1988 Johnson 28 SPL Primer issue and Flusher

[Space_Tex]

I recently purchased a Jon boat with a 1988 Johnson 28 SPL motor on it. It would start right up but bog down when any throttle was applied. I pulled the carb off and cleaned it out and it seems to be running A LOT better now.

My question is now about the primer. I know the position of the red lever is supposed to be back/ parallel to the primer solenoid for it to work on its own and turned to allow the bulb to be used as a bypass for manual choke. However, whenever the red lever is in the "home" position (parallel to the solenoid body), the engine just dies. I move the lever to the manual position and it runs fine. I can hear the solenoid doing something when i press the key in but is it possible the valve is stuck open and flooding the engine. Can i rebuild the primer instead of dropping all the $$ on a new one?

Also, does anyone know where I can buy a flusher for this motor? I don't think the standard earmuffs will work. I found this one on eBay that looks like it has potential but cant find a solid answer anywhere.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/161962578558?item=161962578558&viewitem=&vxp=mtr

This is my first post but I've already learned so much from these forums on my outboard, GREATLY APPRECIATED!

 

[AlTn]

you can find diagrams and parts for the primer itself online..several sites offer these...the flusher ?...can't answer that and didn't know they still produced one that looks like that

 

[racerone]

I do not believe there is anything wrong with the primer unit !------With the lever in the manual position fuel enters the engine and this fuel bypasses the carburetor.-------This clearly indicates that you need to revisit your carburetor cleaning work.--------Did you remove the high speed jet found screwed into the carburetor bowl ??

 

[Space_Tex]

I do not believe there is anything wrong with the primer unit !------With the lever in the manual position fuel enters the engine and this fuel bypasses the carburetor.-------This clearly indicates that you need to revisit your carburetor cleaning work.--------Did you remove the high speed jet found screwed into the carburetor bowl ??

Yes, I completely broke it down and cleaned out the high speed jet. Most of the gunk was below the float in the pick-up area. With the red lever in the manual position, will it continuously dump fuel while the engine is running or just when you squeeze the bulb? If the primer solenoid is stuck open, won't it allow fuel to continuously dump into the motor past the carb?

 

[AlTn]

can you attach another piece of fuel line to the primer outlet barb...activate the primer...check for fuel flow with the red lever in manual, then normal position?...no need for the engine to be running....if you want to check while the engine is running you'd have to block off any air flow to the intake that would normally be hooked to the primer

 

[hardwater fisherman]

No Title

That flusher will probably work. I have some older motors with the same gearcase. I remove the bypass cover with the little holes in it, with two slotted screws. You can then use the muffs. If you have a square set even better. Or you can trim one side of the round ones. The bypass cover is the one shown in my photo that I added.

 

[Space_Tex]

can you attach another piece of fuel line to the primer outlet barb...activate the primer...check for fuel flow with the red lever in manual, then normal position?...no need for the engine to be running....if you want to check while the engine is running you'd have to block off any air flow to the intake that would normally be hooked to the primer

I'll try your method this evening and update you after I see what it does. Just another piece of information, before I cleaned the carb and it wouldn't throttle up, i removed the spark plugs and the top cylinder was very clean/ dry so I think it wasn't getting gas. After cleaning the carb and replacing both spark plugs (and checking spark with an inline tester) they both seem to be firing now. Also checked compression and both cylinders are at 60 psi (seems low but cant find a spec).

That flusher will probably work. I have some older motors with the same gearcase. I remove the bypass cover with the little holes in it, with two slotted screws. You can then use the muffs. If you have a square set even better. Or you can trim one side of the round ones. The bypass cover is the one shown in my photo that I added.

Thanks for the idea. So if I remove the bypass cover and put a set of earmuffs over it, do I need to do anything with the intake (picture of intake in photo) or can I leave it open to the air when flushing?

 

[racerone]

When the red lever is in the manual position the valve is open.---Therefor it dumps fuel into the engine when the engine is running.------This fuel bypasses the carburetor.---------What does the high speed yet look like on your motor ?----Is it about 5/8" long with a 1/4-20 thread on it ?--------Having to put the red lever to open the valve indicates blockage in the carburetor.

 

[hardwater fisherman]

No need to cover the main water intake, the pressure from the hose will be ok. There will be some water that escapes through the main intake. If you are just flushing or seeing if it will start then the muffs are ok. If you need to check the function of the water pump you need to run it in a barrel or on the water.

 

[Space_Tex]

No Title

When the red lever is in the manual position the valve is open.---Therefor it dumps fuel into the engine when the engine is running.------This fuel bypasses the carburetor.---------What does the high speed yet look like on your motor ?----Is it about 5/8" long with a 1/4-20 thread on it ?--------Having to put the red lever to open the valve indicates blockage in the carburetor.

Yes, thats about what it looks like. It was completely clean before I reassembeled the carb. Thinking about it now, I wonder if the float is adjusted correctly. I found this (picture). If the float is improperly adjusted, maybe the carb isn't supplying the amount of fuel required.

Also, the smaller pick- up that goes from the center of the bowl up to the main throat of the carb was not centered in the large pick- up. At the bottom where it ends in the bowl of the carb, the smaller tube was up against the side of the large tube. Not sure if this is how its supposed to be or not, neither tube was loose or moving at all and both had an unclogged path up.

 

[racerone]

That small tube must not be disturbed from where you found it !

 

[Space_Tex]

can you attach another piece of fuel line to the primer outlet barb...activate the primer...check for fuel flow with the red lever in manual, then normal position?...no need for the engine to be running....if you want to check while the engine is running you'd have to block off any air flow to the intake that would normally be hooked to the primer

Ok so after looking into the primer, I believe it is working as it should. Other than taking apart the carb and cleaning again, the only thing I can think of is to check is the fuel line to the carb from the fuel pump since this seems to be a fuel issue. Seemingly a lack of fuel since it only runs when the red lever is in the manual mode and fuel is dumping past the carb.

I pulled the plugs again and the bottom plug seems very black/ fouled compared to a very clean looking top plug. Any ideas on the cause of this?

 

[Space_Tex]

After doing some cleaning, the "issue" I am having now is that when the red primer lever is in the home (parallel to the body of the primer) position, the engine seems to rev up and then misfire before it dies about 60 - 90 seconds later. If i leave the red lever in the full open/ manual position is runs without misfiring. The fuel pump is working nominally. The bottom spark plug still seems to be a little more fouled then the top plug after running for a while and pulling them both... not sure if this is related. I played with the low speed adjustment knob on the carb but it doesn't seem to do much.

Also, a newer problem is that when i got to start it, ill turn the key and hear the starter "click" up then nothing happens...wont turn the motor over. After I try a few times it eventually does turn over and start but seems to be struggling. I can pull start it just fine but that's a pain. Is there any why to diagnose my problem here or is my starter failing? I thought the battery wasn't charging and I had a rectifier problem but i checked last night and the voltage jumps to just below 13V when running so I believe the charging system is working fine.

BTW: I got the flusher in the ebay link above, the concept is right but its not an exact fit. I could probably bend it to match the shape on the intake but i decided to just get a set of square earmuffs like hardwater fisherman mentioned and remove the bypass cover, works great!

 

[racerone]

With the red lever in the manual position fuel is injected into the motor !---This fuel bypasses the carburetor circuits !---This strongly suggests that you still have carburetor issues.-Somehow you miss that / do not believe that fact.

 

[Space_Tex]

Finally got it running (and starting) great! Here's how:

I took apart the carb again and this time replaced the float (the first kit I had didn't come with a float). I made sure to gap the float correctly and reinstalled. When I started it (pull start at this point) I was having the same issue where the low speed adjustment knob wouldn't do anything and the engine would spit a lot and die after about 60 seconds when the red lever on the primer was in the home position. I started looking around the I saw the the throttle advance (?) was not pulled back to the hard stop when the throttle was in the "neutral" position. I pulled it all the way back, started her up and that's all it needed! I reset the throttle cable with a link and sync and now I just need to fine tune the idol the next time I put it in the water, hopefully this weekend.

For the starter, I finally got the service manual in and it is FANTASTIC! I ran all the diagnostics and everything seemed to be coming back with the proper results so I pulled the starter off and cleaned the commutator. I bought new brushes but they haven't come in yet. The brushes were in very good condition and the starter wasn't very dirty. I put it all back together and still no change. I was going to wait until I got the brushes in but decided to go ahead and order a new solenoid. It came in the next day (gotta love Amazon). Put that on and she cranked right up. I think I was getting enough contact in the solenoid to turn the starter but not enough to turn thew engine over (started ran fine when I tested it off the motor).

Feels good to have it running! Thanks