1989 Johnson 120 won't run

I fell into some crap and was given this 1989 Javlin fish/ski boat that has a Johnson 120 power plant. Problem is, the boat has been in storage since
1999. I have already flushed the old fuel out and did a rebuild kit on the 4 carbs. What hapens is when I turn her over as starting cold, with shift lever in neutral and full forward, turning the key and pushing the primer, the engine will, after an extended crank start at very high rpm's, run for a second or two and shut off. When recranking it will do the same thing over and over again. Had a friend look at my spark tester while I cranked and didn't seem to be getting spark. Removed flywheel to check stator. Sanded rust from stator and flywheel and checked for broken wires. All seemed ok. Put flywheel back on and tried starting again. Got same results but instead of running a second or two, she ran for 4 to 5 seconds before shutting down. Could someone please steer me in the direction I need to be going to get this thing running properly. Let me add that I did a compression check, (OK), and I put in what I think are new plugs (autolite) that were in the glovebox. Should I be using a certain brand and heat range plug.

I am an ASE Master Auto Tech but when it comes to outboard engines, I'm lost. Not afraid to do what ever needs to be done though, to get this puppy running.

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions that will get me out on the lake.

Re: 1989 Johnson 120 won't run

Your motor has QuikStart which should advance the timing for a cold start and warmup until the engine reaches 96 degrees or 1100 RPM, whichever occurs first. If you use the warmup lever, the engine will race past 1100 RPM and disable QuikStart before it has a chance to warm up.

The way to start the engine is to push in the key after squeezing the primer bulb so that the primer solenoid can enrich the fue/air mix and then crank the engine with the key held in. You may need to tap the key in repeatedly until the engine warms.

QuikStart engages everytime the engine is started, but will drop out after 5 seconds if the engine is already warmed up.

If QuikStart is not functioning properly, good luck.

Re: 1989 Johnson 120 won't run

Thanks for your reply Ezeke.

I tried the procedure you recommended and still nothing. got to reading the factory manual I purchased for this engine and performed some of the tests on the Quick-Start system. Got her to run when I grounded the white/black wire to the power pack from the temp sensor(port side). Problem is she won't shut down unless the wire is removed from ground. Further testing resulted in a bad power pack.

Has anyone ever bypassed the Quick-Start system by installing a switch to ground the white/black wire to run and switching open to shut down? Please advise on that. Otherwise I will be looking for a new power pack.

Thanks again.

Mark

Re: 1989 Johnson 120 won't run

I would suggest ditching the Autolite plugs for the proper Champion plugs
120, 140 (90? V4 Looper) 1985 - 1993 QL77JC4 or QL16V Surface Gap .030

Re: 1989 Johnson 120 won't run

Grounding the black and white wire is what the temperature switch does when the temperature reaches 96 degrees. If it is not doing that, the temperature switch is probably not grounded, or is faulty.

The kill circuit on your motor works by grounding the black wire(s) with the yellow stripe running to the powerpack. The wire is connected through the harness to the larger of the two M posts on the igniion switch. When you turn the key to off, the switch connects the two M posts, completing the ground and instantly blocking spark. If it does not work, either the ground is bad, the ignition switch is bad, there is a break in the wire, or the powerpack is bad. See http://www.maxrules.com/graphics/omc_pics/REMCONTBOX.jpg

QuikStart has nothing to do with the kill circuit.

Re: 1989 Johnson 120 won't run

It ended up to be a bad power pack. Thanks to all that had suggestions. Happy boating;

Mark