard motor came off the line. Who would have thought it started with a black dress?

We will continue to talk about Elgin outboards. Elgins were sold by Sears, and were made by different manufacturers throughout the years. They were one of the most commonly seen motors in their day, and still continue to appear frequently. From 1946 to 1959, most Elgins were made by West Bend. From 1960 until 1963, when Sears stopped using the Elgin name, they were made by Scott-McCulloch. It is interesting to note that to avoid direct competition with their own line of popular outboards, the Elgins were usually one model year behind the Scotts. In other words for example a 1961 Elgin would have the same features as a 1960 Scott. The Scott Elgins are easy to identify the year of manufacture. The first two digits of the serial number designate the year. Here is a rundown of model numbers.

If you were paying attention, you noticed that the 2 HP Elgin was made by West Bent instead of Scott. You can tell by the 571 prefix in the model number. All Scott made Elgins began with the prefix 574. Also, some Elgins that were sold in Canada in the 1960's were made by West Bend, but I don't have a number listing of those. We will continue with the Sears motors after 1963 at a later date. Next month Eska, which also ties in with Sears.

Source: Laing's Outboards

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