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1973 55hp sears ted williams outboard questions

joepro

New member
"hey folks. i know for a first

"hey folks. i know for a first post it has to be a question.. lol.. but actually i have alot of questions about this motor.. i just acquired this motor today and have never owned an outboard this old before. so here goes. it starts fine.. first question.. who made it. serial number is 21759431 and what website do you go to to check you number to see who the mfg. is? second question.. of course if you know this motor you know that the throttle is not on the tiller.. choke, throttle, carb adjustment are all on the panel.. from the left on the throttle you have stop and midways you have start. now on the left side of it is a lever where your fwd, reverse, neutral would normally be but this motor has no reverse so it says drive, neutral.. when you have it neutral you cannot put the throttle past the start postion.. when in drive you can throttle it all the way.. it also says clutch shallow water drive on the panel.. the motor can be fed from the top tank or an external tank.. both work as i have already cleaned everything out and put new hoses on it.. i stuck it in a barrell with water and it started very easily.. but the prop turns when you start it and when it starts. i would have thought that the clutch would not engage the prop till throttled past the start position..but at idle when it warms up and at the start position the prop turns.. is this normal for this motor? does it not have an adjustment so that the prop does not engage at idle or start throttle? seems like it would so you wouldnt push yourself into something while on the water while starting it.. third question... does the motor turn all the way around since it has no reverse? or just shut it down .. get your boat pointed in the direction you want to go and start it? doesnt seem right to me.. lol.. any help appreciated.. thanks in advance. joe."
 
"Hey Joe...Go to [url=""]www.s

"Hey Joe...Go to www.searsparts.com and go to the parts page, then where it says put in model no# put in that 217....number you found and it will take you to the parts and picture diagrams of that engine. Yes you turn the engine to go backwards, Don't know about clutch??? I think the prop turns all the time?? Hope this helps...JIM"
 
I have a ted williamns 7.5 air

I have a ted williamns 7.5 air cooled I was wanting to know thefuel mix and how to start it the gas cap on top do I need to close the air vent or leave it open and what about the gas valve open all the way
 
alan.. is it the tecumseh moto

alan.. is it the tecumseh motor? if so i ran mine at 50:1... some say you could run it at 25:1 but for an old motor i wasnt taking any chances and added the extra oil to the mix.. as far as starting it just unscrew the cap and put it back on before you start it.. that will let the air in so that the gas can flow. once started you can unscrew the vent a little to let it flow while running.. also is it set up to run an external tank also? and if it is does it have the original connection valve on it with the check valve so that gas wont run back out the external tank valve? in other words if you put gas in the top tank and open the gas valve does gas run out the external tank fitting? if it doesnt the check valve is working properly and nothing to worry about.. and yes open the gas valve open all the way.. only when you run an external tank should you close it.. hope that helped.. joe..
 
"hello,
i have a ted williams


"hello,
i have a ted williams outboard with a Tecumseh motor, i picked it up out of the trash. i took it apart to see what was up with it. turns out the part that holds the connecting rod to the crank shaft with the two screws broke in half. Where could i get this part?

also the cover for it is missing so i don't know anything about it except for it has a Tecumseh engine.

Thanks,
Ian"
 
"Ian, you can start with any s

"Ian, you can start with any small engine place that sells/services Tecumseh.

These outboards are more lawnmower than a "conventional" outboard. Engine parts should be mostly available.

If you can get it running then perhaps you can find a cover on Ebay (or the like).

The outboard itself (complete) was built by Eska, for Sears, using a Tecumseh motor....."
 
ian.. if you have the same mot

ian.. if you have the same motor look at the part number i have posted before at the start of this thread.. then go to the link and locate the parts and service section of the site.. it has diagrams of the motor and serviceable parts and if you fill out an order form it will tell you if you can still order it.. as in my situation the clutch dog went bad and as was my luck you can no longer get this part anywhere.. so i welded it solid and run the motor as a direct drive.. it is still chugging mud to this day.. the bad news is there are not many parts that you can still get for these motors.. if it is the part i am thinking of a local machine shop should be able to make you a new one fairly cheap.. if not alot of boat repair shops love these motors for parts as they are hard to find with useable parts still in them.. i found two motors like mine at a local boat motor shop but they had the same problem mine had.. hope that helped.. joe.
 
"Alright, I hate to hijack a t

"Alright, I hate to hijack a thread so I'll apologize in advance. I also have a sears Ted William 5.5 horsepower outboard with fuel issues. I guess my first question is where do you find the model number on these? I've looked all over the machine and still haven't found one. I tried Joe Golladay's number as a default and the parts breakdown looks very similar but I'd like to be sure. Second, if www.searspartsdirect.com doesn't have that part any longer, where else can I look for it?"
 
"Well, I have browsed through

"Well, I have browsed through ebay and someone did have a carb for a 7hp so at least it looks the same. Thing is, I just need a few gaskets. Namely, the base gasket and the one behind the plate where the fuel enters. I still have a place or two I could try for those, but as a last resort I guess I could always try a liquid gasket. Man I hate that option."
 
"Mr. Cleaver: I rebuilt one of

"Mr. Cleaver: I rebuilt one of these Eska/Sears kickers a few years ago (mine is a 5 h.p.) and I couldn't get the gaskets from Sears. I bought a gasket material assortment from NAPA. I wiped the mating surfaces with ink pad ink, then printed them on the gasket. Cut out with an X-acto knife, and they worked great. FWIW."
 
"Any help will be appreciated;

"Any help will be appreciated; I have inherited a Sears/Ted Williams 7hp "Solid State, twist grip, clutch shift, shallow water drive", ? used with inspection sticker inplace, outboard motor. What yr. might it have been made? What is it worth on the antique market or is it an antique? Or should I crank it up and use it? Thanks, LWT"
 
"Your motor is likely from the

"Your motor is likely from the mid 70s. If you can locate a model number it will be easy to track. It will probably start with a 217. The bad news is that it is virtually worthless as an antique as there are tons of similar motors out there. They were a value engine made by Eska for Sears, likely with a Tecumseh engine. Most people consider them a lesser engine than a Johnson/Evinrude/Mercury etc.
The good news is that they are very easy to work on due to their simplicity and for the most part are very reliable. If your motor is in good running condition it would be valueable as a fishing motor or kicker for a bigger boat. I've had people tease me that my similar motors aren't worth $50, but when you look at the price of a new 7 hp motor, a good running Gamefisher/Eska suddenly looks good.
In my opinion, if you have a way to use your motor, enjoy it."
 
Thank you Wayne. The model # i

Thank you Wayne. The model # is 217-59440
Lewis
 
"It is a 1971. I'm impres

"It is a 1971. I'm impressed it has solid state ignition. You might find the following link useful for fuel mixture, plug type, and part numbers. As well, you can go to www3.sears.com and use your part number to find replacement parts.
Scott Puffer has mentioned above a couple other places to look for parts if you ever need them.

http://home.earthlink.net/~brixent/Model21758890-59900.htm"
 
"Sorry for the double post, I

"Sorry for the double post, I meant go to www3.sears.com and use your MODEL number (217-59440) to find replacement parts."
 
Ihave a 5.5 T.W. Picked up for

Ihave a 5.5 T.W. Picked up for $25. Took apart the carb and cleaned her up. I get gas to the carb but not into the carb. Took back apart and ports look good. Can start with starting fluid (Iknow "BAD") but will not stay running. Do I need to do something with the idle adjust? Choke? Trash?
Thanks
 
"Do you mean that you can'

"Do you mean that you can't get fuel into the float bowl at all? Does this motor have an external tank, or just the internal one? If you are running off the internal one, do you have the fuel valve open on the side of the engine? There is a fuel element pump inside the carburetor that hardens up over time and needs to replaced. It is cheap, but will give you all kinds of grief if it's hardened. Hopefully this is a start. What is the model number? As for using starting fluid, I'd make some out of gas and oil. Being very careful how I handled it of course."
 
"model# 217-5998-0
It does ha


"model# 217-5998-0
It does have the hook up for an external tank. I closed the valve and put new gas in the tank on the motor. When I took the carb apart There was this red rubber cone. I cleaned it up and it looks fine. Not hard.
If I unscrew the plate that my gas line is hooked to frm the carb, I get gas to that point. If I unscrew the carb from the motor, I get gas to that point. But the inside of my carb seems dry and no gas in the float bowl. I am going to tear it apart again tonight. Maybe I missed something."
 
Ok. I used a piece of tubing

Ok. I used a piece of tubing like a turky baster and spit gas into the carb (better than starting fluid). It took right off. Did this a few times. But it will not stay running. It dies within a few seconds. I cannot pull start it. I took the carb back off and cleaned it out. Blew wwd40 through all the port holes in it. Put my mouth on the fuel tank and blew air and gas through the lines so they are clear of obstruction. The float bowl was near empty again?? What am I missing?
 
"I'm guessing that the fue

"I'm guessing that the fuel is not getting past the inlet needle properly. Bad needle, or the float is not set correctly. By the way, for what it's worth, your motor is a 1974. You can get a bit more info at http://home.earthlink.net/~brixent/Model21759980-585861.htm

*** I just noticed in your post that you said you closed the valve. That valve has to be open to allow the fuel from the internal tank to get into the carburetor. You close it if you are using an external tank. Maybe this is all that is wrong? I hope so. Good luck."
 
"Hello, I have 1975 Ted Willia

"Hello, I have 1975 Ted Williams 7.5TG hp motor. I was wondering if anyone knew what the "TG" stood for? Also what is the flat head screw that says vent down by the prop for? And just one more question... The gas mix sticker on the motor cover says to only use "leaded" gasoline, where do I get leaded gas in the year 2008? Thanks so much if anyone can answer any of these questions."
 
"Tim, the TG stands for "T

"Tim, the TG stands for "Twist Grip" - this was a "new" thing where the throttle was in the tiller handle on these little motors.

The vent screw is removed when you are filling the lower unit gear oil - lets the air out during the filling.

You can use "unleaded" with decent results. It can sometimes play nasty with older gas lines (like the short one under the hood between the fitting/fuel pump and carb), so it's worth spending a couple bucks at a local auto parts place and replacing the original with a new piece of bulk auto gas hose.

If you are really concerned about the lack of lead in the gas, companies like STP make lead substitutes (sold at many auto parts stores) - but from experience, I wouldn't waste the money. The lead helped lube some of the internal parts, but modern 2 cycle oil and unleaded gas is working fine in many motors produced back in the 50's and even earlier..."
 
"Hey Graham thanks... I would

"Hey Graham thanks... I would not have even known about lower gear oil, any advice on where to look to fill or check this? I suppose I should check for a regular engine oil dip stick also on this motor. I just bought this used but I want to make sure everything is full and good when I take it to the lake to test it out tomorrow. Thanks again."
 
"The lower gear oil can be che

"The lower gear oil can be checked by loosening the "fill" screw (will be a couple inches below the vent you mentioned).

The oil may be a range of colour from honey to dark brown. It's best to change it anually. At that time you usually collect some in a small glass jar and let it sit for a bit. You are looking for water to separate out which would indicate a lower seal problem. You can also catch a drop between your fingers and rub it - any "gritty" feeling would indicate gear wear/breakdown. If the oil looks something like cold coffee or chocolate milk, that is a sign of water intrusion - not always a totally bad thing, but something to keep an eye on and would indicate that the oil should maybe be changed twice yearly.

Aside from the lower gear oil, nothing to check as far as fluid levels go. The engine oil is mixed with the gas and there is no other fluids..."
 
"Graham, thanks again for all

"Graham, thanks again for all the advice. You are right about the two stroke oil lubricating the rest of the motor also, i realized this after I posted. Thanks"
 
"Hello all, I have inherited a

"Hello all, I have inherited a 7.5 hp Ted Williams outboard from my Father in Law. He aquired it in an estate sale and it has apparently set up for several years. I know the water pump and various other parts will have to be replaced. Ya'll have been discussing where to find parts but I do not know the model or serial number or the year model. Where do I find these on the motor?"
 
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