1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

[DirtMcGirt]

I recently purchased a used bass tracker boat with a 50hp 1997 Johnson 2 stroke outboard. When buying it ... I was told the motor ran fine about a year ago... It just would start at time because battery was dead and the carb probably needed cleaned. So I took the guys word.

I recently took it to a local boat shop where the guy told me the following:

- Motor does not have good compression.. was low
- looking inside it there was some rust on the cylinders
- Starter will not start it evn after trying several batteries. Starter gets hot, which usually indicates it needs replaced
- water pump probably needs replaced as well if it hasnt been done in past 2 or 3 years

I am posting this on this forum because this is the first boat I have ever owned and dont now what my options are.

What are my options?
Is the motor shot?
How hard is it to replace a starter??? I have replaced one on a riding mower... Is it just about the same difficulty?

Any help would be great! Thanks!!

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

Well the big problem here is you don't want to invest in a starter for what may end up being a blown motor. However, you can't really get good compression readings without being able to turn the thing over. If you can get your hands on a used starter reasonably it's quite easy to install.

 

[DirtMcGirt]

Re: 1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

So little or no compression indicates a blown motor??

He said it would turn over... But would not start. Said the startergot hot which indicates it is possibly bad.

 

[bob johnson]

Re: 1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

little or no cpmression is very serious....in most cases it is because the motor is worn out or broken...but on rare occassions it could be from a blown head gasket...cross your fingers...

If i were you.,.... id squirt wd-40 liberally into the cylinders and leave the spark plugs out and after chargeing the battery fully...id crank that motor over and over...to get rid of the rust and lubricate the cylinder walls...id even keep squirting wd40 as i did that...... hoping to remove some friction... then id make sure you have spark to each spark plug..... then give it a try

if need be put some oil mixed gas in a spary bottle and squirt it in through the carbs( as long as you verified you have good spark.

then see if she fires over...

you could also re do the compression check after you have loosened up the rust from the cylinder walls...( if it is really there)


the you have to revisit us based on what happens

bob

 

[James R]

Re: 1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

You can try a mix of Marvel Mystery oil and two stroke oil to clean the cylinders and lub the bearings. Chances are that the crank shaft bearings are damaged if there is corrosion on the cylinders. Best thing is to tear the motor down to see what you have. I have just completed a rebuild on a '97 50HP. Runs quietly and very strong.

 

[DirtMcGirt]

Re: 1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

Thanks for the replies. This is my first boat so I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to all this. Like I said just took the boat in to have the motor serviced and this is what I'm being told. Wanted some other opinions, not sure how reliable this guy is and after he told me it would cost $400 just to replace the starter I figured I better do some more research. Going to have someone else look at it next week, hopefully with a better outcome.

 

[rpsloan]

Re: 1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

That seems extremely steep for a starter. I can buy a new starter for an ISX Cummins for that price. I found starters that range between $156-$186 for a 50 hp in your year range. I would follow the advice of the other posters. Replacing a starter is pretty simple. Should be only two bolts holding it to the block. It takes maybe 15 minutes to swap out. Honestly probably takes more time to get your tools out and put back than to do the actual swap. If indeed the motor is toast, then I would either find a reputable shop that deals with Johnson/Evinrudes and get a quote for rebuild or see about a repower of either a used or new motor.

 

[rpsloan]

Re: 1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

For a new motor depending on make you are looking at between $6,000-$8,000 plus tax, rigging and controls. Just to give you a worst case scenario price.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: 1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

I'm thinking we may not want to trust anything that mechanic told you. Lets get that battery charged up and give it shot.

 

[DirtMcGirt]

Re: 1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

Yeah once he told me $400 for the starter I was done listening. I only had the one battery which was fully charged and couldn't get it started myself. Wasn't sure if it was the battery, he said he tried a couple different batteries. We'll see what someone else finds.

If the motor did have to be rebuilt, what kind of cost would that be? To do it myself or profesionally...? And how difficult/time consuming would it be to do it myself? I have general knowledge on motors, but by no means am I an expert.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[Blake0912]

Re: 1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

I would not trust one word that machanic told you , If that starter will engage and spin the fly wheel at a decent rate I would leave it alone until you at least can get the motor to fire over. If anything hook a battery charger up to the battery and give it a boost ( incase your battery is weak). Next do a compression test yourself , then check for spark. Next if you have both of those get a good spray bottle fill it with gas and two stroke oil. Spray The mix directly into your cylinders threw the spark plug holes , spray directly into the carb Throught. Crank the motor over it should at least fire for a second.

Bottom line don't spend any more money or take it to anothe shop until you know it will at least fire over. Then You can give it a the proper attention / tune up that it needs.

 

[bob johnson]

Re: 1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

you spray that motor good lots of wd 40 in the cylinders and the carbs with the throttle fully opened...all the plugs out... and get that motor turning over....little by little....... till you can at least get compression checks.....

if the motor is rusty, you might have to make sure you free up the binding in the crank and rod bearings and hope you dont ruin the fit in the process...but there is little else to do without tearing the motor down......

you need to check the compression if you can, before you start throwing money at this motor.

bob

 

[DirtMcGirt]

Re: 1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

In the mean time I am researching the cost to rebuild motor (worse case scenario).

Can anyone recommend any websites that sell rebuilt kits? For powerhead ..etc.

Is it worth rebuilding vs the cost of buying another used or new motor?

Thanks again!

 

[bob johnson]

Re: 1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

In the mean time I am researching the cost to rebuild motor (worse case scenario).

Can anyone recommend any websites that sell rebuilt kits? For powerhead ..etc.

Is it worth rebuilding vs the cost of buying another used or new motor?

Thanks again!

for parts you cant go wrong with this guy:

http://forums.iboats.com/member.php?u=111828

i personally bought parts from him, and he is on these forums helping out often... and he is very knowledgeable.

he has an Ebay site.

as for your options... you have many...and it is hard to suggest the best for you , not knowing you!!

it is only a 2 cylinder and it is not that much weight.... so it isnt a hard task rebuilding yourself, as long as you farm out the technical stuff.

and the best route may even be a mixture of you doing some work and paying others to do some.

take a look on ebay for other 40-50 hp rebuilt power heads and see what they are going for.

you need a place to tear the motor down and clean it up good.. and lay it all out...without losing any parts.

what you do from there depends on your time and skill schedule

I know the parts i bought for my V4 rebuild were about $1K and then the machining work and misc parts probably takes me to about $1600... and i can but a rebuilt power head for about $2-$2.5K

bob

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

As for rebuilding, you need to understand what that involves. Just taking the engine apart and replacing parts is a waste of time and money if the cylinder walls are scored, rust coated, pitted or otherwise damaged. You need to investigate this engine yourself. Remove the plugs, and using a penlight, look into each cylinder with the piston at the bottom of the stroke. If you see cylinder wall or piston top damage the next step is to remove the cylinder head so you can get a good look at the cylinders. Damage will be obvious. All it costs to reinstall the head is a new head gasket. Right now you have no idea what you have so get the engine to spin freely with the plugs removed. And use something other than WD-40. Any engine oil is a better choice. Once you have the engine free, then do a compression check/leakdown test. If compression is low, then try to start the engine using a very strong mix of SeaFoam or RingFree. These additives in strong mixtures do wonders at freeing up stuck rings which will raise compression if that was the problem. That's about all you can do at this point. Try this and get back to us. Lastly, you unfortunately learned two lessons from this experience. NEVER trust anyone who says it ran fine, just needs a tune up or words to that effect. If you can't hear/see it run the engine should be considered junk and priced accordingly (at least to the buyer). Second, you are finding that B-O-A-T stands for Break Out Another Thousand. Boats are not like cars where millions are sold every year. Economy of scale is the relationship to marine parts cost.

 

[fireman57]

Re: 1997 Johnson outboard - wont start

EXACTLY what Silvertip said