1990 Johnson Fast Idle Lever

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PB1992

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Hello, I am a new member who has enjoyed reading the forum and has learned a lot from the great knowledge base out there. :) Now I have a problem of my own.

I have a 1990 Johnson 150hp Commercial outboard. The fast idle lever on the controller seems to have lost most of it's tension all of a sudden. As a result, the fast idle is only about half the speed it should be. I have opened up the controller and nothing appears to be broken. The only adjustment appears to be the thumb wheel located on the motor. Adjusting the thumb wheel doesn't make any difference. If I move the cable by hand at the controller end, the spark advance mechanism at the flywheel will move through it's entire range. The cable does seem to have a stiff spot at the last 25% of it's movement.

Are there any other adjustments to be looked at? Could it just be that the cable needs to be replaced?

Below are photos of the thumb wheels on the motor, the controller and the inside of the controller.

DSCN1215S.jpg

DSCN1216S.jpg

DSCN1217S.jpg

Thanks. Any help with this would be much appreciated!
 

Fleetwin

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Re: 1990 Johnson Fast Idle Lever

You shouldn't need to adjust/move the thumbwheels.

Usually, the symptoms you describe are because the handle is loose. It can only be tightened from the inside.

The only other possibility s a stretched cable.
 

boobie

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Re: 1990 Johnson Fast Idle Lever

Did this problem come on all of sudden or has it been getting worse over time ??
 

PB1992

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Re: 1990 Johnson Fast Idle Lever

You shouldn't need to adjust/move the thumbwheels.

Usually, the symptoms you describe are because the handle is loose. It can only be tightened from the inside.

The only other possibility s a stretched cable.

The handle is a bit loose. I could take it apart further and try tightening the nut. If it's not that, then is the only other possibility a stretched cable?
 

boobie

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Re: 1990 Johnson Fast Idle Lever

Then look for something wrong in the control box.
 

PB1992

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Re: 1990 Johnson Fast Idle Lever

I tightened the nut on the handle and now the tension on the lever feels like it used to. It still won't move the spark advance mechanism on the flywheel through its full range. The only way to make it move through its full range is to max out the adjustment on the cable at the motor. I am certain this can only mean the cable needs to be replaced. In addition to replacing the cable, is there anything else I should be looking at?
 

racerone

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Re: 1990 Johnson Fast Idle Lever

The fast idle lever only gives it a little bit of rotation on the ignition advance.----It does NOT move it through the " entire range " nor does it need to in order to give you fast idle on this motor.----Testing is the way to go.
 

PB1992

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Re: 1990 Johnson Fast Idle Lever

The fast idle lever only gives it a little bit of rotation on the ignition advance.----It does NOT move it through the " entire range " nor does it need to in order to give you fast idle on this motor.----Testing is the way to go.

Thanks. I'll start it up and see how it works and adjust as necessary then.
 

Fleetwin

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Re: 1990 Johnson Fast Idle Lever

If you've tighted the internal control box linkage, the only other possibility is a stretched cable. They DO stretch and over time can cause the warm up lever to become useless.

As stated, the warm up lever, actually, only moves the linkage a small amount. A 3/8" cable stetch can make a world of difference.
 

boobie

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Re: 1990 Johnson Fast Idle Lever

Put the throttle/shift in neutral. Then push the warm up lever down to it's stop. Then disconnect the throttle cable from the motor and push it back and forth and see how much play is in it. Let us know.
 

PB1992

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Re: 1990 Johnson Fast Idle Lever

Thanks for all the helpful tips! Now that the lever tightened, I just have to re-pack the wheel bearings so I can move it out of the shop and start it up. I will check the adjustment/stretch on the cable and post my findings.
 

racerone

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Re: 1990 Johnson Fast Idle Lever

Cables do wear internally.----Then they exhibit extra end play.
 

PB1992

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Re: 1990 Johnson Fast Idle Lever

I finally got around to testing the boat today. It seems that the entire problem was due to the nut on the lever being loose inside the controller. I had to adjust the cable at the motor because I had messed with it in the shop. The adjuster on the cable is back to where it was (basically in the middle of its adjustment range). The fast idle works great now! :joyous:

Thanks again to everyone who offered suggestions. It was all very helpful! :)

Hopefully the information in this thread will help somebody else out.
 
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gludmonkey

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Hey i'm looking for the little catch plate that nuts behind the ignition switch that catches the fast idle lever locking it down in position any one that could help it's the same as the one in the pic. at the top this page
 

GA_Boater

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Hey i'm looking for the little catch plate that nuts behind the ignition switch that catches the fast idle lever locking it down in position any one that could help it's the same as the one in the pic. at the top this page

Start a thread of your own.

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