JohnRudeTips

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This is a brand new section on BBC.
Rusty63 (John Laws) and Seahorse will be providing
Tips on how to maintain your Johnson/Evinrude motor.
Stay tuned.......there will be more Tips to come!!

Updated December 26/05

* Click on thumbnails for larger photos. *

Water Pump Impeller Replacement
This is a step-by-step procedure to replace the water pump impeller in most
Johnson or Evinrude V4 or V6 outboard motors. These instructions will not work
on a 60 degree motor (Intruder/Faststrike) as the shifter has a different connector.

*** Safety Notice: Remove all spark plug wires from spark plugs, remove key from ignition
and remove kill switch before getting started.

1. Shift the motor into reverse, you will have to spin the prop by hand, DO NOT FORCE THE  SHIFTER!
   You need to remove the shifter pin, it is located below the carburetors in the front of the intake. It is hard to see on some motors but if you look in from the left side you should be able to see it.
   A 1/4 inch drive ratchet, long extension, swivel and 3/8 inch socket will aid in the removal.

The air box has been removed on this motor to get a better picture.

2. Once you have the shifter pin out, trim the motor up to full tilt and remove the torque tab, the two bolts below the cavitation plate and the four bolts on the side of the gearcase.

3. Remove the gear case.

4. This is the water pump housing; remove
the four bolts from the housing.

5. On some models there is an O-ring at the top of the drive shaft, remove it if yours is equipped then remove the water pump housing.

6. This model has the metal impeller key, on most models this key is no
longer used, this is only true if the drive shaft has the flat keyway in the
drive shaft.

7. Notice that the impeller is in the housing with a counter-clockwise twist, this is important when you install the new impeller as it must be
installed this way.

8. This is the replacement impeller kit and its contents; it also includes the instructions on how to install the new plastic impeller key, o-ring and impeller.

9. The impeller will only fit one way, make sure you get the open side down.

10. Hold the impeller with a pair of pliers and rotate it into the impeller housing with a counter-clockwise motion, I like to align the impeller key opening to the back of the housing to aid with the installation of the key.

11. Install the impeller o-ring on the drive shaft and slide it down to the water pump plate.

12. Apply some grease or other compound to hold the key to the shaft while installing the water pump housing; make sure the key is positioned correctly.

13. Slide the housing down the drive shaft and use a small screwdriver to hold the key while installing the housing.

14. Reinstall the housing bolts.

15. Reinstall the top drive shaft O-ring (if equipped).

16. There is an exhaust housing that fits in the midsection, make sure it is installed correctly and use a piece of masking tape to hold it in place.

17. Move the boat shift handle to Forward gear.

18. Push down on the gear case shift rod and turn the propeller to shift the gear case into reverse gear.

19. Apply a small amount of BRP Moly lube to the drive shaft splines and slide gear case back into the midsection.

** Caution!! The water tube MUST be aligned in the water pump housing.
Failure to align the water tube can cause damage to the water tube, water pump housing and will cause the motor to run hot, resulting in power head damage.

20. As you slide the gear case on you will have to spin the propeller to engage the crankshaft splines.

21. Reinstall the gear case bolts and tighten securely.

22. Reinstall the shifter bolt, this may take two people and some time, when the bolt is installed correctly the shift handle will operate as normal, if not correctly installed the gear case will not shift.
The shifter bolt must be inserted through the hole in the shift rod.

23. Reinstall plug wires, attach kill switch lanyard, attach water hose and start motor to verify water flow from water pump and shifting.

** Caution!! Spinning propellers are a Safety Hazard that can cause injury.

I would like to Thank Dwayne and Jason for their help with this......John.

Trim Motor or Trim Unit Replacement
How to replace the trim motor or trim unit on a Fastrack midsection (1991 and newer).

Remove the port (left) motor pan.

1. Trim the motor up to the full tilt position, if the unit will not trim you will need to release the manual release valve located in the port (left) transom bracket.
Be careful as the motor will drop to the ground when the valve is released. The valve must be turned counterclockwise fully but only until it touches the clip ring hold it in.

2. The motor can now be lifted to the full tilt position, use the service bracket on the starboard (right) side to support the motor.

Make sure the bracket is fully rotated and the motor is at full tilt.

3. On the port (left) side of the motor locate the connectors for the trim motor, trim limit switch and trim sender.

4. You will need to remove the wire holders inside the connectors to remove the wires, on the 2 wire connector a tool with a small hook will help to get the wedge out. Once you have the wedge out you will see small flat locking tabs that will need to be gently pushed back to release the wires so they can be removed from the connector.

On the 3 wire connector use needle nose pliers to remove the center wedge. Once the wedge is removed, gently push the small locking tabs back to release the wires from the connector.

Now for the fun part......The trim harness connector is a bit more difficult to get apart and a few bad words may be used....keep all women and small children out of earshot during this process.

5. First, lift the locking tabs on the side of the connector and remove the clip (Pic.1). Now you will need a small flat screw driver and slip it into the connector as showin in Pic.2. There are tabs that must be gently lifted so the wires can be removed, this will take some patience.

6. Remove the wire cover from the wires, remove the 2 bolts from the trim sender (Pic) and move the sender out of the way.

Pull the trim motor wires through the mounting bracket, remove the clips from the pins that hold the trim unit in, upper and lower and remove the pins (following 4 pics).

If you are removing the trim unit complete...at this point you will need to lower the tilt rod, this will need to be done by lowering the motor by hand, this will take 2 people Be careful as the motor is heavy, keep hands out of pinch points. Lift the motor and release the service bracket, lower the motor to retract the tilt rod; it only needs to be retracted a few inches. Raise the motor back to full tilt position and engage the service bracket.

If you are only changing the trim motor, remove the 4 mounting bolts paying attention to the ground strap on the starboard (right) rear bolt.
Place a drain pan to catch any spilled trim fluid and remove the trim motor.

Ready the new trim motor for installation, install the new 0-ring.

Pay attention to the trim motor to pump connector as they must be lined up correctly. The flat connector on the trim motor must fit in the slot in the trim pump connector.

Install the trim motor with the wires facing the port (left) mounting bracket (Pic 1). Be sure to connect the ground strap to the starboard (right) rear bolt (facing the trim motor) and securely tighten the 4 bolts.

Reinstall the wire cover and wires in the connectors; use the plugs on the motor side for wire color orientation, reconnect the plugs to the motor harness.

Install lower pin and cir clip, depress the trim up button to center the hole in swivel bracket with hole in tilt rod, reinstall upper pin and clip.
Keep hands out of pinch points.

Depress trim up button and raise motor, disengage the service bracket and lower motor. Reinstall port (left) motor pan; be sure not to pinch wires or speedometer hose.

Raise the motor to full tilt position and top off the trim reservoir with BRP trim fluid. Cycle the motor up and down a few times and recheck the trim fluid.

These instructions are for the "Do It Yourself" type of boater; if this is not you, Please see your dealer.