This is the Sea Bee Frequently asked questions and hints and tips page
Any suggestions for this page or you have a question that is not covered here ? please Email me.
How to reset the timing on J.A.P engined Sea Bees
Although it may seem hard with there been no timing marks, and no crank shaft key way, it is actually pretty easy and requires no specialist tools. First with the flywheel and spark plug removed, put a long shanked screw driver through the spark plug hole down the barrel until you feel it touching the piston crown.
Next rotate the engine by turning the prop untill you get the piston to Top Dead Centre (TDC), now turn it back untill you get it to about 25 degree's Before TDC (BTDC), you have now set the piston timing.
Next Loosley put the flywheel onto the crank and turn it untill you get the points just opening, make sure that you dont move the crank / piston while you do this or you will have to reset the piston timing again.
You can now put the flywheel retaining nut and washer back on and tighten it down, but again make sure that the flywheel / crank do not move or slip out of time as you will have to reset the timing again. Once you have done this then you can re-check the timing and as long as it is still at about 25 degree's BTDC then you can rebuild the rest of the motor and give it a test run.
What is the Correct Fuel to Oil Mixture to use.
The correct mixture is 20:1, that is 20 parts fuel to 1 part outboard engine quality 2 stroke oil.
Recoil Starter Spring Replacement
New springs are available for the sea bee jap powered outboards, however they are expensive to the extreme. So here is my advice to repair a broken / bent ( as they do bend ) recoil spring.
What you need to do is go to your local skip site or a lawn mower repair shop and get hold of a Suffolk cylinder mower recoil starter spring (aluminium type, not plastic), these can usually be picked up for a couple of pounds. Strip the Suffolk starter and remove the spring from the holder, then strip your broken / slow / bent J.A.P Sea Bee spring from the recoil, and basically rewind the spring from the suffolk into the jap starter, you have to rewind it into the jap starter as the retaining tray from the suffolk is a different type and won't fit.
You would be well advised to replace the starter cord at the same time as the spring too. This is a simple operation, you basically cut the original cord then pull it out through the hole in the starter plate, if you have the type that is held in by a split pin then you will need to punch this out first, tie a decent knot in the end of the cord and refit the new cord. When you refit the starter plate you need to first wind the cord right round the plate with enough left over to push through the appropriate side of the recoil housing, then put the plate in against the spring, give it a couple of turns to tension the cord then attach your starter handle and cut the cord.
If you have done this correctly you should have a perfectly functional recoil starter which you have repaired for a fraction of the cost of a new spring. You could while you have the starter in bits clean it out with carb cleaner and put some decent lubricating oil on the spindle, this will definatley help it recoil.
