1989 johonson 90 vro motor does not idle...

[roseville20]

My motor does not idle (if that is the correct term). I have a 1989 johnson 90hp vro outboard (j90tlaem) with an omc control. When i bought the boat, the fast idle lever didnt work. The boat still ran well. My brother in law played with the cable lines towards the end of the fishing season, and the last few times we went out every time we would start the motor, it'll rev extremely high. When you shift it forward, the motor would kick and not be smooth. Ive spent most of this winter trying to figure out what might be the problem, and have given up. I am just waiting for spring now to bring it in to a shop. What i would like to know is what the problem is and how much i should be paying a shop to fix this problem. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: 1989 johonson 90 vro motor does not idle...

A couple of things to look for. Possible the throttle cable needs minor adjustment. That should get the idle rpm's back down and insure smooth shifting. Maybe an hour of labor time. If the engine still does not idle well, it is possible the fuel idle passages in the carbs are restricted with dried fuel gel. When they get restricted, the engine will seem to miss and may die out at idle. Usually not a spark issue but carb-related issue. This is a bigger ($) problem. I'd work on getting the throttle cable adjustment correct, then get into the idle problem. Possible you may need to have the carbs torn down, cleaned. During that process the tech will do a sync and link adjustment which should get your engine back to normal. This could be another 2-2 1/2 hours of labor, plus 2 carb overhaul kits. I don't have a flat rate manual to quote from, so perhaps someone else can quote you better shop times.