1971 Johnson 60 - turns over very slow

[norm258]

I bought a fixer upper. I sorted out a starter issue and now the the starter tries to turn the engine but it can't. I noticed that the prop turns when the engine rolls a bit.

I read in one of the old threads that if the drive solenoids lose power they default to forward.

What can I do to test the solenoids? I heard somewhere about the diodes as well - I know how to test those so I will do that as well. I'm looking for feedback on what I should be looking at with this motor. I know its old, but I don't mind working on it if its worth it.

Thanks in advance.
Norm

 

[acmjg]

Re: 1971 Johnson 60 - turns over very slow

Make sure the battery is good (of course you know that).

I just had a similar situation and it turns out the battery cables from the motor were bad inside the insulation. I stripped them out and the wire turned to crud. Take a good set of jumper cables and go directly to the starter and see what happens.

 

[norm258]

Re: 1971 Johnson 60 - turns over very slow

Brand new battery but I will certainly try the jumper cables. Thanks -

What about testing the lower end solenoids? I have the service manual (found it on ebay!) but it doesn't provide a way to test them.

Norm

 

[speedoflite2]

Re: 1971 Johnson 60 - turns over very slow

check ground wires too on solenoid. I had the same issue. Thought battery was bad and turned out my solnoid ground wire broke off and barely turned the starter over.

 

[norm258]

Re: 1971 Johnson 60 - turns over very slow

Thanks - I'll check the ground on the solenoid. I know the solenoid is good because I pulled it out and ran the test on it and its current has very low resistance when triggered.

While also troubleshooting the fact that the motor seems to be in gear while trying to start, I found the tests for the rectifiers and diodes in the service manual. All are open!

So, I'm thinking I better get that fixed first to get it out of gear - it should turn over smoother then, shouldn't it?

I also read the FAQ on an engine that hasn't run for a while - since I don't know when it was fired up last so I also inserted some oil directly into the cylinders to lubricate the pistons. I think I'm either making progress or falling further behind LOL

Norm