1988 Johnson 60HP 3 CYL dies under heavy throttle

Hello All,

First post so I apologize if I forget to mention a necessary item.

I recently Purchased a 1988 Bass Tracker with the aforementioned outboard and have had it on the water only 4 times. The Previous only took EXTREME care of the thing, and i mean VERY GOOD care, he was an older retired VET who couldnt manage it anymore so I know it was cared for, he had records, provded me with oils, lubes etc that he had left over if that tells you anything, he also provided me with the service manual for motor.....

So here is what happened, on my third trip out I literally was on my way back to dock to go home and ran out of gas.... Used the Trolling motor to get it the last 1/4 mile there.

Next Trip out I filled it up, and for some reason I closed the vent tight on the gas tank, I saw it, was not sure what it was and closed it up..... Launched the boat got it started from cold start with a little choke and had no issues, was headed to a camping site a short distance away and it was close to dark so I didnt go far and didnt open it up TOO MUCH.....

The next morning when We were out and about I attempted to open it up finally and it would just die, started fine.... I would put it in gear, throttle up a bit and it dies again, rinse wash and repeat..... I was able to get it throttled up just enough to get around.... Barely past no wake speed... anything more and it would die.... I checked the bulb numerous times and it seemed to have pressure. Then Later I remember that I had closed the vent on the gas tank so I opened it back up.... even after an 8 hr break and with the vent opened same issue, would die when throttled up..... I should also mentioned that in neutral if I choked up a bit it didnt seem to have any problems.

Its been a few weeks now and I want to go out again... So.........

Is it possible I caused a vacuum with Vent Closed on the Gas Tank? and does it take THAT LONG to recover?? Did Running it that low on Gas have an effect? It would seem to be a fuel issue but outside of the Vent Problem I am not sure where else too look besides the Spark Plugs.....

I am in Arizona and able to boat year round, winterizing is not much of a need here.

The batteries are also BRAND NEW less than 6 months old.....

Please Help!! I am coming into Prime FlatHead Season here!! Need My Boat!!

Re: 1988 Johnson 60HP 3 CYL dies under heavy throttle

You may have sucked up some debris when you ran it dry. Pull the plugs off of the front side of the float bowls. Behind those plugs are your orifice plugs. Run a small wire thru them to make sure they're not clogged. They can be removed with a modified screwdriver, you have to grind the shaft smaller to fit thru the hole. I would remove the plugs for a visual. Good luck.

Re: 1988 Johnson 60HP 3 CYL dies under heavy throttle

Sorry to Bump this but I need more help.

Update on the situation.

Compression is 130 across all 3 cylinders, Checked Spark on all 3 with an inline tester and Spark is there on all 3.

Replaced Spark Plugs.

Now I have NOT rebuilt the carbs yet.... I noticed when I was checking compression that the bottom cylinder (3?) was blowing out quite a bit of oil and gas mixture, I didnt get that from the top 2 cyliders when cranking the engine.... It appears that I am running very rich and possibly drowning the motor?

I am decent with a car Engine but ill be honest this is very new to me....

Re: 1988 Johnson 60HP 3 CYL dies under heavy throttle

I have also ran a small wire thru the high speed jet as suggested above, it felt like I was cleaning something out but again, I dont know what to expect here im doing this with a Seloc manual and lots of googling....