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Cowling Cover Latch Problem - 1978 4.5hp

D

DreadPirateRob

New member
Hey folks, it's my first post of probably many... all with the same "I'm in over my head" tone, as I am trying to get an old motor running as my first project.

At the moment I'm frustrated at step 1 - the upper cowling won't stay on, and the starter rope mechanism is built into the cowling, so without it securely attached, I can't even try to start the engine without someone else standing on top of the engine to hold it down.

It looks to me like it's missing at least one, if not two metal pins that would go through the holes in the twisty-latch-pin twist to engage with the retaining slots on the lower cowling?

Can anyone help me figure out how to keep this cowling on so I can get the engine to start? I'd LOVE photos or descriptions of the missing part and ideas on how to make it work. The first picture is a detail of the latch piece and the two holes that i think should have pins of some kind in them? The rest are just of the motor in general so hopefully someone will recognize it and say "Oh, I had one of those! If I had to make that piece, I'd get an X and do Y!" In the lower center of the second image you can see the piece installed.

https://i.imgur.com/DARE3ay.jpg?1

https://i.imgur.com/4pMWLUG.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/KLKMHAi.jpg


Thanks in advance if anyone has any guidance!
 
fastjeff said:
Bungee cords? Ugly but effective.

Jeff
Click to expand...

Because the pull rope is in the cowling, it takes a LOT of holding it down. My brother literally had to stand on it to make it engage the flywheel reliably... and I don't want to have to hang someone out the back of the boat every time I need to start the engine!

I thought about ratchet straps... and that would probably work, but the engine's old and not starting reliably and it will be my first time troubleshooting an outboard... and having to undo and redo ratchet straps before every single pull of the rope while testing and exploring is probably enough to take the project from 'taking entirely too long' to 'taking IMPOSSIBLY too long.'

But I appreciate the suggestion! I don't mind an ugly fix! I've been thinking about trying to attach something like this to the exterior of the cowling if I can't make the original system work -

https://www.amazon.com/MagiDeal-Durable-Marine-Stainless-Butterfly/dp/B078LZC16M

I'd just hate to waste an hour doing it the wrong way if one of you guys was going to say "Oh, the part you're looking for is X, here's a place that sells it for three bucks!"
 
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