# Johnson 2 Stroke Leaking Oil?



## pc9460 (Aug 21, 2018)

I picked up a used aluminum boat a few weeks ago and used it twice and seems to run fine. I notice a little leaking out of the lower unit where I think water drains out. Smells like oil and I was wondering if anyone had an idea of what the issue was. Its a 2000 Johnson J15RVSSS if one of you have a manual for this please let me know also.


----------



## nytebyte (Aug 21, 2018)

Just unburnt fuel and oil from the exhaust coming out the drain hole. Nothing wrong with it.


----------



## pc9460 (Aug 22, 2018)

Is there any way to reduce the amount of unburnt fuel from leaking out there?


----------



## Pappy (Aug 22, 2018)

Prolonged idle time seems to aggravate this. You should be able to minimize that cause. Running the fuel out may or may not help it depending on the rpm you run it out of fuel...see above comment. Other than that you are stuck with a few drops of fuel exiting the gearcase for a couple days.


----------



## muddywaders (Aug 22, 2018)

Is your prop equipped with a convergence ring?It was designed to help evacuate exhaust at trolling speed.Motor may be running rich or float valve working improperly.A perforated fuel pump diaphragm will also cause excessive oil build up.Your motor looks like a post 1993 motor which is not equipped with a idle mixture adjustment knob on the cowl-a good feature if you troll a lot as it allows for slower speeds without fouling plugs.


----------



## MrGiggles (Aug 22, 2018)

Not much you can do, Had a Merc 9.8 that did the same thing. Seems like models with thru-hub exhaust are worse about it, lots of nooks and crannies for oil to build up in, my 83 Johnson 25 has never done it. Getting the carb dialed in will help some.

2 strokes do not like to be babied, lots of idle time and trolling is against their nature as that is where they're least efficient.


----------



## pc9460 (Aug 22, 2018)

My motor seems to need a touch of throttle when it’s idling to stay alive whether it’s in forward, neutral or reverse. Is there an easy way to fix this?


----------



## Pappy (Aug 22, 2018)

Pretty sure your engine has a minimum idle RPM adjustment feature located at the end of your tiller handle. Should be a knob. This can be used to raise your minimum idle RPM. 

Muddywaters.....you are way off the mark on this.


----------



## pc9460 (Aug 23, 2018)

I was playing with that knob at the end of the tiller the last time i was out and I noticed my idle would change depending on which way I was turning it. Is it something I should be messing around with all the time to keep the motor idling or is it something I should leave alone once I find the spot the motor idles fine with? Not familiar with boats at all this is my first.


----------



## nccatfisher (Aug 23, 2018)

pc9460 said:


> I was playing with that knob at the end of the tiller the last time i was out and I noticed my idle would change depending on which way I was turning it. Is it something I should be messing around with all the time to keep the motor idling or is it something I should leave alone once I find the spot the motor idles fine with? Not familiar with boats at all this is my first.


 All that knob on your tiller does is change your idle RPMs (fine tune if you will) once you get your idle adjustment setting correct (needle) you should have no problem with it idling. That knob really is just used if you want to set your idle slightly higher if say you were trolling and wanted it just above standard idle settings.

I am guessing you still have an issue in the idle circuit in your carb.


----------



## DaleH (Aug 24, 2018)

I set it so when twisted all the way down ... it idles smooth and doesn't stall. Too high an idle is rougher on the gears whilst shifting.


----------



## pc9460 (Sep 19, 2018)

Can anyone tell me what this port is for? It looks black around it.


----------



## Pappy (Sep 19, 2018)

Idle exhaust relief and back pressure control.....have you not looked at this while running your engine??


----------



## Stumpalump (Sep 19, 2018)

White engines are always dirty like that. Yours looks great.


----------



## Tinny Fleet (Sep 27, 2018)

Switching to synthetic oil seems to help with both blue smoke and discharge. I use the OMC variety. Might give iit a try.


----------



## pc9460 (Nov 22, 2018)

I changed the lower unit oil last week and fogged the outboard the week before. Any clue to why I’m getting something leaking from the prop area? I took it off and it seems to be coming for inside but I didn’t notice any fishing line which could ruin the seal.


----------



## DaleH (Nov 22, 2018)

Oil dripping down from the exhaust, through the ‘thru-prop’ exhaust. Personally I wouldn’t give it a 2nd thought ...


----------



## MrGiggles (Nov 22, 2018)

That's probably part fogging oil and part residual fuel/oil mix.

As mentioned, nothing to worry about.


----------



## pc9460 (Nov 25, 2018)

Thanks for the responses! First boat so seeing all this leaking fluid had me worried.


----------

