Problems with 82 Johnson 15 HP (miaden voyage faliure...)

[Sinkingfast]

I had figured he would have tried that...Yea maybe if you remove the pin and lift the lever off the plate might rotate more. Mine is a 1976 and has different arrangement.

 

[CMOS]

I had figured he would have tried that...Yea maybe if you remove the pin and lift the lever off the plate might rotate more. Mine is a 1976 and has different arrangement.

I will try it this coming weekend. Thanks guys.

CMOS

 

[CMOS]

Well I got the recoil starter off, apart, and cleaned but I was unable to put it back together - missing Spring Retainer. Whomever had this motor before me must have taken it apart and left the Retainer out. Part is ordered so I'll try next week.

The new recoil spring did come wound and bound with a couple zip ties, but not in a diameter that would allow me to just drop in in the cup. After reading my manual and LeeRoy's info it looks like I need to allow the spring to UNwind, then wind it INTO the cup with the pulley. Sound right?


CMOS

 

[Pappy]

That would be correct.
Wear work gloves and eye protection since this is not the safest job to do on an outboard.

 

[CMOS]

Okay guys, I have starter rebuilt and ready to install but need some pointers from y'all on the actual installation.

Since the new spring is fully wound, if I let go of the cup & pinion the darn thing will unwind. So how do I install the starter back on the motor without the letting go of the cup & pinion and letting the spring unwind???

I have the Service Manual but it does not address this.

CMOS

 

[kofkorn]

Thread the rope through the front cowling and pull handle. Tie the knot to hold the handle on. It'll take a bit of work, but you should be able to mount the recoil mechanism without it unwinding. A second pair of hands may help.

 

[CMOS]

I got it on. Just kinda figured it out. Easier to do since I have the Flywheel off. Works well.

Pulled the carb and took it apart. All jets were clear, and float level was also good. Ready for a barrel test next weekend.


CMOS

 

[Pappy]

Next time you do one just thread a 3/8-16 wing nut or plain nut on the bottom of the bolt to hold the starter together....little easier on the parts!

 

[CMOS]

Next time you do one just thread a 3/8-16 wing nut or plain nut on the bottom of the bolt to hold the starter together....little easier on the parts!

That's exactly what I did, based on the suggestion from LeeRoy's Ramblings. :mrgreen:


CMOS

 

[CMOS]

More problems.

I tried to do a driveway water muff test but after about 20 pulls without a single engine cough, the pull cord would no longer retract. So I seem to have 2 specific issues.

1. Pull cord not retracting (reminder - I just replaced the recoil spring in this thing).
2. No engine start after about 20 good pulls. Carb was pulled last weekend and was verified to be squeaky clean.

Recoil starter is first. Need to pull it again and take a look inside. Any ideas as to what I will find?

Once that is fixed I'll have to test spark again.

[sigh]


CMOS

 

[Pappy]

check the loop on the spring and see if you pulled it into the starter housing. If you did that is an indication that your cord is too short.
Never pull the starter cord on any engine to the end of the cord. Parts will always break when that happens.
Secondly, if that engine does not attempt to start in 4 or 5 pulls there is something missing in the process.
Since you had the carb apart see if, by chance, you have the black plastic choke actuator upside down. If you do the choke will not close all the way and would produce the symptoms you describe. Hint...small slot goes down.

 

[CMOS]

Pappy, the end loop of the spring did indeed pull inside the cup. The slot in the cup where the loop hooks was slightly deformed when I installed the new spring. Guess I should have fully straightened it out.

Cup has been straightened, spring wound, and the starter is re-installed.

I will do a spark test this evening when it gets dark.

Yes, I am positive the choke knob is installed properly (and I do understand your caution on this).

Question: should I engage the choke at all on a day that is 80 degrees?

If I get a good spark test I will try to start again tomorrow, and report results. Reminder - I had this motor running in the driveway a few weeks ago. . . .

CMOS

 

[Pappy]

A cold start for an engine usually requires choking it to get the fuel pulled into the intake, past the reeds and through the ports. By all means use the choke until the engine will run on its own. Think of it as a dry start instead of a cold (temperature-wise) start.

 

[CMOS]

Good news and bad news.

I did find a poor ground on one of my coils - no spark. Have good spark on both now. Motor did start but dies within seconds as if starving for fuel. Tried to adjust the low speed screw on both sides of carb rebuild setiing when all of the sudden - the damn pull cord would not retract.

Yep, the end of the spring has pulled into the cup again, further damaging the slot. I think my pull cord may have been too short. So, I need to dismantle the recoil starter again and see what's been damaged, and get a proper length of cord.

The motor starving symptom will have to wait. . . .

CMOS

 

[Sinkingfast]

My factory manual says 71.5 inches long on the pull cord.

 

[CMOS]

Okay, starter has been pulled. See attached pic. As you can see the slot in the bottom Cup has been damaged.

I am concerned if I simply straighten it out, the metal will be sufficiently fatigued that the spring will pull in again. --- Thoughts? Will I need to replace the Cup?

Also some related questions:

1. Other than the length of the pull cord being too short, does the tension of the spring itself (after I wind it in) contribute in the problem of the spring getting pulled into the Cup? (I wound that spring pretty tight...)

2. What makes the Pinion gear lift up when the cord is pulled? I ask this because I noticed after the last time I fully assembled this and tried to start the motor, the pinion would spin but sometimes not lift up to engage the Flywheel. Some lubricant on the Pulley gear seemed to help, but not always eliminate this. Thoughts?

Please give me your feedback so I know what I may need to order as far as parts.

Thanks,
CMOS

 

[kofkorn]

I would replace that cup. Bending the tab back may work for a short while, but it will eventually fail at the worst possible time in the future. You know how that works.

As for the pinion, I've found that lube is a good and bad thing on it. It will usually get it to work for a short while, but later when the lube starts to dry out or collect dirt, it only makes the situation worse. I've found that cleaning both the pinion and the pulley out with a good cleaner keeps it moving properly. Both parts are plastic and should slide easily if they are clean. If you're still having issues after cleaning it out, maybe a little powdered graphite would help.

What I've found is that the bottom face of the pinion and the top face of the pulley stick together when lubed. The surface tension created prevents the pinion from moving up. Usually spinning a rag under the pinion when it is lifted will remove enough of the lube to make an immediate improvement.

Good luck!

 

[CMOS]

Parts on order and on the way.

Tell me: how tight should I wind that recoil spring? I have no way to gauge this. Last time I wound it pretty darn tight, tight as I could muster.

Thoughts?


Also with regards to the fuel pump: Several weeks ago I rebuilt the pump with a new kit. How do I test the fuel pump to see if I did it correctly?

Reminder that when the motor started last week it would run for only a few seconds, then die under circumstances that sounded like fuel starving.


CMOS

 

[kofkorn]

I'm sure the manual has a specific number, but for me, I never wind it even close to tight. I normally will put it in place un-wound with out the handle attached, and then I give it one (Maybe two) turns and feed the rope through the front cowling. (if you spin it by hand and then engage the pinion, you can keep the mechanism from unwinding by placing a pair of pliers underneath the pinion gear. This keeps the pinion engaged to the flywheel and stops the mechanism from unwinding while you feed the rope through and tie it).

You really only want it tight enough to keep the handle in place while the motor is running. Any more than that, then you create a chance to do the damage you're seeing.

Good luck!

 

[rusty503]

I will say about the same thing. If you tightened it as much as you could when you installed the spring, that definitely caused the problem. Remember this, when you pull the cord you will be further tightening the spring. Like kofcorn stated, it only needs to be tight enough to hold the handle in place when retracted but yet tight enough to retract all of the cord when you release it.