1992 Johnson 150 VRO Engine Running problems

[Thewagen]

I can get the engine to start (after winterizing for a few months, now with new spark plugs) if I apply some throttle, but when I try to set the throttle lever to IDLE (Neutral) position, the engine quits. I can re-start as long as I give it some throttle, but each time I try to put throttle lever in Neutral, the engine stops. What's the likely cause? We recently had removed the gas tank, filtered the fuel, and re-installed and re-fueled (with the same gas). Also, when throttled, the engine runs better in a raised (tilted) position then when it is lowered all the way...What gives???

 

[mfkadz]

It sounds like a cylinder is not firing. You might want to pull the plug wires and reseat making sure the connector inside is lined up. If you have a timing light you can hook that to each wire and check for flashing light. My guess is one will be dark.

mike

 

[boobie]

Or you can pull one plug wire off at a time with an insulated pliers and see if you have a dead cylinder.

 

[Thewagen]

It sounds like a cylinder is not firing. You might want to pull the plug wires and reseat making sure the connector inside is lined up. If you have a timing light you can hook that to each wire and check for flashing light. My guess is one will be dark.

mike

But when I apply throttle it acts/seems like it's running great. It's only when in neutral that the engine quits. A bad plug/cylinder can cause that???

 

[Thewagen]

Or you can pull one plug wire off at a time with an insulated pliers and see if you have a dead cylinder.

It ran fine as late as December...all I did was winterize by pulling the plugs, Putting very little oil in the cyclinders (Recommended to me), cranking the engine to get the oil distributed, re-seat the plugs,, and leave the wires 'off' for the winter...Now the engine decided to be stubborn...

 

[mfkadz]

You betcha.

On the muffs and in a tub it seems fine as there's no load. On the lake with a bad cylinder you will not get the speed you had. On my 55 I get 25 kts when ok and 8 kts with a cylinder out.

You can check this for sure by pulling a plug wire one at a time. The test is to see if it makes a difference. If a cylinder is out you will notice no change.

mike