TOPIC: Homelite rebuild

Good day. Im new here, and I stay in South Africa. I have a Sportsman cabin, with a 30hp Johnson, and I recently bought a Cameo ski boat, and with it came two Homelite 55hp motors. The one is a 62 model and the other is a 63 model, one long shaft and one short shaft, and also every single replacement part, and covers imported from Homelite N.Y. Dont know if they even exist anymore. I also have the manufacturing and service manuall for these motors. My boat can only take one motor, so the other one will be scraped. I havnt started with the rebuild, but I have started the better looking one. It runs fine, waterpump works, oil pump works. The motor smokes alot, and there is oil coming from the exhaust outlet. Does this mean that the oil rings are fried/broken? Any input will be appreciated.

Oil from the exhaust outlet could be leaks from the sump, or bad seals on bottom of crankshaft.
Smoke could be from running oil/gas mix, oil level too high, worn guides or rings.
Have you compression tested the motor yet? If so what are the readings?

Thankyou for your input. I havent done anything with the motor. It seems the best would be just to strip the motor and start from scratch, as I have all the replacement parts for the motor. I spoke to a friend of mine and he also suggested to have the block pressure tested, and then after that I will begin rebuilding the engine. And if all goes well Ill have a brand new Homelite motor. I will post some photos of the progress.

Yes descale the block too, you have all the manuals per your post so you have the info you need. Make sure the water passage under the #1 cylinder in the water jacket is clear. A good running Homelite or Bearcat is a real sweetheart on a small boat, no smoke:-)
We look forward to the photos in this thread.

I will post as mutch pictures as I can, with a little help, Im sure Ill get the motor up and running. One small obsticle is all the units, measurements, gaps and torque are in non metric units. So Ill have to convert them to metric units because thats all we use in South Africa. I also still have alot to learn about these beautifull motors, but Im possitive and eager to start the rebuild.

homelitefanatic,

WELCOME ABOARD. Also NICE FIND on the 2 Homelites.

yours, satx

homelitefanatic,
I daily convert Metric to English and English to Metric.
You will do well.
Tom from Rubicon,WI
1966 Homelite Gran Prix 1972 Bearcat