1989 Johnson 25 hp skipping

Need help! I don't know much about boat motors and I'm trying to diagnose problem myself.

I just traded for boat. It had been sitting for 4-5 years. I cleaned out carb and checked it out as best I could. Cleaned out gas tank and mixed fresh gas. Fired right up. So....

I gambled on a test run. Fired up again. I ran around close to the ramp, still good. Got up my confidence and headed out across Lake Lanier. I purred down the lake about 7 or 8 miles and stopped to let my son drive. NOW, the motor started skipping (Murphy's Law). Let's just say it took the rest of the day to get back to the truck.

It will crank and idle, but when you try to increase the throttle, it bogs terribly and skips. I immediately thought fouled plug, so I replaced both plugs and the coil wires. No change. Checked compression - 110 on top, 115 on bottom. I talked to local mechanic and he mentioned everything from reed valves to staton and power pack. I don't have the money to throw away. Does anyone have a systematic way I should go about eliminating things? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Fish are bitin' and I'm stuck in the driveway!

All ears.....
Andy

Re: 1989 Johnson 25 hp skipping

i would look at the carb again, just enough time for it to pickup trash, loosened from cleaning. check you spark with a spark tester when the motor is warm.

Re: 1989 Johnson 25 hp skipping

Thanks. It's supposed to be in the 80s tomorrow. I'm going to jump back into the carb. While I have it off, is there any way to examine the reed valves?

Thanks again,
Andy

Re: 1989 Johnson 25 hp skipping

look thru the hole. bad reeds is very rare.

Re: 1989 Johnson 25 hp skipping

try running it at night with the cover off. see if spark is arching to the block from the spark plug wire.