1976 Johnson 85 HP Power Pac

[petertay]

Model: 85ETLR76G

Somewhere on this forum a guy said this engine is as reliable as they come, but that the Power Pac goes out like clockwork every two years. Maybe he was exagerating, but based on that, I bought a new Power Pac and put it on the shelf.

My question is, Is there any sign of weakness or failure, or does the engine just die (or fail to start) some day? Do I need to carry the replacement and a few tools onboard?

Thanks.

 

[F_R]

Re: 1976 Johnson 85 HP Power Pac

Not meaning to be nasty, but that just isn't so. The power packs are reliable. When one does "go", it could be in a variety of ways. The capacitor could short, then it wouldn't run at all. One of the SCRs could burn out, then it would not fire on that cylinder and possibly on the other one triggered by the same timer sensor. (there are 4 SCRs in a 4 cylinder power pack). The kill wire could short out, killing all 4 cylinders, but that is a wire problem, not the power pack. Somebody or something might feed a voltage back through the kill wire, which would damage the power pack.

It is human nature to blame the mysterious "black box", without getting to the bottom of the real trouble.