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Maintaining an old Evinrude

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skrenz
Captain

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USA
351 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/27/2009 : 17:22:27

I am a newbie to outboard motors. And I have an outboard on the boat that is ancient of days. It is a 9.9 model E10SELCUE Evinrude which from searching around on the internet seems to be from 1987. It looks like it could easily be that old but hey, it starts right up, doesn't burn gray smoke and its not in the budget to upgrade this year.
My questions are about maintaining this engine.
1. Since I add oil to the fuel I am assuming that this is a 2 stroke engine. Even so, does it also have any crankcase oil to change?
2. I found a drain plug and what looks like a filler plug above it down low on the drive. I drained the oil from here because it looks really old and black. How can I find out what kind and how much oil I should put into this cavity?
3. People talk about fuel filters on outboards. Would this engine have one? If so, where should I look?
4. Are there any other yearly/monthly maintenance items I should be checking on this kind of motor? I have checked and cleaned and gapped the spark plugs already.

This is such a great forum for stuff like this and I thank you all in advance.

Steve Krenz
`Elan
1978 SR/SK #482
Santa Fe, New Mexico

Edited by - on

mlg3733
Navigator

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118 Posts

Response Posted - 06/27/2009 : 18:34:59

No, there is no crankcase oil, the oil in the gas mixture lubricates the pistons.
The drain is for the lower unit gear case, there are two plugs; you fill from the bottom plug up by placing the oil tube in the lower hole and squeeze the lube up the gearcase, you then put the upper plug back in when the oil starts to spill over and (Rather quickly) the lower plug. You need to get the proper gear case lube from the marine store.
There are usually no gas filter on a two stroke model.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5377 Posts

Response Posted - 06/27/2009 : 20:32:19

Steve -
I'd have to agree with MLG on almost every point. Especially, replacing the lower unit oil. This is where most of the wear happens on a small engine, and keeping the oil clean and without water in it is the prime directive.

I would replace the oil, then run it for a few hours. Afterward, I would check the oil again to see whether there's any water or froth in it.

If you let the oil set, after a day or two the oil and water will separate. If there is water, you need to replace the seals. The engine owner's manual is handy to have for that. If the lower unit does not leak water, you're lucky.

While a fuel filter is not essential, it does not hurt. With 10% Ethanol, however, I would invest in a gasoline - water separator. Ethanol is alcohol and alcohol loves to collect water. With gas tanks heating and cooling day and night, condensation will develop inside the tank and water will get into the gas. Add to that, sometimes rain water or other sources of water can get into the gas.

A fuel-water separator takes care of most of this problem. There are also several "gas treatments" available at boating stores that reduce or eliminate the effects of ethanol on water in the gas tank. The red one and the blue one are both used by Forum Members.

Edited by - on

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 06/29/2009 : 06:28:05

Just a slight addition to what's been said; From your description of the lower unit oil that you drained it sounds like you have no seal leakage. If your oil is a milky color then you have water in it and would need to replace the seals.
Oh, and make sure you get a grease gun and hit every nipple you can find with some marine grease every couple months. Also if you're in salt water run fresh water through the motor at the end of each use**. If you're not going to use the motor for a while make sure you unplug the gas (as you're running fresh water through the motor) so you burn all the gas out of the carburetor.

**There are "ear muffs" that you can buy that connect to your water hose and then cover the water intake ports on the lower part of the outboard to supply fresh water to the engine for cleaning purposes.

Edited by - on

aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 07/01/2009 : 11:18:16

I have an 88 Evinrude 9.9 which has run near flawlessly since new. The only burp I've had involved contaminated gas. I generally take it in to a dealer for a check up every 5 years but in between clean the plugs and change the lower unit oil annually. I haven't installed new plugs in almost 10 years.

Edited by - on

fpill
1st Mate

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USA
51 Posts

Response Posted - 07/08/2009 : 05:21:04

What are the symptoms of having bad gas? (NEWBIE ALERT)
How could I tell the difference between bad gas and another problem?
By bad do you mean water or suspended particles?

Edited by - on

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 07/08/2009 : 05:57:39

By Bad gas generally we're talking about old gas. The symtoms of which are that the motor won't start

or runs very badly. It's a good idea to use a gas stabilizer, it'll keep the gas good for a long time.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"> How could I tell the difference between bad gas and another problem? <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Usually you're going to have 1) an electrical problem; in which case the thing won't fire at all. 2) a gas problem, where you're getting spark but it's not firing or barely firing, or 3) an air problem where it might start but run for only short periods of time. We might add a 4) carburetor problems, but that's almost always associated with the gas problem.

Edited by - on

fpill
1st Mate

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USA
51 Posts

Response Posted - 07/08/2009 : 16:45:09

Thanks Dave.
Is there a source for troubleshooting outboard engine problems?
I have a 1999 9.9hp Johnson.
I own the service manual, it helps if I already know what is wrong, but how do I get a first idea of what is wrong?

Edited by - on

Jay Schkloven
1st Mate

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USA
84 Posts

Response Posted - 07/11/2009 : 07:54:23

I am also having a problem with my 9.9 Johnson long shaft. It will start 1st thing in the morning. It will run just fine, but if you idle down and it stalls it will not restart. Choke, no choke, less throttle, more throttle. Only more throttle and the electric starter seem to get it running, and that is only after much cranking. Replaced the plugs, inline filter, and the fuel line attachment to the motor.
I have an old manual but it is too general and covers lots of other engine sizes. Someone said to try the throttle adjustments. There are apparently 2 or three on the motor. HELP!!

Edited by - on

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 07/11/2009 : 08:37:38

Hi Frank,
Sorry, I didn't see your reply till just now. Does it run at all? badly? any spark? If it's not running or running badly I'd take the carb off the motor being very careful not to bend any linkage and take pictures if you need to so you put it back together correctly. Get a hold of an air compressor so you can put compressed air down every hole you can find on that carb (some are very small). A rebuild kit (cheap) is good too, and consists of a new needle valve and it's seat, and a carb bowl gasket at least. Some needle valves use a seat and others don't, be careful not to loose the seat that's there when blowing air through (when you blow air through the orifice that's in the center of the float bowl it exits from that needle valve area and will blow out the seat). Oh, to take the float off carefully push the pin out that holds it with a small pin or something. Careful! the bowl arm has a small spring type thing that holds the needle valve in place that can be lost fairly easily. The needle valve sits beneath. There's also a valve that can be unscrewed from the middle of the float bowl and inspected/cleaned. Be careful not to bend the float arm. You can also remove the air/fuel mixture needle valve to clean it but before you do carefully count the turns it takes to completely close the valve so you can put it back correctly. Your owners manual may give you the settings as well, many times it's 1 1/2 turns out. I generally don't use carb cleaner cause it's so corrosive but if the carb looks really nasty blow that stuff through too. Careful when you blow it through the holes, it can get you when it exits.
Also put a new plug in it, they're cheap and even if it's not the culprit it can't hurt, save the old one for a stand-by (make sure the gap is correct). Make sure the plug cap is connecting well. Hmmmmm ...... what else ............ replace the gas if there's any doubt whether it's old. If I think of anything else I'll add to this later. Good luck. Once you take this guy apart a few times it'll be easy and you'll be able to deal with 2 strokes fairly easily as bad gas/carb stuff is the most common cause of probs.

Edited by - DaveR on 07/11/2009 08:54:11

mlg3733
Navigator

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118 Posts

Response Posted - 07/11/2009 : 08:44:08

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by fpill
 Thanks Dave.
Is there a source for troubleshooting outboard engine problems?
I have a 1999 9.9hp Johnson.
I own the service manual, it helps if I already know what is wrong, but how do I get a first idea of what is wrong?

Iboat forum
http://forums.iboats.com/forumdisplay.php?f=24

can provide good help.

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Edited by - on

DaveR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2015 Posts

Response Posted - 07/11/2009 : 09:08:22

Jay, you have a gunky carb for sure. Do the carb thing as stated above!!

Edited by - on

carmelocataudella
Deckhand

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USA
10 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2009 : 07:55:39

Here is another outboard question...
i have a mid 80's evinrude 9.9 that came with the 84 catalina that i just got (very happy to be a new owner - loving it!)
it ran just fine for the first 2 weeks or so but now it seems like when i am running at full throttle it seems to be only going at half throttle. the handle is cranked all the way but it doesn't really feel like it is wide open.... kinda like its backed off a bit. this is particularly concerning to me because i have the boat moored at the point where a river runs into the bay and when the current runs it flies... so, i can barely keep it moving forward at all against the current right now.
any ideas?
fuel? i think i put 87 octane in it (does it matter?) does it need service? i am new to all of this so any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated.
i was even considering going to a 15hp motor because of how strong the current is there (the bouys seem to lie down flat when it is at its peak) i understand the hull speed and 9.9 spec'd as enough but this current is fast.

thanks in advance for any help.

Edited by - on

Sloop Smitten
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1181 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2009 : 08:08:48

Carmelo,
If you have two spark plugs it sounds like one of them may be fouled. Probably be worth investing in two new ones. I had this problem with an old 2 cycle outboard I had and it acted just as you describe.

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farrison
Navigator

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USA
166 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2009 : 09:13:02

Carmelo;
All outboards are abused by their owners (or previous owners). The owners leave gas in them and the gas turns first to jelly, and then to varnish, and plugs very tiny holes in the carb that are crucial to the air/fuel mixture. Once it is formed, it is hard to clean out without having the carb serviced, either by the owner or a technician. In your case of the slow running engine though, it does sound like one of the plugs is fouled, or that the plug is not getting spark, so one cylinder is doing all the work. Does it idle badly too? Remove the spark plugs and look at them. The plugs in a properly tuned engine should be a tan color and should look the same. If either or both are black and oily, then something is wrong. It might be a fouled plug, a bad plug, or other electrical problems like a bad plug wire, or ignition coil. Before you buy a new engine, pay to have it serviced first. Much cheaper than a new engine. I have a 1984, two-stroke, 15 HP Mercury that was put on by the PO. It gets regular service and still starts easily and runs great, although 15 hp is too much. It has never run at full throttle. A properly tuned 9.9 should push your boat at hull speed just fine. Hull speed for our boats is just over 6 knots, and hull speed is hull speed. If the current is 5 knots then you will only be able to move at one knot. More horse power won't help. Throw a little money at the old one first.

Paul

Edited by - on

carmelocataudella
Deckhand

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USA
10 Posts

Response Posted - 07/27/2009 : 10:02:10

Thanks guys.
I am going to change the plugs and take it from there... if it runs smoothly after that, i will have the engine serviced at the end of the season to be ready for next season. otherwise might have to make my way to a repair shop for service.

p.s. - thanks for the amazing response time. this forum is a godsend for sure. i will certainly be back here with more questions and hope to someday be able to answer a few down the road as i get some experience under my belt.

Edited by - on

fpill
1st Mate

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USA
51 Posts

Response Posted - 08/01/2009 : 16:51:09

Dave,
I'm sorry for not replying, Thanks for the information.
My problems sound a little like Jay's. The engine starts fine, and idles fine.
Once in gear and underway for a while the engine stalls and will not restart until I curse enough to give the engine time to sit.
I thought it was the old fuel, so I put in new fuel, new tank, and new fuel line. That did not solve the problem.
I thought that since the engine ran for a while before dying and didn't restart until it sat I thought overheating. So I replaced the thermostat.
I still have the same problem.
I just put in new spark plugs at the beginning of the summer.

That is the extent of my troubleshooting ability.

Jay, I'm interested to find out if you solved your problem?

Thanks everyone,

Edited by - on

Happy D
Admiral

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921 Posts

Response Posted - 08/02/2009 : 04:52:55

I get engine manuals at Ken Cook.
http://www.outboardbooks.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.main

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Sloop Smitten
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1181 Posts

Response Posted - 08/03/2009 : 07:58:41

Frank,
Since your replaced the fuel, tank and line your problem probably lies in the carb. If the carburetor bowl has gummed up your float it could be sticking high or low and flooding or starving your engine. This can happen intermittently. A removal and cleaning of the carb would be the best approach. I have had some luck by removing the fuel line at the carb and spraying a few seconds of carb cleaner directly into the bowl. Sometimes that will free a sticky float. Next time it happens try raising tilting your engine to the highest vertical position and then relowering it. Sometimes gravity will help with loosening it as well.
Good luck!

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