1976 johnson 85hp hard to start

i have a johnson 85hp that is hard to start cold. The choke works and the primer bulb is firm. It cranks an cranks with timing advanced and choke activated.If you squirt some fuel in carbs fires right up and starts fine thereafter. I just bought boat and want to fix before I take it out.

Re: 1976 johnson 85hp hard to start

"fuel in carbs fires right" tells me it is not getting enough fuel, possibly stuck carb float? have the fuel line been replace with alcohol resistant fuel lines? if not do so.

read all of this: http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=299680

Re: 1976 johnson 85hp hard to start

Is it spinning over fast enough, slow cranking RPM will not pull fuel out of the carbs.

Re: 1976 johnson 85hp hard to start

I replaced fuel line and checked compression and all cylinders were good. How does the fuel get drawn into the cylinder on a cold start. Could it be a fuel pump even though it runs fine other than on a cold start or is it carb related.

Re: 1976 johnson 85hp hard to start

With the choke plates closed the engine relies on vacume to pull fuel from the carbs, that's why the cranking RPM has to be around 250-300 rpm. If the passages are clogged in the carb it will never pull fuel from the carbs. Maybe time to overhaul carbs.

Re: 1976 johnson 85hp hard to start

just bought a 75 john, 115 hp, same problem, choke solenoid was closing choke plates, but not tight - tight. info received from commrade here said to make sure they stayed closed while cranking and were SNAPPIN closed..... after adjusting the choke solenoid for a SNAPPIN tight closin, my hard start seems to be gone.... might wanna check and see if you can get the choke alittle tighter... otherwise the previous info may be correct - just dirty carb that needs cleanin...... i'm not an expert, just tryin to resolve a similar problem.

Re: 1976 johnson 85hp hard to start

and several fella's here told me to be sure and have a fully charged battery, the motor must spin in the 250 - 300 rpm area to start ,,, small battery or one that's not charged up won't help the situation either.....

Re: 1976 johnson 85hp hard to start

battery is brand new and cranks good. Once the boat is started for the day you just bump the key and it runs perfect.

Re: 1976 johnson 85hp hard to start

I just bought one of those motors last summer and had similar problems. I decided to quit putting it off and actually rebuild the carbs. That helped it start better but it still wasn't getting full power so added some Carbon Cleaner to the fuel and after about an hour on the lake it all of a sudden kicked and jumped to 40 mph in 2 seconds. Now it runs so fabulously and starts right away even on cold crank. I did have to replace the Power Pack on one trip because it would not start for about 30 minutes when putting in but once it did finally start it started fine every other time. Eventually the embarrassment in front of friends got me to spend the $100 on getting a new one which helped it start up right away as I mentioned earlier. I really do love this motor and so will you I hope once you hold your tongue right and get all the kinks out of it!

Re: 1976 johnson 85hp hard to start

WHat does the power pack do

Re: 1976 johnson 85hp hard to start

basbalj288 said:

I just bought one of those motors last summer and had similar problems. I decided to quit putting it off and actually rebuild the carbs. That helped it start better but it still wasn't getting full power so added some Carbon Cleaner to the fuel and after about an hour on the lake it all of a sudden kicked and jumped to 40 mph in 2 seconds. Now it runs so fabulously and starts right away even on cold crank. I did have to replace the Power Pack on one trip because it would not start for about 30 minutes when putting in but once it did finally start it started fine every other time. Eventually the embarrassment in front of friends got me to spend the $100 on getting a new one which helped it start up right away as I mentioned earlier. I really do love this motor and so will you I hope once you hold your tongue right and get all the kinks out of it!

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Hi basbalj288, could you tell me what exactly you used, I have a similar problem with cold starts but everything I have seen I have to spray on the carb or something similar, I cannot find anything you can just add to the fuel so if you could describe the product and perhaps where you got it, I would like to get some, thanks.