75 hp Ted Williams Lower gear lube n Fuel Mix

"Hello all, I recently acquire

"Hello all, I recently acquired 1973 Ted Williams 7.5hp outboard Model#217-5889-0, Twist grip throttle, clutch drive, air cooled.

Does anybody know who mfg. this motor?

I found a recommended fuel mix of 24:1 is this good enough or should I use a 50:1 mix.

When it comes to the lower gear lube how do i change the lube and what is the proper lube to put back into it and how full do i make it? (note there is a vent and fill screw)

There is some oil residue on the area by where the prop connects, is this normal? could it be caused by running with out being in water? even though it says air cooled the lower gear still needs to be submerged to keep cool is that correct?

Thanks a lot for the Help.

Erik"

"Erik--

1. 217-xxxx part #

"Erik--

1. 217-xxxx part # indicates it's made by Eska, uses a Tecumseh lawnmower engine. tune-up parts often avail through lawnmower shops.

2. Eska says 24:1 mix, some knowledgeable Eskeros i've spoken with even go to 16:1. DO NOT try to run it with the "leaner" (less oil relative to gas) 50:1 of modern water cooled engines. and be aware that you need "TCW" rated oil, apparently due to fact that air cooled engine runs hotter than water cooled.

3. standard procedure on lower unit...remove both screws, drain, refill from bottom til it seeps out top, install top plug, install bottom plug. a little high temp grease on plug threads helps reduce seepage. about any gear oil will work; more important that it be changed regularly (many old lower unit seals leak & allow a little water in over time). i use std Valvoline semi-synth, seems to work fine.

4. oil residue suggests to me that your seal around prop leaks a little, probably due to age. see # 3 above & change oil frequently. any water in the oil when you drain it?

5. motor head is air cooled but it uses water pump to cool exhaust; factory shop manual sez it will overheat if you run without pump working. impeller access & change is similar to most other outbaords, and you can find em at discount-marine-parts.com or via fleebay; abt $15-17. be careful not to shear off screws holding water pump housing to lower unit as they are hard-to-find 12-24 thread.

good luck!"

"Bruce, Thanks a lot for your

"Bruce, Thanks a lot for your information!!! Very detailed and great information!!

I have one more question... Winter storage, In my lawn mowers I use STA-BIL and mix it in with the gas and let it run for a little while and have had no issues starting the following spring. I know a lot of people that swear by draining all gas out and using fresh gas in the spring.

When it comes to this old 7.5hp two cycle engine is there a particular brand recommended or should I drain all fuel from the system?

Thanks

Erik"

"Good info Bruce, but I have o

"Good info Bruce, but I have one thing to add. TCW stands for Two Cycle, Liquid cooled. It does seem strange that Eska (and Gamefisher) says to use TCW oil when the engine is air cooled, but I have a couple owners manual, and a service manual that say to use TC-W oil on 1974 and newer motors. My only guess is that since the exhaust (therefore exhaust port) is liquid cooled, that Tecumseh has determined that TCW oil is required. I haven't questioned them, and have some old air cooled Eskas that have hundreds of hours on them.
It does not, however, say to use TC-W on older engines. It says to use 24:1 for 1970-73 motors, and 32:1 for 1974 and later models if you use TCW oil, or 24:1 if you use (regular) 2 cycle outboard oil. This is obviously from an old service manual since they are refering to TCW oil (replaced since by TCW-2 an TCW-3), and has no mention of 50:1 mixtures that the newest Eska/Gamefishers used.
My owners manual for my 1975 7.5 Eska states to use either two-cycle outboard lubricant or it's equivalent BIA Certified TCW 2 cycle oil.
My opinion: Mix your motor 24:1 using a name brand TCW-3 and keep an eye on the spark plug to make sure everything looks ok.

You will get different votes as to whether or not you should drain all the fuel or not. Mine is to drain it all out. I use fogging oil on my outboards when I put them away as well. With the engine running in a barrel, you spray it into the carburetor throat until it starts to sputter and spit out white smoke, then kill the engine. Spray a bit into the spark plug hole as well, and then turn the engine slowly with the plug grounded (or even reinstalled) a couple times. Then I drain all the remaining gas.

You can get an impeller from Sears if you like. http://tinyurl.com/6myuzu There are lots of other parts available from Sears at http://tinyurl.com/6plf8w"

"Erik, i'm with Wayne....d

"Erik, i'm with Wayne....drain the gas. a lot easier to flip OB upside down than lawnmower! don't forget gas in float bowl and lines ...sludge in on/off valve on shroud or quick-connector for remote tank can give you grief too. your car will eat this small amt of premix just fine if you mix it on top of a full tank.
some folks don't even bother with fogging oil, just shot of Wd or Mobil 1 in plug hole....some of the AOMCI types even just run super oil-rich mixture just before shutdown. how much you need to worry abt fogging probably varies with how long engine will be shut down for and how humid your storage area is.

Wayne, thanks for finally elucidating for me what TCW stuff meant. it's almost scary how much you know, and pretty impressive how much time you spend passing it on to others! muchissimas gracias!"

"Wayne and Bruce, Thanks a lot

"Wayne and Bruce, Thanks a lot for the great info and quick response. You guys have been a great help!!!

One more question..........

The 7.5 TW starts pretty easy, but I have not been out on the water yet with it, as a preventative measure could you recommend a particular brand of starting fluid for 2 cycle engines that i could use in case the motor decides not to cooperate on the water.

Once again thanks a lot for all of the great information!!!

Erik"

"Your welcome.
The best and O

"Your welcome.
The best and ONLY starting fluid for your motor is pre-mixed gas/oil. Don't use commercial starter fluids designed for cars as they have no lubricant to protect your motor.
Bruce, thanks for the complimenting me on how much I know, but I'd have to say 90% of what I know came from forums like this one, reading information provided by others (like yourself). I have 40 or so old outboards, and would never keep them running if it weren't for these forums."