My 1973 18 HP Evinrude Fastwin. " pics"

[Sask tracker 1542]

My father in law gave me a free motor this past Christmas.

Free motor has cost me some money since I went out and bought a Tracker topper 1542 and a old trailer that im 90% finished redoing..lol

But anyways it's in great shape for the year. It's spotless under the cover and the leg is in dedcent shape as well. So I thought i'd post a few pics of it. We took this motor out on a small lake last summer It ran like a clock but it was pretty weak to be pushing the 15 foot fiberglass boat it was on.
So I guess thats why i inherited this motor....

 

[bbstacker1]

Good looking motor, they were, and are, great engines.

 

[Sask tracker 1542]

Yes it seems that these motors have a great reputation. The fuel mix ratio is 50:1, but i have also read too add more oil than this. If anyone has any ideas on good 2stroke oil to use and the proper ratio to benefit this motor id appreciate the feedback.

 

[Pappy]

For that engine I would use the OMC or BRP XD-30. Merc oil is also a good oil. You get what you pay for in two-stroke oils and the additive packages are expensive hence the cost of the better oils. Cheaper than a powerhead though!
Yes, your engine will run on 50:1 and yes, it's a good idea to add additional oil to the mix to help protect during overheats and/or a fuel rrestriction. Both of these scenarios can and will take a piston out in a heartbeat. No, you will not foul spark plugs!
I sincerely hope you have updated your water pump impeller prior to running, gone through and cleaned the points and re-gapped to .020, and checked the carburetor at the very least. That is a nice engine and not made anymore.....take good care of it and it will last through your kids as well !

 

[Sask tracker 1542]

well i haven't run it yet.

It was my father in laws engine. He ran it on the lake last summer.

It ran great!

I dont think he did anything to it and I dont know the history prior to him running it. He only had it a short time before giving it to me.

I can gap the plugs and clean the carb. |But i don't have much Mechanical experience so changing the impeller isnt something i had planned on doing since the father in law said it was good since it ran good. ( Is that a safe assumption?)

Also how much additional oils is safe to mix above the 50:1 ratio?

 

[bbstacker1]

Not knowing the history of the motor is all the more reason to change the impeller. It is really not very hard to do and there are plenty of sites on youtube to point you in the right direction, besides if you get stuck give us a shout and someone on here will help walk you thru it. When you drop the foot there are a few other "easy make sure you do them items", you should have an o-ring just below the splines on the top of the driveshaft. If it's not there get one when you get your new impeller and put it on, if it is there you should replace it, never hurts to have a new one. The splines on the top of the driveshaft should have some grease on them, just the splines not on the top of the driveshaft itself, this will help to prevent the driveshaft from rusting and sticking in the powerhead. Have you checked the oil in the foot, if not do so before using it, make sure it is clean with no water in it and you should change it also. When you go to check it, use the flat head screws to open it, do not remove the Phillips head screw. You should also replace the drain screw gaskets (2) when you check and change the oil.
As far as oil ratio you should be fine with that engine at 50:1 but if you want to go more, those models prior to 1964 used 24:1 and ran fine with it just make sure it is TCW-3 rated.

 

[Sask tracker 1542]

Thanks BBstacker1 i am thinking i need to do a little maintenance before i fire her up.

I am wondering if where to get Orings and gaskets for an old engine like this? Is online my only option or do marine repair places sell them theres a couple in town?

I have already looked for tcw 3 oil and found viral lube and i have some evinrude stuff which came from the dealer but its a small container so i'll try and find some Yamalube or a good brand.

I have lithium white grease for pivot points and a marine grade greae whish also says its good for trailer wheels im wondering if this is good for the grease point on the leg

 

[bbstacker1]

Most of your parts you should be able to get local (my first choice if possible) this would include maybe the marine places you mentioned, an Evinrude dealer and you can also check at your local auto parts stores, if they carry Sierra Marine Parts they can get most of what you need. There are also numerous on-line sources, one I use often is Marineengine.com, not only for parts but for part numbers (remember this). One thing I have found, especially when working local, if you can provide the part number(s) that you are looking for this makes the dealer/salesperson happy.

Oil, you ask 20 people and you may get that many different answers, I would just make sure it meets the TCW-3 spec. In general you don't want "for air-cooled engines".

Grease, I like the marine grade stuff to try and prevent water washout.

Most of all as Pappy mentioned, treat that engine right and it'll be around for a long time to come.

 

[Pappy]

You can get a ratio cup at any good marine store. These cups will give you the correct amount of oil to any amount of gasoline at the ratio you choose. They are cheap as well. Split the difference and run around 32:1 or 40:1 if you like.
Best information I can give you is an old saying I heard a long time ago. "I have never seen an engine fail from too much oil"

 

[Sask tracker 1542]

Yes Pappy that is a very good saying i won't soon forget.

and BBstacker thanks for the info u have been a great help.. im gonna try and locate a water pump kit and impeller and geton that soon. the ice will be off the lakes here in a month or two.

 

[bbstacker1]

I know the feeling about the ice, hoping it is early this year, would be nice if it was mid April.

 

[Sask tracker 1542]

Yes It's melting early this year here.

So with you being so close to New Brunswick is there a french influence in your area?

 

[bbstacker1]

Oh yeah, my wife's parents are/were both originally from Canada. On any given day 2-3 out of 10 plates you see on the road are Canadian. I am originally from Missouri, the Air Force sent me here when Loring AFB was open.

 

[Sask tracker 1542]

Well I have been looking into changing the impeller in my motor. I have read my manual which seems a bit vague and doesn't mention anything about replacement kits for seals and gaskets. It also doesnt show any exploded diagrams for the lower unit.

But after trying to look up impeller kits I am thinking I also need a lower unit seal kit as well?

Before i order parts, Am I on the right path here?

lower unit kit
https://www.iboats.com/mall/partfinder/?cart_id=516678774&gd_grid_id=162&gd_poid=110559&gd_row=13&session_id=033518969

water pump kit.
https://www.iboats.com/mall/partfinder/?cart_id=516678774&gd_grid_id=1730&gd_poid=110955&gd_row=10&session_id=033518969

 

[bassin4fun]

Lower unit diagram for ya.....

https://www.marineengine.com/parts/johnson-evinrude-parts.php?year=1973&hp=18&model=18304A&manufacturer=Evinrude&section=Gearcase

 

[1munford]

awesome deal, cant beat free and running

 

[Sask tracker 1542]

Thanks for the exploded view. It helped me find the kit im looking for. :LOL2:

Now the hard part actually doing the replacement since i have never worked on an outboard before. :shock:

 

[bassin4fun]

[/quote]Now the hard part actually doing the replacement since i have never worked on an outboard before. :shock:[/quote]
Here's a page to help ya thru it, not difficult at all......scroll down to 'water pump replacement.' Take your time, and have fun with it. This is how I learn all the stuff I do.....I get a little info and then I do it! Lots of help out there......let us know how it works out!

https://www.sschapterpsa.com/ramblings/johnson_E-FD_15_18hp.html

 

[Sask tracker 1542]

I'm gonna try and drop the lower unit and see what i'm up against before i decide what parts to order. Maybe this weekend.

Thanks for that link is very helpful.