bet im the only on in NY trying to get my outboards ready for spring...NEED GUIDANCE.

i have a 1988 johnson 28 spl....just aquired, heard it idle when purchased...sounded smooth...now it runs rough at idle, stalls and wet fouls the plugs...clean plugs and repeat...same thing...fresh gas strong battery...new plugs....where should i start....i have 2 identical motors, only this 1 is giving trouble any suggestions would be apreciated...its 15-20 degrees outside motors are stored in a heated garage but brought outside into the cold to be run in a barrel...also when i get this running is it ok to run at wot throttle while in a barrel, in gear and out...???thanks new to site, was bitten by the bug

Re: bet im the only on in NY trying to get my outboards ready for spring...NEED GUIDA

in gear is ok to about 3/4 throttle but youll probably get wet
id do a carb job and go from there

Re: bet im the only on in NY trying to get my outboards ready for spring...NEED GUIDA

It is a terrible idea to run your motor 1/2 throttle, 3/4 throttle, full throttle without proper load on your motor. 1500 RPMs is about the max I would take it. Testing in the driveway is exactly that, quick testing. No proper load on the motor + excessive revving could cause thermal runaway.

When an outboard is set up improperly, or sits unused, carbon builds up in the cylinders. This carbon buildup then detonates the incoming air/fuel charge. The load on the motor when the outboard is in the water would normally slow this down, but when testing in the driveway it can run out of control, tearing itself apart. If this happens just try to choke it out, and get out of the way quick Turning off the key or pulling a fuel line wont help. I will run my motors on the muffs or in a barrel for quick setup and testing, but any type of WOT testing should be left done on the lake. This is mainly for larger hp motors, but better safe than sorry.

Re: bet im the only on in NY trying to get my outboards ready for spring...NEED GUIDA

good advise high trim i didnt think about it like that...... i rescind my statement 3/4 throttle is WAY too high

Re: bet im the only on in NY trying to get my outboards ready for spring...NEED GUIDA

It is not lack of backpressure that causes damage but damage caused by potential runaway due to no load on the engine. If you have never experienced the results of a runaway engine (not controllable) the results are dramatic. Creates an interesting puzzle when trying to figure out where the various pieces came from.