# 1985 johnson 15hp



## scrantny (Mar 23, 2009)

ok...got the old motor back from an uncle that "fixed it" over 5 years ago put a good tank on it and it cranked right up...
went out last weekend and it ran awesome... i was expecting it to give us the problem it used to....
went out this weekend and it left me sittin on the bayou like it used to...luckily i went with my neighbor to his camp on blind river and he was able to tow me home...  

so this is what it does and i think it could be an easy fix....
when i was younger we would take the intercoastal to laccasine refuge. thats about a 30 min ride...get in the refuge and ride about another 20 min to the good fishing. then if the fishin wasnt good and we left to go somewhere else it wouldnt start...eventually it would...had it serviced same thing...it left me and my brother a few times...and had to get towed home.

this past weekend and before it ran super great...sounded goood ran strong...
rode about 45min to neighbors camp...hung out and fished for a few hours nothing biting so me and the wife went for a cruise in the reserve....found a spot that looked like there were fish so i cut the motor...we fished for about an hour...no fish..lol...

went to crank up the motor to head back to the camp and the B*tch woudnt start.
cranked and cranked and cranked....got towed back to the landing...cranked and cranked and cranked...nothing...
got home from work today...pumped the gas...pulled the choke and that baby cranked right up...

its got to be something simple...no doubt...but what....im planning on bringing it in to have it checked...BUT.....

do any of you have any ideas on what could do this....maybe some areas to check...i really havent dove in it...but i would like to at least see if i can fix it.

please help! [-o<


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## ben2go (Mar 23, 2009)

Sounds like there is air getting in the fuel line between the tank and disconnect on the engine.I would replace everything,disconnects and primer bulb included,and the fuel lines on the motor.Since it runs great, when it runs,it's not in the ignition unless the kill switch is shorting out.


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## Andy (Mar 23, 2009)

Sounds good what ben2go said. Have you tried pumping the bulb when it wouldn't start? That would give you a better idea if you were leaking air, or to chase the bug elsewhere.


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## ben2go (Mar 24, 2009)

Once primed,most engines don't loose their prime through out the day.If you are pumping the primer before starting through out the day,then there is a problem(like I described above)and the fuel pump will eventually quit pumping fuel.Think of it like a straw.If there's a hole you have a hard time sucking the drink up through it.An outboard fuel pump only delivers around 1 to 2 psi of fuel pressure.It doesn't take much of a hole to cause it to quit pumping.Sometimes there's a hole that air can enter but no fuel can leak out,especially around the disconnect fittings.

By the way,real men don't drink with straws. :LOL22:


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## scrantny (Mar 25, 2009)

that could be the problem...cause after i pulled the rope about 10 times i pumped the bulb and it was soft....hmmmm... 
should the vent on the tank be open or closed when the motor is running...i've allways ran with it open...

i bought a new tank with hose fittings and hose from academy brand new....
this isnt a new problem..this is something that happend 10 yrs ago when we last used it

any other thoughts.?

thanks for the suggestions.


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## ben2go (Mar 25, 2009)

Yes the vent should be open while the engine is running.I can't think of anything else right off.


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## Loggerhead Mike (Mar 25, 2009)

see if it will run or atleast pop off by spraying starting fluid in the carb when it wont start. that should rule out the ign.

with your bulb going dead like it does and all new lines, its a possability your loosing crank vacuum unless it is going dead because you have the fuel vent shut


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## bassboy1 (Mar 25, 2009)

Loggerhead Mike said:


> see if it will run or atleast pop off by spraying starting fluid in the carb when it wont start. that should rule out the ign.


Don't use starting fluid in a 2 stroke. Instead, fill a squirt bottle with premix, and spray that in the carb.


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## ben2go (Mar 25, 2009)

bassboy1 said:


> Loggerhead Mike said:
> 
> 
> > see if it will run or atleast pop off by spraying starting fluid in the carb when it wont start. that should rule out the ign.
> ...





I agree.Starting fluid is to dry(no oil) and can cause cylinder galling.


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## scrantny (Mar 25, 2009)

do you think a bad ground or a short in the grounding could cause this...?
it has the elec ignition modules in it...not standard points...


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## Andy (Mar 25, 2009)

Maybe there is a small hole/crack from the external fuel nipple to the carb? Have you replaced that line? If you shut it off after a short run does it start back up easy while it's warm? Is the first cold start up of the day fairly easy? I'm no outboard mechanic by any means, but it sounds fuel related instead of electrical.


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## ben2go (Mar 25, 2009)

scrantny said:


> do you think a bad ground or a short in the grounding could cause this...?
> it has the elec ignition modules in it...not standard points...




If this was the case you'd have random skips and the motor dying with out any warning.


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## moloch16 (Mar 26, 2009)

If you solve your problem post your solution as I have a Gamefisher 9.9 that does the exact same thing


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## ben2go (Mar 26, 2009)

moloch16 said:


> If you solve your problem post your solution as I have a Gamefisher 9.9 that does the exact same thing




If your gamefisher has a fuel shut off valve,I'd start there.Mine caused me a lot of frustration.


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## scrantny (Mar 27, 2009)

a neighbor of mine mentioned to me at one time he had a merc 150 on a boat that would allways nor start after running for a while...it would have to sit or cool down...and would always restart.

he pulled the plugs once when this happened and they were wet...said he had a bad head gasket that was letting in water and was fouling the plugs....dried it off and it got him home so that could be something going on with mine since it allways eventually starts...but sometimes it takes hours...


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## Riverjet502 (Mar 31, 2009)

I think you need to look real close at your kill button and follow the wires carefully. It sounds to me you might have one of these wires chafed and it is shorting your ingintion out. Since this motor uses electronic ignition it will either work or it won't. From what you have described I would rule out the ingintion issue and look very closely at your kill switch wires. Just one dumb thought, have you ever looked at your tank vent when your motor will not start. I have one tank that the vent likes to work its way shut on me. If this is the case your motor can't suck any gas out of the tank..


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## scrantny (Apr 17, 2009)

yes i have checked the vent... and since this has been an issue for a while the vent was open and checked...

i brought it to a service center and its been three weeks now...if i dont hear anything by tomorrow i will go get it myself...only thing is i am not so close to the water...i can run it in a tank all day and it allways starts no problem...this issue usually happens after running for a while.... this last time the boat was launched and cranked cold on the 2nd pull of the rope.... idled fine on warm up...put in gear and idled through wake zone... opened up in the full bayou...ran strong and out ran my neighbor who was by himself in a 15ft skiff with a 9.9...it was me and my wife in my 15ft and a 100qrt ice chest full of ice and beer...and we are not small people......we ran about 45min down river to neghbors camp....unloaded the boats...fished the camp pier and went for a ride in the reserve about 3 hrs later..... after running for about 30min we stopped to fish since i had seen fresh water running out of the marsh.... we caught a few fish and that was it...after getting bored and sitting idle for about an hour i went to crank it and nothing...pulled...nothing....checked the bulb it was tight...so i choked it...nothing...puleed...nothing...pumped the bulb just barely....pulled nothing...let it sit for about 30min.....pulled nothing....pumped the bulb it was tight...nothing...pulled it....nothing......so i called my neighbor on cell to come get us...got back to the camp....chilled for a few and did some small repairs on the camp....tried to start it....nothing...let it sit...getting dark....tried to start it...nothing....got towed in by neighbor and a 45 mn trip to about 3hrs with all of us in his boat towing my boat...
got to the launch...tried to start it....nothing.... put it on trailer...got home went to bed....woke up next morning and on my way out to work...pumped the bulb once pull the choke...pulled the rope....FIRST DAMN PULL IT STARTED.... this has been giving me and my father fits for a while now.... i dont even know if its worth spending anything on it....since the new e-tek evinrudes are out....my income tax check is burning a hole in my pocket...... but it runs great when it starts....it just dont always start.... we'll see and i will update this issue as soon as i can get an answer for it.


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## Loggerhead Mike (Apr 17, 2009)

let us know if you repo your motor. i have a few suggestions but ill wait and see what the shop had to say

ask them if they vacuum tested the crank


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## scrantny (Apr 20, 2009)

im going get it from the shop today...they havent started on it and i dont know if i would trust it again if they did fix it....

goin outboard shoppin today....evinrudes are back ordered till june...i cant be out the water that long just cant wait.

2008 yamaha's on sale cheap across the river....lol.....stay tuned....


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## Loggerhead Mike (Apr 20, 2009)

now your talkin =D>


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## scrantny (Apr 21, 2009)

well...picked up the ole 15.... brought it home checked out a few things that i read about here and nothing seemed to do any good...cause it starts when its cold usually no problem at all....i will work on it and use it for another small boat i have....

so i drove across the river bought me a 25hp yammie elec start tiller.....whoo hoo...putting it in the water today to start the break-in period....

should be flyin shortly....


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## Loggerhead Mike (Apr 21, 2009)

i bet its got a vacuum leak (ie bad crank seals)

congrats on the new motor i bet thats a great feeling!


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## scrantny (Apr 22, 2009)

yes...its a great feeling...i took the boat out with the new motor and i am quite impressed on how much power it has....

now it was just me - the battery, 6gal gas, 12pk ice chest , life jacket and paddle...
not enough weight for full throttle.... but it will get it....i only had it at full throttle for a bout a minute or two per the break in instructions....but that baby flys....

i will check the crank case pressure to see what happens...should it stay pressured up or will it eventually fall....neighbor has massive tool set...im sure he can help....


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## Loggerhead Mike (Apr 22, 2009)

yup.. im jelious

you'll have to make an adapter to go over the carb intake and plug up your fuel line. i'd draw 2 lbs vacuum and it should hold. its pretty time consuming but if you've checked everything else that would be next on my list. it may also lead you to a different bad gasket reeds ect ect. ask your buddy if he can do a compression test on it too before getting into the vacuum testing


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