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1959 Evinrude Impeller

NotEienstien

New member
I'm in the middle of playing around with a 1959 3hp Evinrude. I took the lower unit apart to check out the impeller. All around the impeller housing and the unit itself was a bunch of crud, looks like old gear oil type stuff, greasy/oily. And removing the water pump plate it was all the same. A bunch of oily/greasy build up. Is this normal or should I also replace the oil seal while it is apart.? Is that seal difficult to remove and replace? I didn't think of taking photos at the time.
Thanks for any info.
 
It is one of those "projects" where how far do you want to go? I just wanted to get it running, which I did. And then thought I should check out the lower unit/impeller breaking off a bolt in the process, and saw the greasy/oily/ sludge mess and I am not sure if that was normal or not. I'll check and see what parts are available along with difficulty of changing them out. Trouble is I don't know who or if anyone would even want to use this motor. But it keeps me somewhat occupied.
 
That dark greasy junk is pretty normal on a motor that sat. Most of it is exhaust residue. Burnt oil works its way down the exhaust housing and collects right around the pump... they mixed the fuel a lot richer back then, so there is plenty of it to go around.

Way I tell them apart is the smell. Gear lube is sticky, dark, and it stinks of sulfur. Dry and sooty means exhaust. Was the gearcase low when you drained it? Did the lube look milky at all?

I would do the seals while you are in there. Cheap insurance on a 70 year old motor and you will not get a better chance. There are two on the driveshaft. The upper one is the one that lets lube up into the pump cavity when it goes. The lower one is the one that lets water in and ruins the gears.

Run a fingernail across the driveshaft where the seal rides. If you feel a groove, a new seal will not hold. That means a repair sleeve or another shaft.

Check the water tube grommet too. They go hard and crack, and then you are back in here next summer chasing an overheating problem.

Old seals come out with a small pick. Drive the new ones in with a socket that sits on the outer edge only. Keep it square. Grease the lip before it goes on the shaft.

Before it hits the water I would pressure and vacuum test the gearcase. Little ones like that do not take much, a few psi. Too much will blow your new seals right back out. Check the manual for the number... I do not know it off the top of my head.

That broken bolt, soak it a day in penetrating oil before you touch it.

Keep us posted on what you find. Thanks.
 
That dark greasy junk is pretty normal on a motor that sat. Most of it is exhaust residue. Burnt oil works its way down the exhaust housing and collects right around the pump... they mixed the fuel a lot richer back then, so there is plenty of it to go around.

Way I tell them apart is the smell. Gear lube is sticky, dark, and it stinks of sulfur. Dry and sooty means exhaust. Was the gearcase low when you drained it? Did the lube look milky at all?

I would do the seals while you are in there. Cheap insurance on a 70 year old motor and you will not get a better chance. There are two on the driveshaft. The upper one is the one that lets lube up into the pump cavity when it goes. The lower one is the one that lets water in and ruins the gears.

Run a fingernail across the driveshaft where the seal rides. If you feel a groove, a new seal will not hold. That means a repair sleeve or another shaft.

Check the water tube grommet too. They go hard and crack, and then you are back in here next summer chasing an overheating problem.

Old seals come out with a small pick. Drive the new ones in with a socket that sits on the outer edge only. Keep it square. Grease the lip before it goes on the shaft.

Before it hits the water I would pressure and vacuum test the gearcase. Little ones like that do not take much, a few psi. Too much will blow your new seals right back out. Check the manual for the number... I do not know it off the top of my head.

That broken bolt, soak it a day in penetrating oil before you touch it.

Keep us posted on what you find. Thanks.
Thanks for the information. The busted bolt has already been taken car of and reminded me that I need to be more cautious when wrenching. I'll do my best to keep you updated on the progress, but will take some time as this project is not a high priority one, plus I'm heading out for a vacation. I already cleaned out most of the gunk, but will try a "sniff test" next time I do something to the motor. All of your tips will come in handy.
Thanks again.
 
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