Difficult issue

Throbbin Rods

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jan 25, 2003
Messages
213
I have a tough one that I have tried all spring to track down. I have a 1988 15HP Johnson electric start that I have used exclusively as a kicker on my Grady White fishing boat for 3 years. This spring it has started to give me problems as follows; If I hook up the muffs at home, start it up and it starts, run it for however long, no problems. Drive it to the lake, won't start no matter what I do. Tow the boat home and it starts. Temperature seems to make no difference. I have verified the carb and choke linkage, made sure all wires are tight and clean, checked that the choke butterfly is closing tightly. Spent some time going over everything last week, Saturday morning 3AM, in the driveway, on the muffs, hit the switch and it fired right up. Shut it off, drove 2.5 hours to go fishing and it would not even try to fire. Trolled all day with my 140 HP Evinrude $$$. Drove 2.5 hours home, hit the switch and the dang kicker fired right up. The only thing I have not done is bring a spark tester to the lake with me. Any thoughts? Bad coil? Something loose in the stator? Gremlins? Any help is very much apreciated
Bill
 

bktheking

Vice Admiral
Joined
Jul 29, 2008
Messages
5,057
Re: Difficult issue

Sounds like a short somewhere or a failing component. Pull the flywheel and look for bare wire, could be going to the sensor or stator. Could also be a bad wire going into the powerpack or a connector going to or from the powerpack or a bad ground to the powerhead. The best way to diagnose is with a spark checker, at least that way you'll know if it's coming or going. The other cultprit could be a shorting stop switch. The last time I fixed this issue it was a bad wire going into the powerpack, one second no spark- move wires around while cranking and spark returns.

PS- they will run on 1 coil.
 

Throbbin Rods

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jan 25, 2003
Messages
213
Re: Difficult issue

Thanks much - as soon as the monsoon outside passes by I will give it a try.
thanks
Bill
 
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