87 Johnson 110 dies in reverse

jti30666

Cadet
Joined
Oct 4, 2012
Messages
6
I recently acquired an 87 Johnson 110 on a 20' Mako from my father......It was a gift and it is now my money pit:D

History:

Boat ran fine for many years and then one day while on the ramp it died in reverse, we tried several times to get it to shove off in reverse but it kept on shutting off....It revs up fine with throttle only in both directions and it also runs great in forward gear...During this time my father took the boat to 4 repair shops who replaced the same parts: power packs, plugs, ignition wires, etc almost anything to do with the ignition system was replaced and all four shops complained about the other shops work and redid everything each time but all 4 shops said the same thing after repairs: boat runs great

However my boat still stalls/dies in reverse only...

Current:

My friends dad who was certified by Evinrude/Johnson during the 80's who has tons of experience on those years motors through the 90's says I should look at the mechanical advance system....This did not make since to me since I can run the motor in forward all day long and the flywheel only spins one way so it could not be the mechanical advance in my opinion....

Another tech who has experience on newer motors says I should look for a switch somewhere on the motor or throttle mechanism...he thinks that when the motor is put in reverse the switch is not being open/closed thus not advancing the ignition...or if it is a safety switch it is killing the motor

I found a similar post regarding my exact problem and the op fixed it by syncing all the linkages...I am leaning more towards this because I noticed less travel in the motors linkage system (cover removed) while engaging reverse than while engaging forward gear...

BTW the motor shifts and runs in reverse great while out of the water and attached to water hose....this problem only occurs when in the water
 

Joe Reeves

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Feb 24, 2002
Messages
13,262
Re: 87 Johnson 110 dies in reverse

Boat ran fine for many years and then one day while on the ramp it died in reverse, we tried several times to get it to shove off in reverse but it kept on shutting off.

Another tech who has experience on newer motors says I should look for a switch somewhere on the motor or throttle mechanism...he thinks that when the motor is put in reverse the switch is not being open/closed thus not advancing the ignition...or if it is a safety switch it is killing the motor.

BTW the motor shifts and runs in reverse great while out of the water and attached to water hose....this problem only occurs when in the water

Your first statement indicates that the engine was running fine and this problem suddenly surfaced. But then again, your statement could be that the engine had been sitting awhile and this problem first surfaced when you attempted to launch the rig. If you don't already have one, purchase a cheap compression tester (available just about everywhere) and do some checking yourself.

1 - What are the compression readings of "all" four cylinders?
2 - Rig a spark tester whereas you can set a 7/16" gap where the spark should jump that gap with a strong blue lightning like flame... a real SNAP! Note that the 7/16" gap is important... checking spark by using the spark plugs is a waste of time!

(Spark Tester - Home Made)
(J. Reeves)

You can use a medium size philips screwdriver inserted into the spark plug boot spring connector, then hold the screwdriver shank approximately 7/16" away from the block to check the spark or build the following:

A spark tester can be made with a piece of 1x4 or 1x6, drive a few finishing nails through it, then bend the pointed ends at a right angle. You can then adjust the gap by simply twisting the nail(s). Solder a spark plug wire to one which you can connect to the spark plug boots, and a ground wire of some kind to the other to connect to the powerhead somewhere. Use small alligator clips on the other end of the wires to connect to ground and to the spark plug connector that exists inside of the rubber plug boot.

Using the above, one could easily build a spark tester whereas they could connect 2, 4, 6, or 8 cylinders all at one time. The ground nail being straight up, the others being bent, aimed at the ground nail. A typical 4 cylinder tester follows:


..........X1..........X2

.................X..(grd)

..........X3..........X4

The second statement about a safety switch..... that engine has no such switch (shift cutout). Don't bother looking for it.

The third statement about the prop.... due to the design of any propeller, the reverse cut demands more power than forward does.

Now, if you have proper compression and spark, that brings into view a carburetor problem. This is a common problem, especially if the engine has been sitting for a few months... the fixed jets will foul, clog, gum up.

Let us know what you find.
 

jti30666

Cadet
Joined
Oct 4, 2012
Messages
6
Re: 87 Johnson 110 dies in reverse

Thanks for your comments...

To make it clearer this problem arose several years ago; Boat ran great when it was purchased and it really never sat for more that a week without running during ownership, for 5+ years, then one day while launching from ramp it died in reverse and the problem was never solved...My dad took it to the aforementioned repair centers and they all said the problem is solved and it was not...In frustration my father put the boat in storage for the last 3 years, then gave it to me...

To do list:

1. Clean carbs
2. Clean all grounds and electrical connections
3. Make sure correct plugs are installed and gaped correctly
4. Compression test
5. Spark test

If these pass I will continue on with the sync process for the motor...

BTW I do have the clymer service manual
 

AEROCOOK

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 28, 2004
Messages
872
Re: 87 Johnson 110 dies in reverse

You will need a factory service manual for the syncronization procedure, it's quite a detailed procedure, the Clymer manual will cover many models and will be too generic. It's not all that difficult if you have the required tools, a little bit of mechanical aptitude and the aformentioned factory manual.
Just courious, what is your idle RPM in gear? It should be 650 +/- 50.
 

jti30666

Cadet
Joined
Oct 4, 2012
Messages
6
Re: 87 Johnson 110 dies in reverse

Idle between 650 & 700...

I will see if i can get a copy of the fsm....anybody know of a download out there
 

boobie

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
Messages
20,826
Re: 87 Johnson 110 dies in reverse

First thing to do is a compression test. Then you'll know what you have to start with.
 

HighTrim

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jun 21, 2007
Messages
10,486
Re: 87 Johnson 110 dies in reverse

I will second Joes final statement, many times I have encountered motors that die in reverse that ended up being a clogged or faulty fixed high speed jet.
 
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