More Old Johnson Troubles!!!

[Dbailey]

My wonderful '66 Johnson 9.5.... yeah right!!<br />It sat for two or three years with a clogged carb. Finaly installed carb kit and it started right up perfectly. Did not see any water coming out of the exhaust relief port, so i pulled the lower unit and replaced the entire water pump. Put it back together and now it runs fine for about a minute, but then it dies out and the only way to get it started again is to pump the primer bulb and choke the engine. It looks like the fuel pump is brand new.. Does it sound like this is the problem or should I pull the carb again? Also, I still don't see any water coming from the exhaust relief. How much should be coming out? I ran it for about a minute and the motor didn't get hot enough to burn you, but it was pretty warm. I don't know how hot they normally run when the water pump is working correctly, so I don't know if it is just a clogged pee hole. I tried spraying compressed air into the hole, and it seemed to go on through. Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I am out of ideas. Thanks in advance.<br />Dustin

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: More Old Johnson Troubles!!!

You don't suppose the sneezing you had earlier broke the fuel pump or crudded it up with carbon? Does the primer bulb stay firm a minute when your not running? (I'm thinking mabey the fuel pump diaphram is punctured, one spark plug may read rich)

 

[OBJ]

Re: More Old Johnson Troubles!!!

Hi Dbailey...<br /><br />It is possible for the fuel pump diaphram to be bad enough that it won't pump gas. But, look at the fuel lines first. If any are hard and have lost their flex, replace them. Fuel lines must be soft in order to maintain a good seal at connections. Check the primer bulb does not have a check vlv that may have fallen apart and the fuel line is in good flexible condition. Remember that just because a fuel connection does not leak gas does not mean that it will not suck air.<br />When you rebuilt the carb, did you make sure the float level was in spec and the inlet needle did not stick. Did you clean all passages with carb cleaner and blow out with air? When inverted, the float should be just slightly off level (up) from the gasket surface.<br />You should run the motor long enough to get an idea of how warm or hot it gets. You will not show much water out the releif exhaust until the T-stat opens. At idle and warm, you should be able to lay your finger on the flat area just behind the head for several seconds before having to remove them. If the engine does get real hot, it will be noticable. Check for bad t-stat or replace water pump impeller. If the impeller hasn't been changed out for several years, it would be a very good idea to do this. <br />Keep us posted. Tnanks!

 

[Dbailey]

Re: More Old Johnson Troubles!!!

Thanks for the reply guys...<br />To answer some of your questions...<br />(1)Yes, the bulb does stay hard when not running, but once it runs for a while, it loses its prime.<br />(2)I know that the fuel line coming from the tank is good because it is brand new.<br />(3)I replaced the float to where it was parallel to the bowl housing as per the manual. However, I could not remove the high speed jet and was told(from this board) to not force it and just try to clean around it. Could this be the problem, and if so, any suggestions??<br />(4)Don't think this motor has a T-stat(manual does not mention one) Running the motor will not hurt as long as it does not get really hot, correct? Just don't want to burn it up.<br />(5)Brand new water pump kit, including impeller, housing, and all gaskets.<br /><br />Just thought of something... Did not change spark plugs. Since motor started, didn't even think to do this. Could this be part of the problem? I think that covers it all. Thanks again for all the help and advice and will gladly accept more!! <br />Dustin

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: More Old Johnson Troubles!!!

If it does have a thermostat it should be on the top of the head, with three bolts holding it in. My manual indicates one but you never know...<br />When you replaced the fuel line did you get new connectors? Could they be letting air in (they don't last long)?

 

[Chinewalker]

Re: More Old Johnson Troubles!!!

Just as a carb can become gummed up, so can a fuel pump. Run a quick test - prime up the system to fil the carb, disconnect the fuel line at the carb connection, run that hose into a tin can. Start the motor and note what come out the hose. If it doesn't pump gas into the can, it's the pump...<br />- Scott

 

[rwise]

Re: More Old Johnson Troubles!!!

can you keep it running if you pump the primer bulb? If so I'd look to the fuel pump. Also new doesn't mean good! Just my thought.<br />Richard

 

[Dbailey]

Re: More Old Johnson Troubles!!!

Again, thanks for all the suggestions...<br />I will try to do the tests that y'all suggested and will post another reply on the outcome. Thanks again.<br />Dustin

 

[Dbailey]

Re: More Old Johnson Troubles!!!

Ok...<br />I ran the motor for a while and i guess the thermostat kicked in because water began to gush out of the exhaust... whew!! I put new spark plugs in and it starts on the first pull, but it still dies after about 30-45 seconds. I primed the bulb and disconnected the fuel line after the fuel pump. I cranked the motor and I have no gas coming out of the line. Again, motor died after a few seconds and I pumped the bulb with the line disconnected to be sure it wasn't just a blockage and a stream of gas ran out. So I guess the problem is the fuel pump. Would this most likely be the diaphragm?? As you can tell, I am learning everything as I go, so I have no idea going in. Thanks alot... I feel that I am getting close to making this old motor run and would not have even attempted without the help and expertise offered by the members of this board. Thanks!!<br />Dustin

 

[nevrdid]

Re: More Old Johnson Troubles!!!

My '73 9.5 acted just the same and I narrowed the problem down to the fuel pump. I located a 'fuel-pump-kit' in the marina's old stock box and attempted to replace the diaphram. I'll never try that again! These things are spring loaded like an anti-personell mine. Oh well. Bombi came through with a new pump and I was on the water again in 15 min.

 

[OBJ]

Re: More Old Johnson Troubles!!!

Sounds like close Dbailey.<br /><br />One more thing to know for sure. Look back at chinewalkers post. What he is saying is, prime the engine, get it ready to start. Disconnect the fuel line from the carb and run it into a jar. Start the engine and while it's running, see if you have a stream of gas from the fuel pump line. If not, replace the pump. I would recommend a new pump instead of a rebuild kit. Good Luck!

 

[Xcusme]

Re: More Old Johnson Troubles!!!

My first attempt to rebuild a fuel pump was a lesson in patience-frustration too. I did find a way to install the kit in just a few minutes.<br /><br />If you remove the pump, you'll notice the 2 screws that are horizontal mount the pump to the power head. The 2 vertical screws hold the pump together.<br /><br />Unscrew the 2 vertical screws holding the pump together and remove the top 'layer' of the pump and place it in front of you. Remove the next layer, a gasket and place it to the right of the first piece. Proceed to remove the layers(plates and gaskets etc.) and place them next to each other in order,from left to right, like your dealing cards.<br /><br />Open the pump kit and make a second row of parts underneath the first row, matching the parts, part for part.<br /><br />Next, I found 2 -16 penny nails and cut off the heads. I loosely nailed the base of the pump to a short length of 2x4 using the mounting holes in the pump base(horizontal holes) and then 'stacked' the new parts over the nails, building a sandwich. When all of the parts were in place, I replaced the 2 vertical screws and I was done.<br /><br />In the rebuild kit destructions (grin) , they do mention to stack the parts on 2 screws to keep things in alignment, but the 'layers' move around way too much. The 2x4 and nail trick is fast and simple and keeps the parts from moving until you replace the 2 vertical screws. It works every time.