1978 115hp johnson outboard, good engine?

BigB9000

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
1,154
anybody have any experence on these thing? they good motors? easy to work on? parts cheap? great on gas? known problems?

thing has been sitting for 5 yaears now, i plan to start playing with it next week. where to start?
 

The-Machinist

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 4, 2007
Messages
299
Re: 1978 115hp johnson outboard, good engine?

There is no such thing as a bad johnson, some just need a little help. If it has good compression and spark, chances are you may have a very decent motor on your hands.
 

LiLGrady17

Seaman
Joined
May 1, 2008
Messages
67
Re: 1978 115hp johnson outboard, good engine?

I'm the new owner of a 77 85HP Johnson, which is essentially the same motor, just a bit smaller bore.. The 85 to 140 hp versions of the same vintage are very similar, many parts interchange & are easy to find. Before you do anything tho, I'd recommend look on here for an article about bringing an outboard back to life, and doing a compression test. If the compression checks out, plan on rebuilding the carburetors, & checking the entire fuel delivery system.
 

iwombat

Captain
Joined
Jul 12, 2006
Messages
3,767
Re: 1978 115hp johnson outboard, good engine?

That '78 was the first year of a model change for the crossflow. You'll find powerheads, lower units and other parts that interchange all the way into the '90s.
 
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