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Outboard Advice
#1
Hey guys,

The outboard motor I have is a Sears Gamefisher 5hp. I got it from a friend who bought it new and used it less than 5hrs, but it's been sitting for 5 or more years unused in his garage. Should I just hook it up to a gas tank and fire it up, or should I get it serviced before I use it?

I've used outboards extensively, but I've never owned one and all the ones I used were regularely maintenanced, so this is a problem I've not run into before. If servicing is required does anyone know of a business that does quality work at a fair price that they could recommend?

Thanks for any advice.

Mark
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#2
let me preface this by saying im not an expert, but theres been some good discussions about outboards on the utah board (they kick butt) . . #1 i would ask how mechanically adept are you? if not real comfortable with machinery and engines you want to take it to somebody . . . do no harm!

well at the least you need to prob spray the carb out and clean or replace any gas lines . .change every seal and replace all greases and fluids . .cause after 5 years something has dry rotted and will fail when you least expect it . .

hopefully it wont need serious tuning . . . maybe somebody out there can recommend a good small engine specialist in southern nevada . . hope this helps telbone!

sm
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#3
I have got a little 4.5 hp merc troller for my boat and it must have sat in the garage for about 10 years. One day i pulled it out, filled my garbage can with water and fired her up and let her run for 30 minutes, and i found out it is a 1974, and i feel it runs as good now as it did then.

Things to keep into consideration when firing it up.

make sure the impellar is pumping out a good stream of water!!!
Obvious, use the right mixture of gas!!! and a bit of carb cleaner might help in that department too.
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#4
I had the same thing happen that Polokid did but the motor is a 4hp Mercury and it had not been started since 1985. I had no problem starting it and now after a year the impeller still works great, I was very surprised. I would use a fuel stablizer like Sea foam if works great for cleaning the fuel system. Is the motor an air cooled engine or water cooled? WH2
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#5
I do alot of repairs on outboards. that sears gamefisher is a good motor the older ones were made by johnson and newer ones by mercury.

as far as letting them sit like that I've never had any issues with starting them but you've gotta consider that the only thing that can age is the impellor. they are only 20$ to buy and some shops charge over 100$ to replace.

they are easy to change but if you know someone thats been through them I'd have them there to watch and supervise.

also I'd run your mixture a little rich so that the engine is getting a little more oil than it actually needs. (32:1) is a good mixture.

if it fouls plugs then lean it up but do not exeed 50:1.

only use starting fluid if needed and only use a little bit. a good replacement for starting fluid is a spraybottle with gasoline (when you pump it it will atomize the gas so to prevent flooding).

make sure when you start it that the entire out drive is submerged there should be a taddle-tale for a stream of water to come out. Watch for water and if no water comes out them shut it off immediately and replace the impellor. it only takes about 10 to 15 seconds to burn up an engine from the heat.

if it pumps water and runs good then I'd let it run at an idle for a while and occasionally rev it. if it runs rough dont be discouraged because until you find what fuel mixture it likes it will run and smoke a little rough.

always check the oil in the bottom foot. there should be a top oil and a bottom oil ( for what little bit of oil it takes I'd comsider changing it).

let me know If it runs ok or if you need any help

DZ
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#6
Great advice from Danzilla, he's the man when it comes to boats and such. The only other suggestion I would have would be to remove the plug, spray just a very small amouth of WD-40 into the cylinder, and then gently pull the starter (plug still out) a few times, to get the rings lubed up a little. More than likely it would fire up no problem, just make sure you replace that impellor! You don't wan't to ruin a perfectly good motor by starving it of H20.
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#7
Hey guys,

Thanks everyone for the quick responses.

I am pretty mechanically inclined, the problem I have/had was not knowing anything whatsoever about an outboard motor other than how to start and run it.

I called my buddy and the motor is older than I thought. It's 14 years old or around there. It's barely scratched though and he re-iterated it has less than 5 total hours on it. I still have to get a gas tank for it and a fuel line as well, and I'm gonna change the lower gear oil, pull the spark plug and do the WD-40 lube and then try'n start it. If I don't see water being pumped I'll kill it immediately. If it is being pumped I'll monitor it for a while to make sure it's gonna keep pumping water and then hopefully call it ok. I think that should cover it. If I missed anything let me know, 'cause I won't be able to actually get to it until tonight or maybe tomarrow.

I wanted to make sure I understood Danzilla right on the impellor. If I start it and it pumps a steady stream of water, then I'll run it for say 20 - 30 mins. If it pumps water that long then I'll be able to say the impellor is good, right? I'm pretty sure that's what you said, but I'm careful and since this could potentially ruin the engine, I want to make real sure I understood you correctly.

Thanks again everyone,
Mark

ps. Danzilla I just did a search and I can't find out which company made my motor. I need to know for the gas line. I pulled the top and it says:

Model 217 586614
Serial 78004766

I was hoping you might be able to tell me which company made the motor from those numbers.
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#8
Some of the older sears outboards need to be in gear with the prop turning for the impellar to pump water(early 70's).
You can find parts if you need them at sears.com or call the parts department.
I had a riot fishing around ely for the summer a few years ago, big fish and very nice people!
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#9
what does the old fuel line look like? if it has 2 or 3 posts then its a jonson if it is a popmetal fitting that slides in and turns its a merc. also it should be painted green on the inside which is another indication of a jonson. if it says ted williams its also a jonson. If its black then its a merc

dont be discouraged if you dont get a steady stream of water you only need a little. if you only get a very small mist with some steam after a few minutes then pull the cover off and put your hands on the head and water jacket of the engine. even after running all day my 10hp I can still touch it momentarily.

those taddle-tales will only put out a little water the majority of it goes down through the lower unit (foot) and out the exaust. those tattle tales are just an indicator and nothing else they rarely tell you HOW good your impellor is just that your getting water

another thing to look at is the pull rope its been sitting for a while and it may be rotted, that will end a good fishing day in a hurry if it happens to break.
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#10
Hey guys,

With this much info, I'll have my motor going in no time.

Fisherman, I found a classified ad on a web page with a detailed descripion of the same gamefisher motor as I have. The model numbers were off by 3 on the last digit so depending on how often they change models I'd say I'm within a few years of it. And since my model number was a bigger number mine is probably newer. Anyhow it was a 1990 model and perfectly matched mine down to the lettering. It shouldn't be close to a 1970's model so it won't have the "not pumping water in neutral" problem, or at least I hope it doesn't. I was pretty sure it was a Mercury by this time, but Danzilla's latest post makes me %100 now. I didn't get time to buy the stuff I needed today to get the motor going. I did however get to register the boat.
BTW, at the NDOW I signed up to teach a fly tying class if anyone's interested. They have to do a background check and other stuff so i'll be quite a while before I actually start.

I'm hoping with a little TLC the motor will run fine as I was hoping to take the boat with me to Lee's Ferry this weekend. It will save me $150 a day in boat rental fees, plus gas, if I get it going. I'm gonna baby it and take every precaution and do all the suggested things before I run it. As per Danzilla's advice I'm either gonna replace the cord, or bring an extra in a small toolkit with me. I plan on carrying a spare prop and the tools to change it as well.

Anyhow, with a little luck I may hear that baby purr before the weekend yet Smile.

Later guys,
Mark
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