Getting a '94 johnson 115 started

I've got a '94 johnson OB on a sea swirl bowrider. Previous owner said he hadn't run it in a while (about a year I gathered) but said it ran fine before leaving in storage. In an attempt to get it running again, I have drained out all of the old fuel and added about half the tank of fresh gas (left it half full in case I decided to add a mixture of oil into the gas until everything is running ok). I also changed out the old oil in the reservoir with new. I inspected the spark plugs and they look good. I sprayed some stuff on them the local boat shop suggested and brushed them off and they're in pretty good shape. I also installed a new battery and wired everything back up. Here's the problem... When I turn the key on, the guages and electronics up front work but nothing happens at the engine (no sounds at all). My first thought was that a fuse was blown but checked them and they are all intact. The next thought was bad starter, but I don't know too much about them and how they work. I called an engine savvy friend and he mentioned the solenoid and something about continous power to the starter. He suggested getting a test light which I did and found that there is continuous power at what I think is the starter (the first engine component that the hot wire off the battery gets to. My question is, how do you tell if it is, in fact, the starter that is bad or how would you rule that out and what else might it be that I should start testing and ruling out? Also, is there anything else that I should be doing to "prep" the engine for the first start in a while that I haven't done?

Re: Getting a '94 johnson 115 started

my best suggestion is that you get some help from someone who has a little knowledge of an engine. if you don't know what a starter is. the first componet is the starter solenoid, it red cable runs from it to the starter. if the starter had continuous power it would run all the time. the starter solenoid, is basically a heavy duty switch. that is activated by the key,

90% of starter problems are bad connections. remove and clean both ends of the battery cables, so that they are shiney, also the cable from the solenoid to starter. check for nicks in the cables. and make sure the connectors are on the wire good. the cable tend to corrode from the inside out, if nicked, corroded wires, and connections, heat up and cause resistance to the follow of electricity, thus the starter doesn't get enough. you can also take jumper cable pos battery post to large post on starter. with a good connection, the engine should spin. then if the starter is good clean everything and retest. then trouble shoot solenoid. starters can be rebuit at a starter/alternator shop, much cheaper than a new one.

also go the the faq forum, and read 'awakening a sleeping outboard' and 'outboard won't start' and there is other great info there.

i really suggest that if you are going to try to do your own maintainance, you get the OEM service manual for your specific motor. Outboardbooks.com

Re: Getting a '94 johnson 115 started

Thanks for the reply! I looked up the parts in an online catalog (starter and solenoid) to familiarize myself a little more and I had guessed wrong of course. It seems to be consensus from a couple places I've checked that this problem is probably a bad solenoid. I'll give the starter the test you suggested when I get off work today and clean up all the connections and go from there with condition of the starter to see if a rebuild will be necessary. At this point, really hoping a new solenoid will get her going again, but trying not to get my hopes up too much. Will update later today with progress. Thanks, again!

Re: Getting a '94 johnson 115 started

Update...great news with some new problems. I used the screwdriver bridge method to test the solenoid and it (as well as the starter) turned out to be working just fine. Started troubleshooting the ignition system, and traced the yellow/red hot wire on the solenoid back toward the front and after some confustion I found that a wire was loose on the neutral safety switch. Got that wire tight and then the engine would turn using the key. Success number 1. The engine didn't want to fire so I talked to the local boat shop and they suggested draining out the carbs. I took out the screws on the bottom of the carbs and sure enough there was some old fuel in there (same color as the fuel I got out of the gas tank. I primed until it ran clear and replaced the drain screws. Now the engine actually starts up!! Success number 2. Alas, it only runs for about 30 seconds. Which from what I've read is about how long the engine can run on the fuel that you prime into it. So I'm pretty certain it is a fuel delivery issue which I'm thinking could be caused by something clogged up in the carbs? Also, there is a little red switch on top of the engine with a shraeder valve on it. The previous owner mentioned that he had replaced that before b/c it had given him some trouble. I'm not sure exactly what this is, but i'll flip it back and forth which seems to have an effect on whether or not the engine will fire. So that's problem number 1. Problem number 2 arose when I tried shifting the boat to make sure that it would go into gear. I had a friend watch while I moved the throttle forward and back and the prop did start to spin the correct direction both ways but the engine didn't rev up at all. Again, possibly a fuel issue? Maybe these two problems go hand in hand. Any suggestions greatly appreciated!