Gale Sovereign motor 1960 I need help

" I just inherited a 1960 Gale

" I just inherited a 1960 Gale motor 60 HP " Sovereign" that is on an 18'Crosby fiberglass boat. It has not been in operation for 10-12 years as the guy died and his wife just let it sit all that time! I know absolutely zip about boats and boat motors. I would like to tinker with it though. How do I know if this motor is still operational, how can I test it ? I live in upstate NY and it is winter...so taking it to the lake is out of hte question ! Thanks for any help you can provide ! Is this thing worth anything ? "

"Jim.... Everything is worth s

"Jim.... Everything is worth something, but repairing outboards can be fairly expensive. However, an engine sitting even a few months runs the risk of having the carb(s) gum up, and of course sitting for years guarantees that the carb is fouled on that Gale engine. It will need to be removed, cleaned and rebuilt. Check the lower unit to see if lube is present at the lower drain plug. (DO NOT REMOVE THE PHILIPS SCREW!)

If oil is there right at the drain plug, that's a good sign that the lower unit is okay. If water or rust happens to be there, that's a sign that the lower unit will require repairing.

Assuming that the engine turns over.... remove the s/plugs and take a compression check. The compression should be in the 100+ range and even on all cylinders. Rig up some kind of spark tester and set the gap to 1/4". Crank the engine and watch that gap... you should get a strong blue flame on all cylinders.

If you have compression, ignition (spark), and the caruretor is rebuilt, the engine has to run. The fuel mixture should be a 50/1 mixture which is 1 pint of 50/1 oil to 6 gallons of gas. The lower unit uses what is called "HiVis" lube which can be purchased at K-Mart and Wal*Mart to name a couple places, and of course at any marine type store.

Unfortunately, outboards will not tolerate what is usually refered to as tinkering, so I suggest that you try to obtain a manual for that engine. Looking at the left side of this page, you'll see the classified section where perhaps you'll find that item. At any rate, I wish you luck and should you need parts, I still have some left in stock for that engine.

Joe (30+ Years With OMC)"

" I believe that the fuel / oi

" I believe that the fuel / oil mixture for this engine is 1/2 pt of outboard oil to a gal. of fuel, or one quart to 4 gallons of fuel. Just my opinion. ---Greg "

"Jim... In the past, when that

"Jim... In the past, when that engine was new, the 50/1 oil did not exist, and the proper mixture was a 24/1 mixture.... 1 Qt of oil to 6 Gallons of fuel. However when the 50/1 oils did come into being, OMC came out with a bulletin that stated that all of their engines (Gale Included) could safely use the 50/1 mixture excepting the 1957 7.5hp model. Bottom line = your 1960 60hp Gale will use the 50/1 fuel oil mixture (1 Pt of the 50/1 oil to 6 Gallons of gas).

Joe "

" I have a Gale 60 HP outboard

" I have a Gale 60 HP outboard motor w/ electric start... but I do not have a battery...does anyone know what type, size etc... battery Iwould need ? I would appreciate the info
JIm K "