Yay! First post, So I must say thank you all for helping me get back in to something I haven't done in years. ;D

My father-in-law is giving me his old jon boat. The motor(35 Johnson) has been sitting in the back yard around 3 years with no use.

Is it scrap or can I bring it back to life. I haven't tried to start it yet. I wanted to know what i should do before I try.

New oil, gas, maybe plugs. I've worked on truck motors but never a marine motor. Not sure where to start. :-/

Ok, i ressurected a motor that had been sitting for 14 years, and heres the steps i took.

1 - pull the plugs, replace with indexed plugs (.040 for most)

1.5 - replace water pump/impeller

2 - drain lower unit oil. check for metal shavings, and water. if none are found, refill from the bottom.

3- pull and clean/rebuild carbs.

4- while the carbs are off get a spray bottle of marine oil, and spray a good amount into the combustion chambers.

5- spray some in the plug holes.

6- get a 6 gallon gas tank of FRESH gas, and put 25:1 oil (double oil)

7- hook it up to the hose, and turn over the engine for a few seconds without the gas line hooked up, to allow the oil to lubricate the entire motor.

8- get another spray bottle and put some gas/oil mix in it.

9- hook up the gas, turn on the water, and try and get it started. Use the fast idle, and choke it.

10- if it starts up, let it warm up for a bit, then reduce the idle.

11- spray some of the mix gas into each carb, and if it dies off, that carb is working properly. if it picks up, the carb needs cleaned again - compressed air is best.

12- take her out to the lake and enjoy

the 25:1 oil will smoke a bit, its not bad. you may want to to make a WOT (wide open throttle) run for a few minutes,turn off the engine,  take the cover off, and put your hand on the cylinders. it shouldnt burn you.

Most likely the carbs and fuel pump will need to be pulled off and cleaned, and the old gas blown out of the fuel line with air hose. Don't try to start it with the old gas in the motor and carbs. At least take the plugs out of the carbs and drain them and pump fresh gas (premixed) through them with the plugs out to flush all the old gas out. If it's a VRO motor, DO NOT take the fuel pump apart to try and clean it. You may have to replace the primer bulb and check fuel hose for cracks.

What you migth run into if you don't remove and clean the carbs is the motor run ok but runs lean from a restriced jet and melt a piston.

If it has the old metal tanks, it's probably rusted inside and will need to be replaced. I guess I should ask how old of a 35. Back in the early days of two strokes, those old 35's ran a pressurized fuel tank and no pump (had two hoses going to them), hope it ain't that old. Any gas left in the tank will need to be dumped. Look in the tank and check to see if there is a lacquar build up in the bottom. If so, I would junk the tank and buy another. That's stuff's more trouble than the tank is worth when you can buy those plastic one fairly cheap.

I would also replace the water pump impeller, spark plugs (.030 gap is probably what that motor will run) and change the LU oil.

As for double oil and spraying oil in the motor, I wouldn't. That motor was broke in a long time ago and if any rust has formed from condensation, no amount of oil in the world is going to save it.

Again, depending on how old, if it has points (used back in the 60's and early 70's) they will probably need to be burnished and gap checked.

Do the fuel system, LU, water pump, put it on a hose or in a tank, get her running and take it to the lake and try it out. See how good it will catch fish. Of course you do know you want be able to catch those big bass. They swim so fast, it takes a 70+ mph bass boat to keep up with them to catch them, but for anything other than those largest bass, it should make you a nice outfit. LOL.

I got this off of another forum that im on and it has some good info in it. lots to read though but worth it

Awakening a Sleeping Outboard

First get yourself a manual, there is a ton of help on this board but to be fair, and so that you can learn, a reference book is a must. They can be found for sale on many sites, a few of which are kencook.com, marineengine.com theoutboardwizard.bizhosting.com, maxrules.com, and iboats.com. Although some folks use Seloc or Clymer manuals, they cover a range of engines and sometimes details are omitted. The reprints of the original OMC manuals are the most specific to your particular engine. Get one of them.

If any steps prove challenging or if there are questions about any of the processes, post a question in the applicable forum here at iboats using the red "search" selection at the top of each forum. You will receive an answer from one or more of the many experienced veterans here.

Let's get started.

Lower Unit Remove the prop and any fishing line that may be tangled, wound around the prop shaft. If the shaft is splined, apply a coat of marine bearing grease to it before re-installing the prop. If an inspection of the prop indicates any damage that could cause a vibration or imbalance, replace it or have it repaired. The rubber bushing securing the hub to the prop itself may also need replacing, but that probably cannot be determined until boat-tested.

Remove the drain screw (bottom) from the lower unit and observe the quality of the lube as it exits. If it is milky, there has been water intrusion. If you observe metal shards, there may be gear damage requiring a re-build of the lower unit. If it is empty, there may be other problems. Remove the vent screw (top screw) to allow complete draining. If none of the above mentioned situations exists, fill with lube from the bottom screw hole until lube emerges from the vent hole. Lube should be available from any oil outlet and labeled as suitable for outboard lower units.

Note: Electric shift lower units require different lube than manual shift units. Check your manual.

After unit has been filled, replace vent screw using an appropriate new screw-head

gasket. Then do the same for the fill screw, trying to prevent as little loss of lube as possible.

Water Pump Using your manual as a reference, replace the water pump if not the complete pump, by all means replace the rubber impeller. This is absolutely necessary on motors of unknown history or on motors that haven't had a new one in a couple of years. Before re-assembling mid-section (lower leg), see next step.

Cylinder Walls If not already, lay the motor so the sparkplugs are up. Remove them and put in a few squirts from an oil can filled with TCW-3 oil. Move the engine around so that the oil will contact cylinder walls. Allow it to soak for a day or two. By hand, rotate the flywheel a couple of times. If it resists rotating, allow to soak longer. When flywheel finally rotates freely, install new sparkplugs.

Spark Pull the plug wires from the sparkplugs. Your spark should jump a minimum of a 3/8" gap with a hot thick spark. If it doesn't, you need maintenance on the ignition system. Check the sparkplug cables for cracked insulation. Otherwise, the needed maintenance will be determined by type and year of motor you're working on. Refer to your manual. Replace the spark plugs with the manufacturer's recommended plugs, keeping the old ones as spares.

Wiring Check all engine wiring for brittle insulation or fraying. This would necessitate re-wiring or installation of a new wiring harness.

Lubrication Lube all moving parts including throttle linkage (white lithium) and steering shaft (chassis lube is OK).

Carburetors Remove and disassemble carburetor(s). Soak in carb. cleaner or spray with aerosol carb. cleaner, paying particular attention to all small passages and fuel-ways. Blow dry with compressed air, again, paying particular attention to internal passages. Reassemble using an appropriate carburetor rebuild kit. If kit doesn't include a new needle and seat, get one. If the float is cork, replace it with a plastic one. Some kits include them. If the float is plastic, make sure the integrity has not been compromised. Re-install and link and sync according to your manual. Replace all under-cowl fuel lines.

Fuel pump Using your manual as reference, remove fuel pump and clean metal parts with carb. cleaner. Install a new fuel pump kit, or replace fuel pump entirely. Replace fuel filter and any vacuum hoses that may be connected.

Fuel tank Replace the fuel line along with the squeeze bulb (OEM bulb preferred). Note: on dual-line tank, there is no squeeze bulb. Drain fuel tank. With a flashlight, inspect for dirt, debris, or rust. If OK, rinse and refill with correct fuel/oil mix. If there are quick release connectors on the fuel lines, check the small o-rings at either end. Replace if necessary.

Controls - If remote control, check throttle and gearshift cables for proper operation. Mine were frayed and rusted and had to be replaced.

Since I 'm completely mechanically impaired I solve things easily, I take it to the service center and let a qualified technician to do the job. Better 1 time blushed than a thousand times pale, the first and only time I tried to "fix" my outboard I ended up breaking the gas pump and instead of paying 30 dollars I had to pay $350 for the repair and a new gas pump.

BTW, it took me 30 seconds to break the gas pump.

Thanks for all the info. I'm going to try to get over to my father-in-laws house this weekend. Then I can find out more about the motor. I'll probably put it in the garage untill I can get new parts and a few days off.

If you know of any Johnson parts dealers in NC or any online that you trust let me know.

Thanks again    

Since I 'm completely mechanically impaired I solve things easily, I take it to the service center and let a qualified technician to do the job. Better 1 time blushed than a thousand times pale, the first and only time I tried to "fix" my outboard I ended up breaking the gas pump and instead of paying 30 dollars I had to pay $350 for the repair and a new gas pump.

I am with you Raul...  I have a 25 HP Mercury that hasn't run in 3 years and it is going to the service center!  Rather be safe than sorry and out a few hundred bucks!  

You should have seen my face when the technician showed me what was the "problem" before I tried to "fix" my outboard, a tiny 2 inch hose. The outboard had been sitting in one of my buddie 's garage for over 2 years before I purchased it from him, the hose cracked out of pure dryness allowing air to flow in.

Hose = 2 bux vs 250 bux gas pump.  :-?

Ok, I'm sending emails to all the service centers in my area. No use turning a potentialy cheap motor into an expensive anchor. ;D

Thanks

lol expencive anchor if you do decide to TRYand fix it i would use plenty of WD4D cause its been stiitng soo long