"RealBoats" wrote in message
...
Hi. I recently bought a Johnson Outboard that I know very little about.
It's
apparently mid to late 80's, about 120hp, 25" shaft, TnT. It's
definitely
bigger than a Johnson 90hp. It was sold as a 1989 Johnson 130HP. The
engine
runs fine and just about everything on it works.

I was able to locate an ID sticker inside the engine compartment that was
about
75% readable. Here is what was on it:

At the top of the sticker is a code: 16AHCXKWB
The name of this code on the left side of the sticker is missing so I
don't
know what this number is for. Extensive research hasn't been able to turn
up
any number like that that relates to OMC.

Then the following two lines:
Ser No. J1148892
Outboard Marine Corporation, Waukegan

I think the serial number, J1148892, is correct. Is this just a sequential
production number, or is there any useful information burried in it?

Also, I found another number. Stamped at the back, top of the engine, in
a
flat, rectangular area that was obviously machined or cast for a
significant
number:
396632171K 2
Could this just be a block part number or something like that?
It was barely readable and I had to coat it with white touch up paint,
then
carefully sand the paint off so that all that remained was the paint in
the
stamping. It made the thinly stamped number stand out much clearer.

Additional information:
*It's a twin power pack(CDI?)ignition. The number on the power pack is CD4
583110 OA11U13
*It uses the larger VRO pump mounted toward the front, port side of the
engine
*The terminal strip is only a five connection point. (not counting the two
mounting screws)

So, from what I read in some of the other discussions, 1988 was the last
year
OMC made engines with twin power packs. At this point it's safe to assume
that
my engine cannot be later than an 88?

Stamped on top of the engine is what appears to be a model number:
J130TX-CEM Which I was able to translate to 1989 Johnson 130HP with
power
trim and tilt. Since Johnson never made a 130hp in 1989, it's safe to
assume
that one or more of the numbers mentioned here is bogus!

Some of you may have seen this message posted in various places. So far,
nobody has been able to ID this engine, so I'm posting again.

I would be grateful to anyone who can offer any advice at all. I can send
pics
of the power head if you prefer, but I've spent countless hours trying to
figure out just what year and HP this engine really is with no luck at
all.

Thanks,
Denis

Denis - any chance this is a rebuilt or remanufactured engine? My opinion
is that the number stamped on the engine -J130TX-CEM - is the accurate
one, at least for the head. So I truely believe the powerhead is an 89 130
Johnson.

But it might not indicate what the electronics (meaning in this case power
packs, etc.), carbs, lower unit, oil system, etc. etc. But I will say I
have no idea about your statement that 130s were not built in 89, because I
don't have that level of knowledge about OMC and that really throws a wrench
into my opinion.

IF it is rebuilt, many of the other parts of the engine as well as serial
numbers, model and hp indicators could be contrarary to the stated/stamped
HP and year of the powerhead.

For example, it's not common or unexpected that someone would scavange any
old cowling or even a lower unit that would fit if the original one had been
busted. I think we've all seen cowlings mismatched to the color of the rest
of the engine - Johnsons tops on Evinrude bottoms, etc, being an blatant
example. So a 120 HP cowling that was laying around could have been used
to replace one missing from the 130. Or maybe the decals were removed for
this very reason.

Also, during a major rebuild/reman., sometimes updated ignition, carbs,
oiling systems, etc. are used that are different year or design than what
might have been used with the original engine from which core/head was
taken. Lower units, that are compatable, could be used from a different HP
engine or different year, and so on.

These are just suggestions to see if any of them make sense to you with this
particular engine.

End of anything related to your issue, and beginning of my example of this
situation:

I once had an engine with a Johnson 175 VRO cowling. It had no VRO parts
and no sign it ever did. It had an early 80s (pre-VRO) 235 HP head, but the
ignition parts were from another, later era. I have no idea about the lower
unit or other major parts like the carbs, except it was trouble free and
obviously compatable (all the colors matched up as well - so it didn't look
anythign like a mix and match engine). There was not the normal easy to see
tag with serial number and model number - the only identifier was the model
number stamped on the head - which was actually pretty difficult to find
with the parts it had in place.

I know that this engine was remanufactured in the mid 90s - but I have no
idea if they shipped it completely remanufactured as a whole with the 175
VRO cowling or just shipped the reman head to a local mechanic who put it
all together. Maybe the remanufacurer shipped complete with a 235 cowling
but that was replaced later. Lots of questions because the engine went
through a couple of owners mid 90s to early Y2K. I have no idea if
anything in this process resulted in actual HP being 175 instead of 235 or
what have you.

The bottom line it was it worked very well with some minor exceptions. But
was tricky to figure out parts and specs for servicing, until my mechanic
(who had nothing to do with original reman/rebuild) figured all of this out.
I was VERY lucky in that the guy I bought it from happened to use the same
very trusted mechanic that I did and that mechanic had figured all of this
out before I bought it - and knew much more about this than the seller (who
was a nice guy and concerned about proper maintenance - but a hands off
owner who went 100% with the mechanic - I go about 50% mechanic). The
mechanic told me he'd been taking care of the engine and all this minutia
when I brought it to him for a pre-purchase testing. (As an aside, there's
no better way to buy a used engine than from a guy who had all the work done
on it by a mechanic you trust.)

I hope this long winded babble helps you in some way.

Cam