Johnson 225 VRO won't stay on idle

[tallguy]

I have a 1986 Johnson 225 VRO that has a great deal of fuel blowing-back from the lower left (as you look at the carbs) carb when at idle. I have completely rebuilt the carbs, checked for fuel leaks, and compression is good on all 6 cylinders. The engine starts the first time with no problem, but then runs rough, coughs and spits and quits. The fuel bulb also goes weak. BTW the VRO is disconnected and I am mixing fuel. So 5 cylinders are pulling air and 1 is blowing out and discharging fuel. Has anyone seen this before?
Thanks for your help!

 

[tallguy]

Re: Johnson 225 VRO won't stay on idle

Also I swapped the carb with another one and got the same result! The lower left cylinders still was blowing air out instead of in.

Thanks for your help!

 

[jus4funn2010]

Re: Johnson 225 VRO won't stay on idle

have you checked the timing? I have seen some engines "sneeze" because of bad reed valves. I just rebuilt all my carbs on my 225 and ended up replacing the VRO pump but I didnt have a problem with fuel blowing back through the carbs. Since it does the same thing with a different carb, makes me think broken or bad reeds maybe?

 

[tallguy]

Re: Johnson 225 VRO won't stay on idle

have you checked the timing? I have seen some engines "sneeze" because of bad reed valves. I just rebuilt all my carbs on my 225 and ended up replacing the VRO pump but I didnt have a problem with fuel blowing back through the carbs. Since it does the same thing with a different carb, makes me think broken or bad reeds maybe?

Thanks for the information. I was concerned with the timing as the magnets had to be replaced. But can you tell me where the "reeds" are? I have seen some pictures of reeds on youtube but only for much smaller engines, so I did not know if a 225 had reeds.

Also can I check the time myself? If so what do I need?

Thanks much!!!

 

[jus4funn2010]

Re: Johnson 225 VRO won't stay on idle

reeds are directly behind the carb throttle plate. You can see them through the butterflys. If you take throttle plate off, you can change them yourself. As for the timing, if you have a timing light you can check it but I took 2 timing lights to the lake yesterday and neither one worked, so, Im not having much luck with that myself. I just adjusted it by how many rpms the engine idled in gear. Still don't know if it is right or not but it sure ran great. Do you have a service manual? I downloaded one from the internet for $5 and put it on a thumbdrive. Couldn't have done all this without it, and the help of people on here.

 

[tallguy]

Re: Johnson 225 VRO won't stay on idle

OK great. I de-carboned the engine with Seafome to see if that would help. Actually it made the engine run smoother and the sneezing reduced but did not stop. So next I will remove the throttle plate and remove and check the reeds. I think the issue is timing which is something I will have to have someone else do.

I did purchase the owners manual but did not find it very useful. Thanks for your help! I will post the result of removing and inspecting the reeds.

 

[jus4funn2010]

Re: Johnson 225 VRO won't stay on idle

did you get the owners manual or a service manual?

 

[tallguy]

Re: Johnson 225 VRO won't stay on idle

The manual I had covered may different engines sizes and had technical data on all of the engines with pictures of the location of critical parts and schematic diagrams detailing the electrical wiring. So not sure if I have the correct manual.

 

[tallguy]

Re: Johnson 225 VRO won't stay on idle

Ok I now know the problem. I removed the carburetor to visually inspect the reeds, and then reached in a found that the reed holder was completely loose. I could move it back and fourth easily. I then checked the other cylinders and the reed assembly would not move. So it is clear that I have to go in to the intake side of the engine and tighten down the reed assembly.

As such I need the correct maintenance manual to know how to do this. What do you recommend?

Thanks much!

 

[tallguy]

Re: Johnson 225 VRO won't stay on idle

UPDATE - Today I removed the carburetors, the throttle body, and the intake cover to gain access to the reeds as one was not secure. Thankfully on a screw that holds the reed in place to the intake cover was missing! And due to its location, it could never have been pulled into the engine, so not worry there. So tomorrow we put pack the original reed with locking screws and expect the engine to run great.