115 Johnson jet pump--hard to turn

[jgwinkel]

Last week I broke out my 1992(3?) Johnson 115 for a trip--jetpump outdrive. It had set all winter and I didn't change plugs or mess with anything but put new gas and oil mix in (probably about 2 gallons of old gas in tank). I have run this motor for years and always use the same method to start--pump bulb full, shot of ether--it always cranks and runs within a few turns. It was below freezing when I tried this and it cranked and would run then die. On about the 8th crank the nut came off of the starter motor. I replaced it, gave another shot of ether and after a few false starts the motor ran. 5 minutes across the lake it died and the starter motor came apart again. When I put it back it would not turn the flywheel. I cranked by hand--it will turn but is harder than I remember. I asked my buddy about the oil mix and turns out he used about 5 ozs of oil instead of the 25 he should have mixed. Did I burn this motor up? How do I tell? Is it worth rebuilding? ( my mechanic who I have not seen for several years--told me he wanted me to burn the motor up so he could rebuild it) Any help is apprecited.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 115 Johnson jet pump--hard to turn

While the oil (lack of it) probably had a significant impact on the outcome, using ether didn't help either. Ether has no lubricant in it and therefore washes the cylinder walls of any oil they did have on it. Use a squirt bottle with a fuel/oil mix. You learned two expensive lessons. Maintain proper fuel/oil mix and never use ether on a two stroke. The first thing you need to do is do a compression test. If that shows engine damage, pull the heads and inspect the cylinders and pistons. That will determine where the damage is and how severe it is which provides an indication of whether or not the engine is rebuildable. I would not let your buddy rebuild the engine if his suggestion was to burn it up so he could rebuild it. Not very wise advice and I doubt if he meant he would pay for parts. Given enough money is spent, nearly any engine can be rebuilt.