Engine cutting out

[1994lundminnow]

1994 150 HP Johnson Searunner<br /><br />First, embarassed to admit... but tonight I forgot the plug in the boat. Luckily I remembered before things got ugly, but I did have water up to the floor boards... I guess that's pretty ugly but it could have been worse.<br /><br />Anyway, started great, ran great for a good half hour. Then during a slow troll through a no wake zone the VRO alarm sounded that there was no oil (fast constant beeps), this has happened before and I up the RPM's and it goes away (Bad idea?). So after that we were going fine for a little bit, cruising around 3k RPM's and all of a sudden the engine just freezes. Not like a slow dieing, but instantly. One second its running, the next second its completely stopped. <br /><br />I pulled the engine up to see if I'd wrapped the prop in some debri, nope. Everything looked fine, no smoke, no smells. I started it and it cranked right up. I started to accelerate again and I was able to, but then 30 seconds later, the same thing, it just froze.<br /><br />After that I swore a lot and limped home on my kicker, not wanting to push the big engine in case what I was doing would cause damage.<br /><br />When engine was running, it was running great. Smooth, no abnorminal noises, etc. Water was flowing fine out of the coolant exit, even on the second attempt. VRO is definately oiling, I keep a sharp eye on the oil level to make sure it keeps going down as I run it. One thing I didn't do was pull the cover off to see if it had overheated, although I'm not sure if I'd be able to tell hot from too hot.<br /><br />Thanks in advance for the help. I've been searching on here for the last hour or so, and will continue to do so as I can't sleep, but I can't see this specific problem.<br /><br />thanks,<br /><br />Eric

 

[Joe Reeves]

Re: Engine cutting out

Eric.... Having the engine jam suddenly like that, if it actually went from say 3000 rpm to zero in a fraction of a second (rather than like running out of gas which takes a few seconds), would indicate serious powerhead or lower unit problems. If you atempted to restart the engine instantly, the bendix gear of the electric starter should have engaged the flywheel but the engine should have refused to turn over.<br /><br />If the engine jams and stays jammed, removing the lower unit will tell you which component is at fault. Check the lower unit for metal filings, water, etc.<br /><br />The every other second beep of the warning horn indicates either a VRO failure, a oil restriction, or a air/oil leak in the oil line somewhere. When that type warning comes on, apply pressure to the oil primer bulb. If the beeping stops, then starts shortly thereafter (and there's no leaks visible), replace the VRO pump.<br /><br />Inspect the s/plugs for a difference in appearance. Keep track of what cyl they came from (Do they all look normal?). Check the compression (what is it?) and the spark. With the s/plugs out, the spark should jump a 7/16" gap with a strong wide blue lightning like flame... a real snap! Does it?

 

[1994lundminnow]

Re: Engine cutting out

Thanks Joe. The engine did not remain jammed. If I crank it over, it will start up instantly and run very smooth and normal, just not forever at high RPM's like it should.

 

[OBJ]

Re: Engine cutting out

Hi Eric.<br /><br />Will the engine idle without shutting down? Or is it only at high end speed....say 2500rpm and up?<br /><br />What it sounds like is an ignition problem...ie...losing spark to the cylinders all at once. This may be caused by the extra heat generated by the engine at higher rpms and causing one of the ignition components like the power pack to fail. Check up under the flywheel for any "ooze" coming from the stator. This would indicate the stator is overheating wether from the engine or it's just overcharging.<br /><br />If the engine will idle, put a set of muffs on it and let it warm up. After warm up, take the missus' hair dryer (explain it's for test purposes which keeps me outta trouble....most of the time) and play the hair dryer on the ignition components. Start with the power pack. If after playing the hair dryer on any one of the components shuts the engine down, there's a good chance that, that part is bad and needs replaced.<br /><br />Keep us posted as to your progress.....thanks.

 

[1994lundminnow]

Re: Engine cutting out

Thanks OBJ, I'll give that a try.<br /><br />I didn't run the engine too much after it did it the first time because I was afraid I'd be causing damage.<br /><br />When I did run it, I ran it for quite a long time at low RPM's, maybe 10-15 minutes without any trouble at all... then I accelerated and after about 30 seconds at 3K RPM's it died again. After that I just didn't run it anymore. So it definately seems to be at the higher RPM's only.<br /><br />thanks

 

[OBJ]

Re: Engine cutting out

I think I would also go ahead and do a comprssion test also as Joe pointed out. If ya' don't find anything, great. It will also give you a good reference for future trouble shooting.

 

[1994lundminnow]

Re: Engine cutting out

Ok, I haven't had a chance yet to work on my the engine but I just noticed that something is draining my battery really slowly... do you think these two issues could be linked?<br /><br />Also, can something happen to your engine on a long road trip? This battery draining has just got me thinking that these problems have started immediately after I got back from a 500 mile road trip for the boat. It was running great on vacation, but this is the first trip out since being back. The road trip was a bear as well, constant head and side winds the whole way. You think something could have shaken loose on the trip? I know the battery terminals are snug but could something inside be shaking loose and shorting out?<br /><br />thanks.

 

[rboat99]

Re: Engine cutting out

I had the same exact thing happening on my engine (see signature). It would die instantly at high RPM's, but could run all day trolling with no problems.<br /><br />I fixed it by replacing the power-pack. A wrench tried to discourage me from doing this saying a power pack usually either works all the time or not at all, but once I replaced it the problem was gone.<br /><br />I didn't know about the hair dryer trick at the time so I was shooting in the dark and got lucky.

 

[1994lundminnow]

Re: Engine cutting out

Well, I got the news today from the Mechanic. They say that the VRO pump needs to be replaced. $522 for parts and labor. *sigh*<br /><br />I told them to just disconnect the VRO and I'll mix in my own oil.