TOPIC: Johnson/Rude 70 triples

First, I have absolutely nothing bad to say about Merc motors and I've owned several in my lifetime. But sadly, I'm pretty certain my old 1964 Merc 650 will need to be replaced, and I've settled on what I'd like for a replacement.

The 70-75 hp Johnson or Evinrude 3 cylinder loopers would be a nice match for my 16 foot Glasspar delMar. From some online research I've sort of narrowed it down to the most desirable being 1978 to 1985 models, which I believe had power trim and tilt standard, the 3 wire tilt setup being obsolete and the 2 wire being better. I've read that the pre-86 motors (49 cubic inch) are a bit smoother at low rpms and more robust than the 86-on 56 cubic inch models. I've been searching and found a few (still attached to boats) in the $500 to $1,000 range, that appear to be in pretty decent shape. The boats they're attached to are, sadly, in awful shape from exposure to the NM sun, but sitting on trailers that I could either use or resell.

Any additional info that you JohhnyRude folks could provide would be helpful, or if I got my facts wrong on the 1978-85 specs, or missed other important stuff, please correct me!

If a particular motor you're looking at has even compression across all 3 cylinders, starts & idles well, and doesn't make any nasty noises, it's probably a good one. When they start getting cranky at idle, it can be a sign that they've got internal wear and will soon meet their ultimate Doom (usually with a rod thru the crankcase).

When you get a good one, it'll run like a car engine and they're quite economical. My Uncle had a '76 Johnson 70hp on an older "Glassic" runabout and it was a solid motor, he never had a lick of trouble with it. I finally bugged him long enough and he installed a new pump kit in the mid-90's! We took it out for a nice, long run and it was like a new motor.

G'luck on your search.........ed

p.s. I wouldn't pay top dollar for any motor unless I could take it out on a boat and run it thru the wringer.

The later ones of the 49 cube models had a different / better crankshaft.----Excellent motor if they were taken care of.

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Lots built and sold and used parts are very common.

Thanks guys. I contacted two sellers so far, one never replied to my email, the other said he'd get back to me when he finds out about the titles for boat and trailer as well as year and hp of the motot (it's an Evinrude and looks like maybe a 75).

My 73' 65 HP came with the boat and was 13 years unused outdoors.
About $500 and it was running perfectly. I bought a 76' 70 HP ($600 with controls))and it is mothballed waiting for the 73' to die. It may be a long wait.
I have had the 73' on the water for 5 seasons now. It is hard to go wrong with these 3 cyl. units. My stator did melt down on the 73' last year. I changed the rectifier at the same time. I just happened to notice it, there were no symptoms yet. Stick with Evinrude as the graphics are way better than the Johnsons.

Well the search continues. I got a call from a guy today that has a 65 hp 3 cyl Johnson, still on a boat and running. He's over in TX but visits my area regularly and could bring the motor. Boat is toast so he wants to sell the motor with all controls. Not sure of the year. I'm going to ask him for the serial # to determine the year. Were the 65 hp models loop charged? And would anyone have a link to a listing of the 3 cyl motors showing years built, hp, and what year they began the loop charged series?

The info I found earlier said the 3 cyl models began in 1968 with a 55 hp. I think the early ones were cross flow, not loopers. My ideal motor would be a 78 or newer with PT/T but that's in a perfect world

This 65 hp has PT/T (may be an add-on)

Any info you guys can share would be a real help. I'm going to run the old Mercury this season unless I find a good replacement, but the old Merc is pretty tired.

Jim, thanks for the info on your 65 hp. Gives me a ray on hope!

All 3-cylinder OMC engines are loopers, from 1968 - on. 1968-1972 had the Electramatic/Selectric shift, which I have found to be more troublesome as these motors age. Mechanical-only shift from 1973-on.

My first boat had a 1979 55hp Evinrude 2-cylinder looper - threw a rod a year after I had it. Replaced it with a 1968 Evinrude 55hp 3-cylinder looper that ran fine, but the Selectric shift would not always shift into, or stay in neutral.

Later had a 1987 2-cylinder looper with mechanical shift (commercial model) that ran great, but had been rebuilt by an ex-Marine that did it for a living while the Marines. The 2-cylinder loopers were worse than the 3's in this regard, but staying away from one that won't idle smoothly and quietly is good advice - it's a warning that it will let go soon. Mine did.

If it were me, I'd go with a 78-85 that had working PT/T.

Hi Norm,
Obviously I am a Mercury guy, but this is not about brand, rather cubic inches. I would suggest the 56 cubic inch on your small cruiser, or something even larger. Your Mercury is 60 cubic inches. Customers are very often surprised that larger horsepower (and almost always larger cubic inch) outboards have better fuel economy than smaller horsepower outboards operated closer to, or at, full throttle.

A Happy Easter To All,
Joe
www.fergusonpoolemarine.com
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Good point from Joe - now that I realize it's for your Delmar. I'd even consider sticking with a 4-cylinder motor.

Torque is one thing I'm concerned about with my little Merc 350 - 30 cubic inches vs. 35, 40, or 43 for a 28, 33, or 40 hp OMC motor. Hope to get it on a lake in early May to find out. But condition was such I could not pass up on the package last fall. And I've heard from here that the 350 is a solid little motor.

Always trade-offs.

Thanks a lot for all this info. I had forgotten about the electric shift on the earlier ones. I once had an older OMC V-6 outdrive on an Allmand 23'. The electric shift always worked on that one. It did seem to engage with a bang although the motor idled at only 500 rpms.

The electric shift is very smooth !

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Possibly some other issue with outdrive , tilt or mounting that made the bang ?

I have 2 66 650 merc powerheads,And I dont need them anymore, I bought them for the lowers and other parts, would sell for a song.......Im in Indiana so shipping? zip is 46060, if your interested i could weigh them and we could go from there.

That is a nice offer, but due to differences in how the cooling water enters and exits, the cylinder blocks will not swap. However, the internal rotating parts are the same between a 1964 and a 1966 (note there is a change for 1967 though). To utilize the powerhead assemblies, the mid-section, and top & bottom cowls, would need to come from a 1965 to 1969 model (we do have a 1969 long shaft mid and 2 to 1 lower unit assembly).

A Happy Easter To All,
Joe
www.fergusonpoolemarine.com
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I agree, a very nice offer. A shame they don't bolt on to the 64 mid. I think that's the root of the problem with my 64. Sort of a transition year I guess. 2 to 1 lower that was designed for the 85 hp, making it necessary to use a smaller 12.5" diameter prop that's sort of hard to find, a block that only swaps across to 2 or 3 years of 65s, stuff like that. I'm sure a really good tech could make it like new again, but like Dirty Harry said, a man's got to know his limitations. I'm a pretty good car mechanic but don't have the skills, tools, or shop space to get that deep into outboard rebuilding. In this part of the country boating isn't real big so shops are a bit scarce. I'm lucky because the old 65 still starts right up and runs well, but it's a high miler that would need a complete top to bottom refurbishing to get it back to 100%. I suspect that would be quite a costly venture, considering I'd need to ship it some distance to get it to a qualified Merc expert. Sure looks right on the back of the old Delmar though.

Heck, I'm a patient guy and have a boat that floats and a motor that runs, so what do I have to complain about? I think I'll head for the lake next week.

Hi Norm,
This may not really help, and may be a subject for the Mercury Outpost, but the lion's share of Mercury outboards do not wear-out. They rather are abused (poor oil, run hot, wrong or damaged propeller, long operated with fuel system issues, incorrect mounting on boat transom, etc.). Many who feel that they cannot overhaul one really can, if they use common sense, exercise patience, take pictures as they disassemble, clean the components thoroughly, ask for help when they are uncertain, and use a factory service manual. A foot/pound torque wrench for the flywheel nut torque, a flywheel puller, and an inch/pound torque wrench for several fasteners will be needed; and new: crankshaft oil seals, end cap o-rings, gaskets, and piston rings are all wise replacement parts to utilize. Sealant for the crankcase to cylinder block mating is needed also, but you can purchase a small tube instead. The common sense thing to do if deciding to open a powerhead up, is to carefully measure the cylinder bores and pistons to properly decide what can be reused, and what needs to be replaced, so you may need to call on a local machine shop to have this done. The offered rotating assemblies could be a boon here. As we have previously discussed, yes, the (1970-71) 2.3 to 1 gear ratio is an improvement, but the 1963 to 1969 models all utilized the 2 to 1, so sometimes the propellers will need cupping, and possibly rolling, but this can be said for many vintage propellers (like tires, propellers have advanced a very long way in 50 years).

A Happy Easter To All,
Joe
www.fergusonpoolemarine.com
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Always great advice and info from you Joe, and much appreciated. I'll shoot you an email...

And a happy Easter to you as well.

Just a FYI.

I now have a 1963 ? (ser # 15445920) 650 power head for sale. It has sat for a while (Years and years), however dry compression test was
Top 124 psi
#2 145 psi
#3 120 psi
#4 140 psi
It did not have a LU so I think that was the reason it was not being used.

I have shot penetrating oil in each hole and turn it 90 degrees about every 3 days as to let things break free-er

Yours for $80 and shipping.
I also have the carbs and mag (hot my hair took a week before I could comb it) stator and starter

LOL that sounds like the same mag checking procedure I've used. I'll email you.

Norm,

If willing to travel, look on the Reno NV Craigslist. These often pop up on crappy boats. Most sitting because of the 2 cycle ban up on Tahoe. I bought a plain jane 1960 Reinell in Gardenervill some years back. I got it for the trim parts and it also had a Evinrude triple short shaft on it - 150 bucks. They are out there - be patient. Joe is 100% right on about larger motors being more fuel efficient when compared to undersized engines for a given job. However with your boat, I'm confident the 49 cube will be ample. For a comparison, many guys up in the PNW run Skagit 17s (cuddy boats like yours) with the little 50 HP looper twins. They run great, and never complain. The 50 HP twin loopers will push a Skagit 17 to about 30 mph. An important point about most of the cabin cruisers is that they all seem to run the best between 20 and 30 miles per hour. That is the speed they were designed around. Go faster & they can get squirrely very quickly.

Thanks for that tip Bruce. I looked and I see what you mean. It would be a nice road trip for me. In my Bronco pulling a small trailer the round trip would run between $700 - $800 in gas, but for the right deal could be a fun and worthwhile trip. Tahoe is gorgeous.

I once lived in L.A. and had a friend ask me to drive him up to Bridgeport in Mono County CA, south of Tahoe. He needed to take a 6 month sabbatical in Mono County jail due to some bad behavior in Mammoth Lakes. I told him that over the years I've had to retrieve a few folks from the arms of the law but he was the first delivery I ever made.

Edit...I know what you mean about getting squirrely. Mine does a little under 25 at WOT, but if I trim it out a little further and get past the cavitation, it gets a lot faster and becomes sort of an E ticket ride. You wouldn't want to do that in a heavy crosswind! (she rolls too)

davnau6345 wrote:

All 3-cylinder OMC engines are loopers, from 1968 - on. 1968-1972 had the Electramatic/Selectric shift, which I have found to be more troublesome as these motors age. Mechanical-only shift from 1973-on.

I got some info on a Johnson 3 cyl up north of Dallas. Friend of a friend. I saw some photos of it. It's a 65 hp, PT/T, mechanical shift, through-hub exhaust. It is in running condition and the friend says the bottom end looks good. Skeg is all there. It's on an old beat up bass boat. Comes with all steering and controls. Friend comes to NM to visit and can transport the motor here.

I had told him I could learn a lot from the serial number. They sent me that, and I guess with Johnsons you need the model number, the serial doesn't tell you anything about year, hp, etc. Serial # is J3844366.

Still haven't settled on the price but I believe it will be reasonable. My Merc is still hanging in there, so this would make a good back up powerplant, to tinker with.

You want the model number. The model number will tell the year, horsepower, long / short shaft. The "BRP parts look up" has OMC J/E motors by model number going back to 1968.