well, so i changed the transmission oil yesterday on my old johnson 5 hp motor. it had a bad retainer, the one that seals the entrance of the shaft to the lower unit. and since i couldnt find it, i used some o rings, hoping they will hold.

also, i couldnt remove the lower bolt to put the oil in the unit. so i had to put it on the top hole. sometimes air bubbles would come out. so i poured oil in it, then closed the hole and moved the motor a little bit to get the entrapped air to come out. i put oil in it until it was comming out from the top hole.

today, i went fishing to a small lake close to my house. suddenly i noticed the motor was smoking. the cylinder area was really hot, it sounded like a frying pan, and it was smoking bad. and suddenly, it stopped. we let it cool for about 1/2 hour, and then it turned on again. after about 5 minutes, we had the same thing happening, the heating, and then stopping of the motor.

when i saw the smoke, i also noticed that no water was comming out of the back cooling holes.... does this has anything to do with the oil change??

last weekend, the motor would turn off when i pushed the choke... it would run, but only if choked.... so i cleaned the carb and checked it on a water bucket here at home, and the same thing happened, if choked it would run, but when i pushed the choke, it would stop. after that, i changed the oil, without messing with the carb again. and today, it ran fine, i used the choke only to start it, then pushed it and it would run perfectly, until it began heating. thats why im thinking it has something to do with the oil change.

thanx!

The oil change should have nothing to do with it.

Its possible that you need a new impeller. Also, its possible that your intake(grate in lower unit) got clogged or the hose that goes to the "pee hole" is clogged. Mud, weeds and seeds in the water can sometimes get sucked up and clog things up.

well, i also took apart the lower unit, and i saw the vertical shaft and a small hose... is that the hose that goes to the pee hole?? i took it apart to see how the cooling system worked, but i didnt understand it, so i just put it back together.... now that you mention it, i remember the small hose.... and i think maybe i didnt put it in its place.... could that be the issue??

Sounds like you put it back together wrong.

FYI the "pee" holes only function is to tell you the cooling system, ie. impeller, is working.

The pee hole hose is not in the lower unit. It normally comes off the water jacket on the cylinder to show you there is water circulating. Did you check the impeller when you had the lower unit off? If not take it off again and you can put the hose back were it belongs and check the impeller. The impeller is inside a round housing probably near the shaft you are speeking of. They are rubber and do wear out. Chunks of rubber can break off or the paddles get so worn they just fold.

thanx. so since the pee holes were not peeing, the cooling system is not working properly....

and i didnt see the impeller... here is a picture to show what i took apart. sorry, english is my second language, so sometimes i have toruble understanding technical words.... so, heres the pic... the red circle shows what i took apart... the long blue line is the shaft i removed... on the upper part it had a couple of washers of some sort, and a spring... i struggled a little to put the washers where they belong, but i believe i put it together properly.... the small blue line on the bottom is the hose i saw, which i believe now is the clooing system hose.... does it has to enter the small plug in there?? i think i put it inside the plug but im not 100% sure.... or maybe i did but it doesnt goes there....

thanx!

It sounds an awful lot like you put it together wrong. If I were you, I would search around and find a good service manual that covers your motor. You really should have done that before loosening the first bolt. I've got one for my outboard and would be completely lost without it.

thanx, thats what i was thinking also.... my motor is really old, but maybe i can find the manual.... im used to taking apart and rebuilding small engines without a manual, as i have been doing it for some time now and all of them are pretty much the same...., but i had never opened the transmission..... i will have to take it apart and pay more attention....

Is that motor even a water cooled engine?

i guess it is, since it has some small holes on the back of the vertical shaft's case (sorry i dont know the name for that).

if its not water cooled, then how does it cools?? and how can i tell??

Sounds to me like a carb issue. If you cannot run it under load in gear and you have to pull the choke. Looks like an air cooled motor as well. Was it "peeing" thru the holes in the past?

We have had several small Johnson motors from 3 yup to 10HP and they have all been water cooled.

Sounds to me like a carb issue. If you cannot run it under load in gear and you have to pull the choke. Looks like an air cooled motor as well. Was it "peeing" thru the holes in the past?

i already fixed the carb issue.... last weekend i had to pull the choke in order for it tu run... without the choke, it would stop... with the choke, it would run, but very slow.... so i fixed that.... i also changed the transmision oil then.... and now, this weekend, the boat was runing without the choke, at normal speed.... but after a little while, it stoped, and i noticed the white smoke and the frying pan sound....

and unfortunately, i dont remember if it was peeing before....

pull the lower unit back off. I bet you did not get the tube that goes in the water pump in correctly. when you put the gearcase back up in sometimes you have to keep the tube lined up.

i just did that marinetech... the tube was correctly installed.... but the impeller is blown... one of the arms is cut at the middle, and another one is held by a tiny strip of material.... so i have to replace it.... do you know a good source for impellers?? its a johnson motor, 5 HP, old as dirt.... it was my grandpas motor, and he passed away 15+ years ago.... im not sure of the year, i looked for the plate but couldnt find it.... the owner of a fishing shop told me its a big impeller, he had some but they were too small... i will have to check for the year to get the proper part number, but meanwhile, do you know of any online stores to get it?? sponsers of this site would be better, even if they are not the cheapest, it would be good to support the site.... thanx!!

take a picture of the motor and post it here. I can find you one.

take a picture of the motor and post it here. I can find you one.

thanx. i believe i found one locally, i have to pick it up and check if its the same... if not, ill post the pic.... thanx again!!

hey marinetech, pm sent... thanx!