Help with '86 175 Johnson

[chuckwagonsam]

Just sold my I/O and got back into outboards. Had Johnson's for over 35 years. Just picked up a '86 Pro Line 23' w/ a 175 Johnson also '86. Runs smooth but has a few issues. Biggest is steering torque. It pulls HARD to the right, wears you out fighting it. Question, which direction to adjust tab. Next, hard to start even if warm. Have to put in neutral and advance throttle to about 2000 rpm. once running OK in idle. And lastly when at plane and running at higher rpm's it will shut down for a split sec. No cough or sputter. Not all the time. Just a total shut down for a heartbeat. Any suggestions much appreciated.

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Help with '86 175 Johnson

Question, which direction to adjust tab.

Adjust the rear of the tab in the same direction the boat is pulling to (in your case right). That will act to force the engine in the opposite direction.

Next, hard to start even if warm. Have to put in neutral and advance throttle to about 2000 rpm. once running OK in idle.

It's normal to need to advance the warm-up lever a bit to start. You might also take a look at the plugs to see if it's time to change them.

And lastly when at plane and running at higher rpm's it will shut down for a split sec. No cough or sputter. Not all the time. Just a total shut down for a heartbeat.

That's going to be tough, many possible causes. Off the top of my head it sounds ignition related (though the experts might prove me wrong), like either a bad connection of a timer base or something like that. OR a wire momentarily being grounded. Those intermittent problems will drive you nuts.

 

[chuckwagonsam]

Re: Help with '86 175 Johnson

Thanks, I'm thinkin' wire grounding momentarily. new plugs on the way

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: Help with '86 175 Johnson

That engine has three components to the ignition system: power packs, stator and timer base. (typically the 6 coils are pretty reliable, so I did not include them.) All are expensive. You'll need the factory service manual in order to qualify each of them. Make sure the engine is fully warmed up before testing them. Page 3-22 of that manual specifically mentions erratic ignition problems. Some time spent troubleshooting will save $ in the long run. You can get the original service manual from: outboardbooks.com