stumped ?????

[surreyboy]

hey guys i am stuck here . i have a 1985 50 hp Johnson electric. start & cannot figure out the problem ??? the fuel pump works , there is a good spark to the plugs ??? was full out across the lake & just quit ?? thought i was out of gas so changed tanks & wouldn't start cranked on it a couple of times & it would start but only with the idle cranked up & would run rough then cough out ?? can some one please give some advice of at least point me in the right direction ???

thanx

 

[Daviet]

Re: stumped ?????

Pull the 7/16 plug on the front of the carb bowels, is there gas in the carbs? If not pump the primer bulb and see if you get gas. Could be fuel pump or carb problems. Will the spark jump 7/16 gap? There could be more to check, but start with these.

 

[5150abf]

Re: stumped ?????

You need fuel,air and fire to have the engine run, air is a given so it has to be fire or fuel.

I would change the plugs, gap them at .040, then change all your fuel line if you haven't in the last few years.

I have an '81 50 and was having alot of problems with gas line deteriorating adn plugging the carbs, make sure you change it all from the tank to the carbs and be sure it is alcohol resistant and install a filter, a clear plastic Autozone one is better than nothing, 24 years is along time to run gas line.

I would run through the carbs, it takes about 1/2 second to clog a jet and it will have the effect you described, make sure to run a copper wire through all 3 jets and the passages between them then blow out with air, the air in a can works well for this.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: stumped ?????

hey guys i am stuck here . i have a 1985 50 hp Johnson electric. start & cannot figure out the problem ??? the fuel pump works , there is a good spark to the plugs ??? was full out across the lake & just quit ?? thought i was out of gas so changed tanks & wouldn't start cranked on it a couple of times & it would start but only with the idle cranked up & would run rough then cough out ?? can some one please give some advice of at least point me in the right direction ???

thanx

Please let us know how you know there is spark and fuel ?? (how you checked it)

 

[surreyboy]

Re: stumped ?????

Well it will fire & run rough for a few seconds & the primer ball is soft after so I'm assuming that would mean that its getting gas ?? The spark , I removed both plugs & turned the ignition on & used jumper cables from positive on battery directly to the starter to turn it over . I then put the plug in the plug wires & cranked it over & touched the end of the plu to the block & both coils had strong spark ?? So that's why I'm stumped

Thankx for any help

 

[aguitarestv]

Re: stumped ?????

sounds like a fuel problem start with making sure you tank is vented, then move on to fuel lines and fittings then if you have to, clean and inspect the carbs.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: stumped ?????

Well it will fire & run rough for a few seconds & the primer ball is soft after so I'm assuming that would mean that its getting gas ?? The spark , I removed both plugs & turned the ignition on & used jumper cables from positive on battery directly to the starter to turn it over . I then put the plug in the plug wires & cranked it over & touched the end of the plu to the block & both coils had strong spark ?? So that's why I'm stumped

Thankx for any help

Check fuel delivery from the pump by unhooking the line from the pump to the carbs and crank the motor over. Put a container in place to catch the fuel. You should get continuous strong spurts. If it starts strong and gets weaker as you crank the motor then the fuel pump most likely has an issue.

 

[surreyboy]

Re: stumped ?????

ok i just tried this & there was nothing but when i pump the primer ball it just pours out ?? then when i do cranked her over it does come out in spurts so must be carbs ???

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: stumped ?????

ok i just tried this & there was nothing but when i pump the primer ball it just pours out ?? then when i do cranked her over it does come out in spurts so must be carbs ???

Good consistent spurts without tapering off ???

 

[surreyboy]

Re: stumped ?????

ya it pukes out when cranking it over , i mean its consistent with each revolution


thank you so much for all the help you have offered

 

[wideide]

Re: stumped ?????

mite be out of time mine did that once I pulled the flywheel to check the key and found the plate that eveything sits on had come loose put screws back in with lock tight been fine ever sine.

 

[5150abf]

Re: stumped ?????

A couple things that might help you.

The bulb will never stay hard because the fuel is being pulled from the tank, the pump isn't in the tank so as soon as you hit the key it is drawing fuel and creating a vacuum in the line which draws fuel from the tank.

The fuel pump works off of the intake pulses in the engine so it is only pumping if the engine is turning.

So you have spark and have confirmed fuel to the carbs which only leaves the carbs as your problem, get them cleaned and you should be good to go.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: stumped ?????

Carbs would be next on my list.
I would invest in a spark tester and check with that as well.

 

[surreyboy]

Re: stumped ?????

thanx every one for all your help . i will pull the carbs off & clean them well > one more question is , is there a kit you can buy with all alcohol resistant lines ?

 

[5150abf]

Re: stumped ?????

I'm sure there is but I got all my line at Autozone.

Make sure you have some small zip ties to put on the carb lines, it was a couple bucks but worth alot more than that, was having to clean my carbs 2-3 times a year, since the filter and new line I haven't had to touch them.

 

[surreyboy]

Re: stumped ?????

i have pulled the carbs off & there is a black box (air intake) & there is no air filter ???? there is supposed to be some sort of filter over the intake right ???

 

[wilde1j]

Re: stumped ?????

No filter.

 

[5150abf]

Re: stumped ?????

Nope, no dust on the water, only very modern outboards have air filters.

I woudl really look into an OMC manual for your engine if you are going to do much of anything to it, they can be a little salty but are worth every penny.

Either here at iboat or on Ebay, I got mine on Ebay for $25.

Get an OMC manual NOT Seloc,Clymers or ANYTHING on CD, as I said, worth every penny.

Make sure you clean the jets in the bottom of the float bowl, actually take them out and run a copper wire through them, you will need a long skinny screw driver to get them out.