Not a question, but wanted to let people know how I found / fixed my cranking problem in case they have the same problem.
On my 1996 Johnson 150, I was trying to crank the engine, but it would turn over for a second or two, then bog down.
I thought it was bad batteries - but I hooked up 3 batteries, and it still didn't crank well.
Turns out the bushing on the output shaft of the starter was bad - so the shaft was wobbling by a few millimeters. The shaft would wobble, the pinion gear would go out of alignment, and jam against the fly wheel.
Took me a few days to figure out this was the problem - since the starter seemed fine, electrically (it was, the starter could spin perfectly when removed from the engine).
Anyway - I replaced the starter, and the engine started right up.
On my 1996 Johnson 150, I was trying to crank the engine, but it would turn over for a second or two, then bog down.
I thought it was bad batteries - but I hooked up 3 batteries, and it still didn't crank well.
Turns out the bushing on the output shaft of the starter was bad - so the shaft was wobbling by a few millimeters. The shaft would wobble, the pinion gear would go out of alignment, and jam against the fly wheel.
Took me a few days to figure out this was the problem - since the starter seemed fine, electrically (it was, the starter could spin perfectly when removed from the engine).
Anyway - I replaced the starter, and the engine started right up.