1972 johnson 25 extremely difficult to pull start

[Speedingskagit]

So, let me start off by saying, this website, has definetly saved me from royal screw ups. Kudos.

Recently i purchased a 1972 johnson 25 horse outboard. A real beauty. It is a rope start, and has been equipped with an aftermarket electric starter.

When i went to purchase this motor, the owner had it set up in a water barrel to verify that it ran, naturally. He had just replaced the points, and condensers (and gave me the old ones for back ups.) Regardless, we removed the flywheel to verify he did indeed replace them, replaced the flywheel, and proceded with a compression check. Both cylinders ran 120 psi, and afterwards, we started the motor via electric starter. Ran like a absolute dream.

So to save weight in my boat, i figured, well, it is a rope start, no worries, I'll simply pull start it. My shoulder, on the other hand greatly disagreed, but after about 10-12 pulls, it fired right up, and was a dream. After that, one pull starts no problem.

so i am curious, can this be a case of 'look into the carb set up' or 'check the ignition timing'. Im at a loss of where to start.

Or is it a case of i got spoiled after fixing my 73 evinrude 9.5 (thanks to this site) with easy one pull cold starts, and simply need to bring a battery with me?

 

[racerone]

Remove recoil starter.-----Look for alignment arrows on sheave and housing.-----Note that rope sheave is elliptical to reduce starting effort.------But it must be properly timed.

 

[Speedingskagit]

I'll do that 1st thing this weekend, and bust out the multimeter to check out the timing. Waiting on check to pick up the omc manual so i can go through and make sure everything is as it should be. I noticed though the previous owner ran autolite plugs (still in as a matter of fact) and was curious if those might contribute to the starting situation compared to a set of j6c plugs?

 

[Joe Reeves]

Switch to Champion J6C plugs, gap set to .030.

If the timing was off (sheared flywheel key)... the engine wouldn't run at all.

Cold engine start procedure: Pump fuel primer bulb up hard... Pull out choke to full on... Turn throttle handle to someplace above idle to open throttle butterfly... Crank engine over by first engaging the starter pulley with the flywheel, then pulling swiftly. (Is this your procedure?)

Pertaining to having the manual starting cord in the proper position as Racerone mentions...........

 

[F_R]

There seems to be a lot of people complaining about the 25 being hard to pull. Yes, one thing for sure, it is a whale of a lot harder to pull than a 9.5.

As for taking so many pulls to get it going, first thing would be if you are not able to spin it over fast enough, that could be reason #1. Second, make sure you have everything in correct start position. Motor in neutral, speed control as far toward "Fast" as it will go (in neutral), Choke pulled all the way out till it fires. The plastic choke detent on those sometimes breaks and does not hold it all the way out.

Then haul on that rope with both hands. Or use the electric start.

 

[Scott Danforth]

a jet-ski AGM battery is about 14#

 

[Speedingskagit]

I think i am going to tave to look into the carb as a suspect. The choke pulls out, but did tend to creep back in when i was cranking it over.

I've got 2 j6c plugs on the way, because i was a bit baffled by the autolites (nothing against them, it is simply an unknown factor in my books from lack of experience) and my cold starting procedure is identical to the one in the 'top secret file' here.

My tiller is missing the -stop-slow-start-fast collar, but i do have it pegged to where the fast should be (in neutral).

One thing i did totally overlook is my lines from tank to motor with the primer definetly didnt firm up like the gentleman who i bought it from.

so i think my order of investigating will be:
1- check the recoil:make sure everything is lined up and functioning smothly. (Thanks joe andracer)

2- replace the plugs with j6c plugs gapped to the .03

3- Check timing.

after that i will replace my fuel line and see how it turns out. I think my primer may not be up to snuff any more: 9 or 10 years old.

as for speed of pulling, it pulls. I wouldnt say faster than an average joe, but definetly like a fishing addict itching to get to his spot in a hurry (hence the reason i slapped this on my 12' boat). Hahahaha! It is simply i cant figure out why ive got to pull it so many dang times.

I'll check out the choke and carb linkages for damage or disconnect when i take the recoil off to investigate it.

I'll be posting any hiccups i find, or any progress.

As for the jetski battery, i was actually thinking about that, especially since this motor doesnt have a charging feature from what i have researched.

 

[racerone]

Replace the detent on the choke knob.----Note ,---I believe the are no longer available so it will take an effort to find one.

 

[Speedingskagit]

Ebay is my best friend for the pain to find parts. That and craigslist. It will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.

thanks for the pointers everybody! I'll be posting updates this weekend when i start looking into this beauty.

 

[Speedingskagit]

So, awesomely, my father has about 15 outboards, each of which the salty dog has one or 2 parts outboards to boot. Called him up, and he sent down a complete choke set up for this mot inor. Freakin rad. Totally nailed it on the head with the previous one being broken. Also, did a base set on the carb, since it was running a bit lean. But, i did indeed notice a little something concerning. Or could be concerning. On my anti ventilation plate, near the front, it looks like it found a rock. Instead of a v it looks like the plate broke in the shape of a mild c

on a rating of one to 'get a different lower unit shell now' where would this fall?