1949 Evinrude Zephyr 5.4hp On the Pond

[@stevengraham185]

Got any old Evinrudes for sale under 5.5 hp. Love your videos…Brings back memories of my Grampa, Da, Brother fishing when I was young. Thank You

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

I don't currently have any sub-5.5 Evinrudes for sale. I probably have a 5.5 Evinrude I'd let go. I have three Evinrude 3s and I'm holding onto those for now. Thank you! It's nice to get feedback from viewers that enjoy my videos. Bringing back those memories for people is a great thing. Thanks for watching!

[@michaelplesch]

Thanks for the memories, enjoy it!

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Thank you for watching!

[@sdowns172]

One of my favorites!

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

They're cool motors. Very different being an opposed 4-cylinder and so small. Thanks for watching!

[@davidweigel2238]

Never knew anyone ever made an opposing 4, thanks for sharing.

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Evinrude actually had several opposed four cylinders. The Zephyr, Lightfour, Speedifour, Big Four/Storm boat motor, and the racing version, the 4-60. The Zephyr was the smallest one they built. Thanks for watching!

[@davidweigel2238]

@@oldjohnnyrude8404 Did not know that either. I probably saw them but didn’t realize what they were at the time. In southern Illinois where I grew up 35 hp and smaller OMC’s just dominated the rivers, lakes and tributaries. Blessings, and thanks your videos they bring back so many memories.

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

@@davidweigel2238 I'm so glad I'm able to bring back those memories. Thanks for watching!!🙂👍

[@MrBigSand]

Thanks for the video Old JohnnyRude. That brings back memories from the 1970's, with all the glory and frustrations of running a Zephyr!

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

MrBigSand You're very welcome and thanks for watching! ;-) It fired right back up again with a good pull from my right arm after stopping the camera. It still shorts to the plug cover but I'll get that worked out. It's a neat little motor to run. I'm happy to have it in my collection. Maybe I need a Lightfour for laughs too.

[@ROTAXD]

That thing pushes the boat along nicely for such a small motor.

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

It really does do a pretty nice job of pushing the boat. I got the spark plug arcing taken care of now too. Short plugs fixed that. Thanks for watching!

[@EricJamesHanson]

We used to have a (49?) Lighttwin. Loved the smoothness when it worked well I wish that we had known someone like you back then. Loved the 9.2 hp on the 14' light StarCraft open fishing boat it was on.

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

EricJamesHanson 9.2hp similar in design to the Zephyr is the Lightfour. They are very smooth motors. A bit heavy for the horsepower output, but nice smooth runners. I may have one of those sometime. Good match for a 14 foot aluminum fishing boat. Thanks for watching!

[@robertkuhnke6156]

I have one of those. My Dad brought it home and asked me to see if it runs. I put it on the boat which was not anchored. The boat drifted in front of the pier. Motor started on 3rd pull. Since there is no nutural. The boat took off and slammed into the pier. Almost knocking my Mom in the water. We laughed our asses off. I told Mom to tell Dad it runs.

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Nice. Thanks for watching!

[@jonhutchens9770]

Magnificent old motor!

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Thank you. They really are interesting little motors. Very smooth running. Tremendously overcomplicated for what it is, but nice to run. It is a neat part of outboard motor history to have in my collection amd I'm happy to own it. Thanks for watching!

[@oldbowsaw9001]

Good running--I have a few--keep a fire extinguisher handy. Carb kit available on e bay now.

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

I have since fixed the arcing plug wires woth the shorter spark plugs These things are known for their combustion, both internal and external. I always have an extinguisher in the boat, but that is good advice. With how the plug wires are routed, it wouldn't take too much of a leak to become a fire hazard. Neat motors though. Thanks for watching!

[@gregoffenback6910]

This one is in amazing condition. I did not realize they were a 4 cylinder motor. the bore must be pretty small. Very nice, thanks for the video.

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Greg Offenback Yes, I'm still impressed by the condition every time I look at it. The bore is indeed very small on these. 1.5" bore x 1.38" stroke times 2 opposed stacked pairs. Thanks for watching Greg!

[@stevengraham185]

That’s my dream motor 😃

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

They're really pretty cool little motors amd run nicely when they're right. Luckily this one was already pretty nice when I got it. These are definitely not my favorite motors to work on. They are super smooth and make decent power for a 5hp class outboard. Mine gets run very infrequently, but it has a secure place in my collection. There are quite a few of them still around. The carburetors on these are unnecessarily complicated and parts are getting harder to find. Fun little motors though. Thanks for watching!!

[@marksmith4023]

That is a good looking little motor. Runs nice.

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Mark Smith Thanks Mark! I'm happy with this find. I'll try some shorter spark plugs and hopefully that takes care of the idle issue where the plug wires short out to the cover.

[@labradorguy5311]

Wow! That baby is a winner! Ever try those CJ6 plugs? The little shorter version of the J6C. Might give you some more room under those covers. Thanks for posting. dale

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Labrador Guy Thanks Dale! The shorter CJ6 plugs are exactly what I want to try first. I just need to.buy a set of them and give them a try. The plug wires have ring terminals so there is no insulation on the tops of the plugs. The J6C plugs that are in it are very close to the cover. I'm still impressed by how nice this one is. Definitely a winner.

[@ronbaker816]

That's a great find, buddy

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Ron Baker Thanks Ron! I'm happy to have found such a nice one.

[@garagehobbies841]

I have the same motor anyone know where to get replacement impeller. I'm at a loss, looked for hours online. I have restored mine back to running order even respoiled coils, but is overheating since impeller has been sitting since mid 70s. Thanks in advance. James

[@dwheat9003]

Yeah, they do have different issues with the ignition system. Yes wires are exposed at terminals, wires crack do to age and leak, coils get hot and fail permanently after being cooked on top of engine sandwiched under flywheel, not the best coil assy's in the world anyway. The ignition system is this engines weakness, I have two of these and one for parts I've used. Sure be nice if modern tech coils could be gotten for these. I think someone made some mods to get air in around coils to help cool them.

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

They're unique little motors with a host of little quirks. They're smooth and They're definitely something different being a 4 cylinder at only 5.4hp. Thanks for watching!

[@steveaw5895]

Nice looking and sounding motor. You could try coating the inside of the covers with liquid electric tape.

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Steve A W Thanks Steve! I may try the liquid tape if the shorter spark plugs don't do the trick. I'm trying to find CJ6 Champions with screw terminals. If no luck, I may try splitting some boots and snapping them over the plugs. I would like to retain the original ring terminals on the wires if possible.

[@seanclement2264]

Hey I have a quick question how do I put the head back onto the pistons on one of these motors?

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Well, there is no cylinder head so it is really the cylinders (or a jug) you're placing over pistons. You need to either have strong and long enough fingernails or a pair of band type piston ring compressors to compress the piston rings while the jug is placed over the rings. The babd is then removed from between the jug and the crankcase after the rings are inside the cylinder. Then you can finish bolting them on. I hope this helps. Thanks for watching!

[@seanclement2264]

@@oldjohnnyrude8404 oh cool I thought that they would be a lot of trouble than that also once I get my jug back on could I just weld the jug to the crank case because I don’t have a head gasket

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

@@seanclement2264 I would definitely not recommend welding the jugs to the crankcase. I'm not sure what the cylinder base gasket looks like on a Zephyr, but I'd certainly gasket it and not weld it. I have never had mine apart. If you or anyone else ever has to do any other work on the powerhead, welding them pretty much eliminates that opportunity.

[@seanclement2264]

@@oldjohnnyrude8404 oh okay sounds good I’ll try to find a gasket then

[@thatsmydawg]

I collect these. I love them but ive never had one on a boat. I own 5 of them currently. 2 are complete and the others are missing carbs and recoils. I have 8 antique motors total and i have a guy coming bu sun to possibly buy them all

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

This one is a nice runner and a good looking example of a late model Zephyr. It's not a motor I run much, but it's one I'm happy to have in my collection. Thanks for watching and good luck.

[@robertkuhnke6156]

Since my Dad died. I inherited the boat and a lot of fishing gear.

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

I must have missed the notification for this comment. Very sorry for your loss. Enjoy the boat and the fishing gear. I'm sure your dad would want you to keep that up. Thanks for watching!

[@jerryashlock5519]

great motor !! haven't seen one pf these! t.y. !!

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Jerry Ashlock Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@seanclement2264]

Hey would anyone know if the zephyrs are two stroke or not and if so what’s the fuel mixture

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Yes. 2-stroke 4 cylinder. 16:1 mix ratio. Use TCW-3 rated outboard oil and ethanol free gasoline if it is available. Ethanol will strip the shellac off the float in the carburetor and plug it up. This is not a carburetor you want to tear into for fun. Thanks for watching!

[@seanclement2264]

Old JohnnyRude thank you I can’t wait to use mine

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

@@seanclement2264 You're welcome. They're interesting little motors. Very smooth runners. A bit overcomplicated for what it is, but a good running quality outboard and an interesting piece of history.

[@stevengraham185]

Thank you anyways…keep the videos coming 😜

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

No problem. You can check again later in the season. Who knows what I might pick up over the summer. I'll keep the video coming as time allows. Thanks for watching!

[@bumpsnjumps8037]

Hey i know this is a long shot but i happen to live in howell mi and have one of these motors. If you know anything about them please reach out to me. I’m trying to get this one running

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

My experience working on these Zephyrs is limited. I got lucky woth this one and it is a nice runner as it is. I know a little about them, but im.not sure how much help I will be. The carburetor is one of the most complicated carbs ever put on an outboard motor. It is an opposed 4-cylinder, 2-stroke engine and it runs on 16:1 premix. Both top cylinders fire at the same time, then both bottom cylinders fire at the same time alternately. Fire danger was not really considered with the spark plug wire routing. If the plug wires get bad and are through the insulation, there are wires right by the carburetor and the arcing can spark a fire. This is not a common problem, but isn't all that unusual either. The carburetor has a primer button instead of a choke. The seals in the primer often dry out and cause the primer to not function well. I'm not sure where to get replacement seals for this carburetor. They may come available on Ebay from time.to time. You could post a want ad in the free classifieds on AOMCI.org amd you may find a club member with seals for sale. There are others more knowledgeable on this particular motor on there as well. Try the Ask A Member board on the AOMCI.Org website. Thanks for watching!

[@fleetwin1]

guys seem to have a love/hate relationship with those zephyrs. You would think a four cylinder would have a little more pep than this one seems to have, but it is only 5.4hp. I have never messed with one either, would love to tackle one someday though

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

kramden Yes they do seem to have that love/hate relationship with Zephyrs. I find them interesting and am happy to have one that is in nice condition. It seems to have about the same power as a typical 5.5. The weedless LU I think detracts from performance a little too. They are just far more complicated than they need to be for what they are. As an engineer though, it is a very interesting piece and very smooth running.Thanks for watching Don.

[@douro20]

The reason for Evinrude creating such a small 4-cyinder engine is because they wanted to make the smoothest running small outboard motor they could.

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

douro20 They did accomplish a very smooth running small engine even if very complex and finicky. When they run properly, they are very smooth. Thanks for watching.

[@stevengraham185]

God I love & want it

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

This is a really nice original example of the last of the Zephyrs. I'm very happy to have it in my collection. Thanks for watching!

[@robertkuhnke6156]

That boat looks like a Alumacraft F7 We have the same boat and motor.

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

The boat is actually an Alumacraft FD. It has the Aqueduct splashwell transom and 35 hp rating. Sides are deeper than an F7. Hull design is essentially identical other than that though. Great little boats. Thanks for watching!👍

[@johnaldrich2074]

On this motor the throttle is separate from timing?

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Yes, the spark advance and throttle are separate on this motor. They are not completely separate, however. The throttle can be reduced with the timing more advanced, but it cannot be increased with the timing retarded. If the throttle and timing are both at maximum, the throttle can be closed without retarding the timing, but if the timing is retarded it will close the throttle accordingly. My Johnson SD-20 on the other hand, has the throttle and spark advance completely independent of one another. Thanks for watching!

[@Themarcustree]

I live in Howell mi to

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Themarcustree Cool.

[@edwardal3811]

Best wishes from Russia!!

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Edward Al Thanks for watching.

[@terrypikaart4394]

Its know wonder that omc failed, very costly complicated little motor for less than 6 hp..

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

@@terrypikaart4394 Actually this motor was designed and released long before the poor management that led to OMC's demise ever became a real problem. While I wouldn't consider this a great decision, every manufacturer has their occasional "fail" and still do just fine. I agree 💯 that this motor is FAR too complicated and costly to produce for what it is. I like mine for its historical significance in the evolution of outboards and OMC outboards in particular. If not for that, I probably wouldn't bother owning one. They are a rather neat curiosity, though. Thanks for watching!

[@terrypikaart4394]

@@oldjohnnyrude8404 I just thought is was ironic that the bad ideas started even before omc, you have heard of stringer drive, maybe cobra drive, how about e-tec.. All disasters management had to accept from engineering..

[@mikestefano7198]

So cool ! Just don't make them like that anymore

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Mike Stefano Thanks! No, they don't make them like this anymore. That's for sure. I got short plugs in it now and they don't short out anymore. I may try to run this motor on the lake this year. Thanks for watching!

[@mikestefano7198]

Old JohnnyRude awsome bud love the vids keep them coming !

[@oldjohnnyrude8404]

Mike Stefano Thanks Man! I'll do that.