1986 johnson 50 vro no power

I have a problem with my johnson 50 vro. When I took it out, the motor ran sluggishly and didn't have any power. For some reason, I pushed on the ingnition key and the power returned. As long as I kept pushing on the key, I had plenty of power. I know there is a push switch down there but I don't know what it does or what the problem can be. Any help would be appreciated.

Re: 1986 johnson 50 vro no power

Howdy, CC.<br /><br />The push switch adds extra fuel (primer) for starting. It does the same as a choke, or maybe on your engine it is a choke.<br /><br />Either way your engine is starving for fuel. Most likely it is gummed carbs, weak fuel pump or some obstruction in the fuel flow system. <br /><br />Get yourself a manual and check the fuel pump first by disconnecting it from the carbs and putting the output hose into a plastic bottle. Spin her over a few turns and see if you get strong spurts of fuel into the bottle. If not, go to your fuel tank and ensure that the vent and pickup are not obstructed and that the lines to the fuel pump are clear and have no air leaks. If those check out overhaul the fuel pump. Your dealer may tell you there aren't kits for overhauling it and try to sell you a new pump for a bazillion bux. Dismantle the pump and try to buy only the diaphrams or check valves that don't look good.<br /><br />If your fuel pump does check out okay, overhaul your carbs.<br /><br />NOTE: "Overhaul" and "Rebuild" do not mean the same thing. Overhaul replaces a few short life parts and cleans up any crud or gumming, Rebuild replaces everything except the castings.<br /><br />Good luck and let us know what you find and what you do about it.<br /><br />Red sky at night. . .<br />JB

Re: 1986 johnson 50 vro no power

I checked the fuel pump and it is working fine. I am now cleaning out the carb and hopefully that will solve the problem. Thanks for the help.