58 7.5hp johnson, smoking badly

kbert1171

Seaman
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Feb 5, 2017
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71
at idle the mortor barely smokes, but when i crank the throttle, it smokes like mad. i mixed the fuel to 24:1, rebuilt the carb.
wondering if i should lean the fuel mixture out some???
 

flyingscott

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Apr 8, 2014
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Are You Running This In A barrel? It is normal for motors to smoke with more throttle. You Could try leaning it out May help.
 

racerone

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Dec 28, 2013
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I would not even think about reducing the amount of oil in the gas !----You may want to turn the high speed needle in to see if smoke is reduced and performance improves.
 

kbert1171

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Feb 5, 2017
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71
i am running it in a barrel and i really dont want to lean it out, but the smoke is ridiculous. ive played with the high speed needle and the smoke stays the same. i also can not get it to run smooth at full throttle. no matter how much adjustment i make. what am i doing wrong?
 

kbert1171

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Feb 5, 2017
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it seems to bog down at full throttle for some reason. it might run fast for a few seconds, but then it bogs. i dont understand. when it ran last year, it never smoked like this.
 

racerone

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First check if spark will jump an actual gap of 1/4" or more.-Does it , yes or no ?---Also , this motor has a " slip clutch " below the water pump and there may be issues ( binding ) at full throttle.
 

F_R

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Without being there to witness it, I'll say it probably is missing on one cylinder. Whenever it does that, the fuel that did not burn in the cylinder goes out with the exhaust. Then all that oily mess in the exhaust housing burns and smokes like crazy. Check your ignition system to see why it is not firing both cylinders.
 

F_R

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BTW, the gas/oil ratio for that motor is supposed to be 16:1. That's 1 qt of oil per 4-gallon tank. People can and will argue about that forever. You decide.
 

racerone

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People will argue forever because the lubrication of a 2 stroke engine is not well understood !
 

kbert1171

Seaman
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Feb 5, 2017
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ok. at the risk of sounding ignorant, and because i am on this particular subject, how do i test this 1/4' jumping spark gap?
i have spark from both plugs. weather its hot enough or whatever, i do not know.
 

oldboat1

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16:1 for the 7 1/2. With a clean carb, the h.s. needle usually ends up between 1/2 and 3/4 open in my experience. Can't (shouldn't) rev in a barrel, though. Pull off boots one at a time and see if you get any rpm change. Check spark with an adjustable tester. Set the tester for 1/4 inch. Use Champion J4Cs gapped at .030.
 

Crosbyman

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Nov 5, 2006
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run it on the lake and let it rip....
did you service the electricals and adjust everything

breathing it's own fumes in a barrel doesn't help performance

run cheapy oil or good stuff ?
 

Crosbyman

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TR.OD High Energy Ignition Spark Plug Tester Auto Car Test Pencil Circuit Diagnostic
https://www.amazon.ca/Energy-Ignition-Tester-Circuit-Diagnostic/dp/B077XK831Z/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1520717485&sr=8-14&keywords=spark+tester
 

racerone

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Dec 28, 2013
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I recall 2 gentlemen much older than myself at the time bringing one of those motors in the shop.---They both said " we can't get the carburetor adjusted right "------Turns out the head gasket was blown !----So do the trouble shooting with first a compression test.---And that 1/4" spark test.-----That incident was about 50 years ago.-----Those motors run really nice when in good shape.
 

kbert1171

Seaman
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Feb 5, 2017
Messages
71
spark test confirmed the top coil is bad. i will replace it and most likely the points and condensers and try it again. thank you all for your helpful advice. ill post the results when the work is completed.
 

oldboat1

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Apr 3, 2002
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Just a heads up — if you believe one coil is bad, it would be reasonable to replace them both. (I would hang on to them unless the casings are cracked and breaking up. Do a search here on coil testing, as there is some testing you can do with a multimeter.)

If it were me, I would replace coils, points, condensers and wires at the same time — also the boots if they are dried and cracking. Confirm strong spark, then move on to other systems if needed. If the motor is new to you, you need to replace the impeller as a priority. (The powerhead needs to come off to access the shift rod connector, but not a difficult job.)
 

Chinewalker

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Aug 19, 2001
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It's supposed to smoke. A lot. It's also next to impossible to get a wide open carb adjustment in a barrel. As mentioned above, get it on a boat and dial it in there. Only then will you know if you actually have an issue or not.
 
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