1989 Johnson 70 hp

[59merc]

Has anyone ran into this one. I can start this thing right up out of the water but soon as I put it into the water at the lake it will not start. Had this happen the last 4 times out. New plugs and carbs rebuilt recently.
Also this may be a dumb question but is there someway to speed up the motor when starting it. All the Mercuries I have had allow you to throttle up without being in gear.

thanks.

 

[fisherman912]

Re: 1989 Johnson 70 hp

Check your throttle linkage adjustments. You may have some slack from wear.
Remove your cover and observe the cam follower action on the throttle linkage. Also, recheck your carbs for proper adjustment.

Is your engine set up with an OMC throttle control ? If so, the handle is usually at 12:00 positon in neutral. Pull the handle out towards opposite side of boat to increase throttle while in neutral.

 

[59merc]

Re: 1989 Johnson 70 hp

I have the Morse controls- Maybe they are broke and wont let you override the gears. There is a button underneath the handle that doesn't appear to do any thing.

 

[fisherman912]

Re: 1989 Johnson 70 hp

Sorry, I am not familiar with the Morse control, but it sounds like it is similar to the OMC. The button underneath the control handle on both my boats has to be pulled up, engage to get it in forward or reverse. It's sort of a safety feature I think.

 

[jtexas]

Re: 1989 Johnson 70 hp

answer your first question, it's quite common -- it's because of the backpressure on the underwater exhaust. If it's cold-starting on muffs with no warm-up throttle at all, that's a very good sign. You're going to need full throttle to cold start it with lower unit submerged.

 

[59merc]

Re: 1989 Johnson 70 hp

So sounds like if I can figure out how to give it throttle it would probably start ok. There are no buttons to push and you can't pull the handle over. Maybe someone with the Morse controls will give me some pointers.

 

[jtexas]

Re: 1989 Johnson 70 hp

have you tried pushing in at the hub of the control stick?

 

[59merc]

Re: 1989 Johnson 70 hp

Thanks JTexas- you are correct with throttle it will start in the water- also the control was frozen. I have been able to free it up and it now pulls out. Love the forum.