1990 90hp quickstart?

drmagnum

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I bought a 1990 90hp Evinrude. I think I am ready to go boating.

First problem: http://forums.iboats.com/images/smilies/mad.gif gas shooting out the fuel pump. solution looking at all the diagrams for rebuilding the pump I noticed there is seal or also called an oring that was missing. I just made a gasket out of rubber and all sealed up no leak now.

Second problem: I was thinking why would someone disable the VRO2 so I hooked it back up and got the alarm working again. BIG mistake. there must have been something really bad in the lines cause the the engine would only idle. Put into gear and it would cut out. Took carbs apart to find layer of black goop like broken down rubber all over the inside of the float bowls and jets.(I have rebuilt, cleaned and still have 2 vintage motorcycles and I have never seen so many carburator jets as in the evinrude) solution:cleaned with carb cleaner spray and blown out with air and installed new fuel filter on gas line and disable the vro2 system removing the tank and plugging the oil into pump line also removed wires to vro and vro alarm completely(now I must allways remember to premix 50:1)

I checked the compression..no probs

I set the timing as I read here to set with a spark tester and all plugs removed WOT, but I have only one question about it.

How do I tell if I have the quick start feature?
 

emdsapmgr

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Re: 1990 90hp quickstart?

You don't have quickstart. That was a feature on V6 engines which had the 35 amp alternator.
 

drmagnum

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Re: 1990 90hp quickstart?

Thankyou

It ran with a little high idle and when I would try to back the idle down it would stall. I will go through the manuel to check the adjustments again.

but all in all it would get up on a plane and goes as fast as anything else on the lake.

Iboats.com has been so helpful

I noticed the part prices are great here too.
:D
 

drmagnum

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Re: 1990 90hp more fuel issues

Re: 1990 90hp more fuel issues

I installed an inline filter outside the cover and the air builds up in it as the engine is running. I have put all new rubber and clamps. The tank pick up is glued with what looks like teflon sealer so I can not see what is inside the tank. Could the pickup be leaking in the tank causing my bubble?

I have a metal external tank think it is only 2.5 gallons but could I run it on that tank to test if the bubble goes away?

Looking things over real careful and I see the choke solinoid has a crack and a suitable replacement is available here that I ordered. Would this cause the bubble to go all the way back to the filter I have installed between the engine and the bulb primer?
 

Craig-

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Re: 1990 90hp quickstart?

Thankyou

It ran with a little high idle and when I would try to back the idle down it would stall. I will go through the manuel to check the adjustments again.

but all in all it would get up on a plane and goes as fast as anything else on the lake.

Iboats.com has been so helpful

I noticed the part prices are great here too.
:D

What's the idle rpm?
 

drmagnum

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Re: 1990 90hp quickstart?

the idle is about 1100 right now or else it stalls.

It does sputter a little when it is running at idle.

When I pump up the primer it fills the filter to allmost no bubble the the bubble grows in minutes then the idle issues.
 
Last edited:

Craig-

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Re: 1990 90hp quickstart?

Try switching to a portable tank with a known good fuel line and bulb to isolate the problem.
 

drmagnum

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Re: 1990 90hp

Re: 1990 90hp

I did a leak back on the tank(clear hose sucked till full of fuel and pinched off and waited holding the clear pipe higher than the tank) no bubbles. Then did a leak back on the bulb hose.... http://forums.iboats.com/images/icons/icon6.gifgot lots of bubbles. http://forums.iboats.com/images/icons/icon6.gif.the primer hose was brand new and leaking.

To fix I pulled the pinch bands off the bulb and replaced with quality pipe clamps. http://forums.iboats.com/images/icons/icon14.gif

Now I got a really high idle, getting fuel.

backed it off and not too bad....still needs a little tweeking.

http://forums.iboats.com/images/icons/icon7.gif had fun day on the lake. http://forums.iboats.com/images/icons/icon7.gif end of day lost power.

the motor went from 5000 rpm max to about 1500 rpm max all of a sudden.

I pulled the plugs and there was dark brown oil on the plugs. I think I sucked up some sludge from the bottom of the tank that some how got through the filter.

sometime this week I will pump all the gas out of my tank and see what is really in there.

I will also pull the carbs and clean them out, I have a carb cleaner soak tank and high pressure air.

Is 1100 a high idle?
 

Craig-

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Messages
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Re: 1990 90hp

Re: 1990 90hp

I did a leak back on the tank(clear hose sucked till full of fuel and pinched off and waited holding the clear pipe higher than the tank) no bubbles. Then did a leak back on the bulb hose.... http://forums.iboats.com/images/icons/icon6.gifgot lots of bubbles. http://forums.iboats.com/images/icons/icon6.gif.the primer hose was brand new and leaking.

To fix I pulled the pinch bands off the bulb and replaced with quality pipe clamps. http://forums.iboats.com/images/icons/icon14.gif

Now I got a really high idle, getting fuel.

backed it off and not too bad....still needs a little tweeking.

http://forums.iboats.com/images/icons/icon7.gif had fun day on the lake. http://forums.iboats.com/images/icons/icon7.gif end of day lost power.

the motor went from 5000 rpm max to about 1500 rpm max all of a sudden.

I pulled the plugs and there was dark brown oil on the plugs. I think I sucked up some sludge from the bottom of the tank that some how got through the filter.

sometime this week I will pump all the gas out of my tank and see what is really in there.

I will also pull the carbs and clean them out, I have a carb cleaner soak tank and high pressure air.

Is 1100 a high idle?

Pull the bowl plugs and mains to see what got in there.
 

emdsapmgr

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Re: 1990 90hp quickstart?

Stalling (lean sneezing at idle) can be due to debris or dried fuel in the idle passages or idle jets of the upper carb bodies. If these passages are restricted it won't idle. When idling at 1100, you are drawing fuel from the mid jets in the carb. You said you already cleaned the carbs...Did you pull them down completely and then blow an aerosol carb cleaner through all the passages? Best to blow out one passage on one carb and note the volume of spray exiting the carb, then do the same passage on the next carb. Then go back and do the second passage on the first carb-etc.
 

drmagnum

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Re: 1990 90hp quickstart?

Did you pull them down completely and then blow an aerosol carb cleaner through all the passages?

Yes. I did this again this last weekend. I was noticing the seals look like they are squeezing out into the passages and I thought that may be the problem. I tried trimming them around the upper passages and the idle improved just a little bit.(1000)

I took it out on the lake and I was able to idle out of the harbor a little sluggish building up to top speed and when warm it doesn't want to idle as well as when it was cold. I had to break out the trolling motor to get it back on the trailer.

All the carb kits seem to not include the jets. Where could I get replacement jets?

Maybe I am having other issues too.

gas tank is all clean and now with fresh gas 50:1 mixed outside the tank then filled.

I will try to test the spark on all the cylinders.

My second question is when I time the motor I have no rubber stop to hold the timer base over at WOT. Should this be held all the way to the right or the left while I am timing it? All there is is play in the throttle cam.

I have been holding it to the left and timing it to 28 minus 4.
 

emdsapmgr

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Re: 1990 90hp quickstart?

Are you working from a factory service manual for your specific year?
 

drmagnum

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Re: 1990 90hp quickstart?

I am using the "joe reeves WOT timing procedure" posted in the "Top secret file"

I also has 3 manuals. They each have plus' and minus'.

I have the:
EVINRUDE/JOHNSON
OUTBOARD SHOP MANUEL
48-235 HP . 1973-1989(includes Sea Drives)

I also have the Johnson 1990-01

and the Johnson 1992-01

the second 2 are downloads of pdf manual masters and contain some old but nice Pictures that help some and they also include many diagrams.

All three say to use a test wheel to time the engine and I do not have one so I was using the method posted here to time it.

I also have the OMC SERVICE parts catalog. This also has some nice diagrams and all the part numbers that makes it handy for searching for parts.

I made my own spark tester out of two bolts and a length of clear hose. it is adjustable and works quite well.

I have a tank that is about 24 inches deep 24 inches wide and 40 inches long and also the flush muffs. Of course if I put the motor in gear while in the tank it empties it out in seconds. so it will not work for load pressure on the propeller.

I have an OK set of tools, timing light, impacts, air compressor enough to get the job done.

I do all my own repairs to my vehicles, both 4 and 2 wheel including many carbureted vehicles from the 70's on up.(I will say an evinrude is all new to me and has been a learning experience)

I am happy to share what I am learning so others may be able benefit from my mistakes and success.

I don't have much money and lots of kids(not sure which one comes first) So it is sort of necessary for me to be able to repair my own.(and also find sights like this one that have parts I can afford)

So is holding the the play in the throttle cam for the timing to the left the right way to hold it or should I hold it to the right or just let it go free?
 

emdsapmgr

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Re: 1990 90hp quickstart?

Usually, the carb jets are cleaned and re-used. It would be unusual to have to replace them. That engine should idle between 650 and 750 rpm, when in gear, floating at normal level in the lake.
 

drmagnum

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Re: 1990 90hp

Re: 1990 90hp

I think I found my idle problem.

The first time I did the compression test I did it after I had been working on the carbs and I think I may have had oil in the cylinders. Sure that gives great compression readings. It has sat for a few days now and it is dry.
the result is in:three cylinders read 120 psi plus or minus 2 psi after 5 revolutions the third is not so good, around 90 psi.

I pulled the head off on that side and I can feel scratches in the cylinder.
It doesnt feel too bad maybe only a couple thousands deep but enuff to loose compression. I have ordered rings and will hone the cylinder. I did this with a yamaha xs 1100 and had great success. Hope this works for this too.

Is it normal to have rust all though the cylinder?

I am going to clean out this rust. It doesnt seem to be any of the metal parts rusting just a coating.
I am going to wash it with oil to get it out.

I will go though and check every thing while I got it apart to make sure I dont have take it apart again.

I know other people who have these engines.(met them while boating this summer) They all love these things (Evinrude/Johnson) and say they never have trouble with them. Hope I can get to that point once it is fixed.

I do enjoy all the american standard bolts. I normally have metric to deal with.
 

Craig-

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Re: 1990 90hp quickstart?

Opened cylinder walls will rust and should be coated with oil when left open in damp environment. If they were rusted when you removed head, the motor either sat unconditioned in storage or has water leaking into cylinder. If water got into cylinder with the fuel, it also got into the crankcase. The other possibility is the motor was submerged, there should be other signs if this happened, like rust on reeds for one example.
 

emdsapmgr

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Re: 1990 90hp quickstart?

You may want to take a fuel sample to test for water in the gas tank. Also, check the oil tank for signs of water at the bottom. Would be nice to know what happened to score the cyl walls on that low compression cyl. I'd pull apart the carb that feeds that low compression cylinder. Possible you have some dirt/debris in one of the jets that feeds that particular cylinder-it may have been running lean. You don't want to repair that cyl, then have the same thing happen again. That engine may have plastic carb bowls on it. These will warp over time and won't seat properly against the carb body. When they warp they can cause airleaks and fuel leaks-and possibly a lean running condition. Bombardier makes aluminum replacement carb fuel bowls.
 

drmagnum

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Re: 1990 90hp quickstart?

the cylinder that is scored had a rusty head gasket and corrosion in the form of a white paste(I think it is the aluminum) in the coolant section around the cylinder and in the head. I think the gasket is where the rust has come from. I have washed the exposed two cylinders with oil and have some oily rags stuffed in them for now. It is the bottom port side cylinder that is scored. This all leads me to believe that this motor may have been in salt water and not flushed.

no matter what happened it is now my problem and I got my work shop ready to do the job. I printed the chapter on power head overhaul. I have my tools all out and a wide open clean spot on the bench. I have lots of tins to catch the bolts and parts. I have taken pictures of all the wires and how everything looks.
they dont show the rust because I cleaned it. I will see if I can snap a shot of the gasket. If this attachment worked this is where the problem came from I think.
 

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