Help with Johnson VXL-13A cylinder not firing

thephoneman

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
75
Pulling my hair out on this issue....have a v-4 60 hp motor that is not firing on cylinder #1. Im getting fuel on the plugs(the plugs are wet/moist) when I take them out except for #1. When the motor is running I can pull one of the plugs and the motor still runs...except when I pull #1...it dies. Ive cleaned the carb, put new fuel lines in, took off the intake and the valves open. Replaced the spark plug and wire to #1. Any suggestions/tips/ideas/kind words:confused:
 

thephoneman

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
75
Re: Help with Johnson VXL-13A cylinder not firing

bump for the daytimers.
 

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Messages
28,093
Re: Help with Johnson VXL-13A cylinder not firing

OK, You have confused me with your post. You stated that it is not running on #1, but you also stated that the motor dies when you remove the plugwire on #1. I do not know how both can be true.

Take a compresion test on all 4 and post the results. Examine the plug wires for arcing to ground.
 

thephoneman

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
75
Re: Help with Johnson VXL-13A cylinder not firing

Trust me, I am as confused as well. I'll try to get my hands on a pressure gage. It doesn't make one bit of sense to me. :mad:
 

thephoneman

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
75
Re: Help with Johnson VXL-13A cylinder not firing

OK I put an inline spark meter in...all four have spark according to the meter. Did a pressure check 90 on the 1&3 side 80 on the 2&4 side.
 

Chris1956

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Mar 25, 2004
Messages
28,093
Re: Help with Johnson VXL-13A cylinder not firing

OK, So compression is good and you have spark. Spray some premix fuel down the carb that supplies #1 and see if the motor runs better or worse. Next test is to see if #1 is getting water, along with gas. Water beads up on a rag, while gas+oil soak into a rag.
 

thephoneman

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Apr 24, 2009
Messages
75
Re: Help with Johnson VXL-13A cylinder not firing

Well I started messing with a few things and somehow got the #1 to start working! I think the thing that did it was reconnecting the brass screw that goes into the cap to the coil wire:D. So I can pull off the plug and it still runs. Must not have been getting hot enough spark. Now that I have it running I have found that I need to put new threads for plug #4 LOL nothing but fun on this end.
 
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