1995 Johnson 130 Idle & WOT issues

[CajunWon]

Have had since new, never any motor maintenance other than plugs. This year beginning to have issues. Now: difficulty starting; to maintain idle below 2000rpm must frequently press key in to engage choke; 2000 - ~4500rpm runs fine; WOT works fine for a short time then slowly loses power until stall, & can see fuel in the filter (clear plastic filter). The fuel tank is drained dry 2x/year and has fresh fuel now.

Unable to bump the primer bulb, even with extreme force the fuel could not enter the motor manually, but constant cranking would allow fuel to enter. The bulb pushes fuel through the filter fine. I disassembled the component after the filter (where the oil and gas mix) and poured a couple oz Seafoam in, worked it in a bit and reassembled.

I mixed 1/2 can Seafoam with 1/2 gal gas into a gas can (didn't want to put that into the tank) attached to inlet of primer bulb, followed by couple cups of fresh gas; reattached to boat tank. Next replaced fuel filter. After an hour of running/skiing, replaced the plugs.

The only real improvement after my maintenance attempt is the primer bulb now works fine to manually pump fuel into motor.

I have heard that I should replace primer bulb which may help the shut-down after WOT operation.

Visually the carburetor butterfly valves are clean. Water/cooling flows fine, though the impeller replacement is certainly overdue.

Have not been able to find the model#, though the OMC site narrows this to 4 choices.

Don't know where to go with this from here, thus reaching out for assistance.

TIA
btw: prefer DIY learning experience even if cost is same if at a shop.

 

[CajunWon]

Re: 1995 Johnson 130 Idle & WOT issues

Update, Found a great Youtube vid on changing the impeller and another on cleaning the carbs. Found kits at Marineengine.com
The carb kit is $16
Haven't found the Water Pump Kit, except at GLMMarine.com but they don't sell to retail customers. I have submitted this part inquiry to both iBoats and Marineengine. Perhaps will look on eBay.

Neither procedure appears difficult. Hardest part may be to make a jig to hold the lower unit while replacing the impeller.

Also located the Model# J130TLEOP

 

[reeldutch]

Re: 1995 Johnson 130 Idle & WOT issues

if you never did maintenance i would sugest the following before rebuilding the carbs and changing plugs.
i would decarb the heck out of the motor do it 2 or 3 times before rebuilding the carbs.
after that check the compression.
after that ,if it checks out ok rebuild the carbs.
then do the water pump and thermostats.
grease the propshaft and all grease fittings.
change the gear lube, and lube the steering cable.
thats what i would do.

 

[CajunWon]

Re: 1995 Johnson 130 Idle & WOT issues

Thx for the reply.

The rebuild kit did not contain the correct components. They directed me to Sierra Marine who cannot source the correct parts -except in a pricey bundle kit per carb.

I cut my own gaskets, hoping the issue was an air leak. This may have improved starting and idle performance 50%.

I did not get around to the impeller yet, partially due to skepticism of whether I received the correct part. Also was unclear where the lower unit separates, as the whole unit appears painted after original assembly.

The season ended, so lost interest for now.

I have replaced the lower unit lube a couple times, and check for water at the end of each season.

 

[maui al]

Re: 1995 Johnson 130 Idle & WOT issues

I had a simuliar situation on my 130 hp Johnson 1996 model. bought the boat used and the enginge needed a little work. The seller said that the engine needed to be adjusted on the water. It was sitting for about a year and before that was used for trolling. I changed the waterpump, did the carbs and a so called professional did it for me, he adjusted them on land and when we water tested them it would kill the engine. we went out on the ocean and he adjusted them again and they would work, but at wot the engine would bog down and the idle was losy. when you started the engine it would die before you could throw it in gear. The trick was to not wait and throw it in gear right away. This was a mobile mechanic that did this work. I took the boat into our local marine shop and they adjusted the carbs properly and changed the leg oil and lubed the other areas that needed it. After that the boat worked great, but I was still having problrms at WOT. I re-did the fuel line connections and checked for air leaks and areas that could stop the gas flow. It seemed that the engine was just not getting enough gas at WOT.
After all of this one day coming home at 4200 rpm I was having the problem show up so I asked my crew to pump on the primer bulb to see if we could get more gas into the engine. Low and behold it seem to work and the engine climed to 5200 rpm and stayed there as long as he was pumping the bulb.

I change the fuel myself and got the permix type pump since I do not trust the the vro systems.

Went out on another fishing trip and no problems since.
So two mechanics later and about $1500 out of pocket it worked great, until last week.

But thats for another tread.

Give it a try on your next outing, and spend the money to take it to a professional who can back up their work if the mess up the job.