Re: 1974 Johnson 115hp Starter/ignition problems
Put some light oil on the bendix of the starter, then move it by hand to make sure it moves freely. (Not grease) If it still does not function, check all the engine electrical leads to the battery-all the way to the starter. The connections must be spotless clean and bolted tight for a good connection. Check the cables for fraying or internal wire breakage. (not unusual on original 1974 cables.) If you still get poor rotation, test the starter: connect automotive jumper cables direct to the starter from a battery with a strong charge. If it still does not spin the engine well-you may want to rebuild the starter. If it spins just fine (250 rpm's on the tach) the starter is ok. Then have a look at the starter solenoid as the potential problem. The internal contacts in the solenoid do get burned over time, when that happens it may not transfer enough current to crank the engine.
