blugrasmaniac
Seaman Apprentice
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2013
- Messages
- 37
I have a 1973 Johnson 65 hp that I've been trying to get running right, and I'm not sure what the issue is. I thought I'd post on here to see if anyone has any input, but also, I thought it would be good to provide a thread where I can post the updates and results.
I replaced the main gas line, fittings, and bulb; cleaned out the gas tank; and installed a filter for good measure. All three carbs were recently rebuilt by a shop, and none of this made any real difference, except it runs more reliably now.
The thing is, it runs perfectly on water muffs - idles well, accelerates with no hesitation. It's when I put it in actual water that the issue occurs.
It has no power on the lake whatsoever. It is on a 17' old fiberglass bass boat, and it won't consistently get the boat on a plane. It tops out at 10-12 mph, and if it does get on a plane, it will top out at about 20mph. Doesn't seem right for a 65 hp.
While at WOT, if I blip the choke, it instantly bogs down, so I don't think it's too lean. However, when idling around, if the idle gets a little too slow, I have to blip the choke every few seconds to keep it running.
I checked the compression a while back, but don't remember the numbers. It was ok, though and consistent between cylinders.
After reading a lot, it seems that the stator and/or power pack may be the case. I checked the spark in the past, but it was a crude test - maybe I should get a real spark-tester and check that.
Regardless, I have a new power pack and (used) stator on the way. We'll see what the difference is after I swap these out.
I replaced the main gas line, fittings, and bulb; cleaned out the gas tank; and installed a filter for good measure. All three carbs were recently rebuilt by a shop, and none of this made any real difference, except it runs more reliably now.
The thing is, it runs perfectly on water muffs - idles well, accelerates with no hesitation. It's when I put it in actual water that the issue occurs.
It has no power on the lake whatsoever. It is on a 17' old fiberglass bass boat, and it won't consistently get the boat on a plane. It tops out at 10-12 mph, and if it does get on a plane, it will top out at about 20mph. Doesn't seem right for a 65 hp.
While at WOT, if I blip the choke, it instantly bogs down, so I don't think it's too lean. However, when idling around, if the idle gets a little too slow, I have to blip the choke every few seconds to keep it running.
I checked the compression a while back, but don't remember the numbers. It was ok, though and consistent between cylinders.
After reading a lot, it seems that the stator and/or power pack may be the case. I checked the spark in the past, but it was a crude test - maybe I should get a real spark-tester and check that.
Regardless, I have a new power pack and (used) stator on the way. We'll see what the difference is after I swap these out.
