getting my johnson up and running

OK, this post is regarding my new 1990 johnson 120VRO J120TLESB. I have removed the junk lower unit and ordered one off Ebay. I have cleaned the battery, starter, and solenoid connections, drained and refilled the fuel tank (with premix in case the VRO isn't working), let the cylinders soak for 24hrs. with oil, and lubricated the shift/throttle cables. I took the carb cover off and the carbs appeared brand new but I sprayed a little cleaner in them anyway. The fuel primer bulb getts hard, the floats seem to be working and no fuel leaks. <br />Now, I went to see if it would start so I'd get an idea if I was wasting my time or not. I have no intentions other than to see if it would fire then IMMEDIATLY shut it down. Well it starts right up and revs WAY up.I have not let it runn more than 1-2 seconds. What do I check next other than the throttle lever position to see why so much power? Is this because there is no lower unit or is something else up. I am waiting on the manual but am suffering spring fever. Thanks for any help and sorry for the long post.

Re: getting my johnson up and running

I would think it would rev way high without the lower unit. My outboards rev high on the hose just because the props aren't in the water with resistance against the thru-hub exhaust. Therefore I'd think starting it w/o the lower unit would be even higher revving.<br /><br />I wouldn't even mess with it until you have a lower unit with a functioning water pump on it. Patience, grasshopper

Re: getting my johnson up and running

PS: one thing you could do, if you'd feel comfortable doing it, is to clean and rebuild the carbs. With an old, unkown engine, it's probably a good idea. Spraying in carb cleaner won't clean it much. A dirty carb is likely if the previous owner stored it with fuel in the carbs. A dirty or mis-functioning carb can not only affect performance, but can damage the engine if cylinder(s) aren't getting adequate fuel into them to lubricate. Just trying to help your impatience!

Re: getting my johnson up and running

It revs like it's red lining.

Re: getting my johnson up and running

don't let motor rev up, its probably due to no back pressure on the exhaust side of motor.<br />if motor revs high enough and starts to get "pre-ignition" the revs will just keep climbing (difficult to stop) and motor could beat the russians to deep space.<br />the only thing you could check is that the throttle plates are closed

Re: getting my johnson up and running

The throttle plates are closed and I hadn't thought of the backpressure issues.I have read posts about hooking up garden hoses to the water tube and running tests without the lower. I was just surprised how high the rpm's went, scary. Thanks Marinemech1 and D. Guess I'll work on the T&T while waiting for the lower to arrive.