Johnson dies but restarts easily

[salty dawg 1961]

I have a 1997 johnson 115 spl, that intermittently shuts off while running, but immediatly will restart easily. It is as if I turned off the key and then recranked it. It happens several times in a day, and is aggrevating to say the least. RPM's are not a factor. It happens wide open as well as in a no wake zone. Could it be a problem in the ignition switch, associated with the kill switch, or something more? I am hopeful that it is not the power pack or stator. Help soon while I still have some sanity . Thanks

 

[salty dawg 1961]

1997 Johnson 115 spl just dies

1997 Johnson 115 spl just dies

My 115 Johnson runs great, but intermittently shuts off while running at any speed. It restarts at the turn of the key. Sometimes it does it after running hard, and sometimes it happens at idle speeds shortly after cranking. trim up or down, rough or smooth water. No pattern only that it always starts back up with no problem. Could it be in the kill switch intergrated into the key switch? Power pack, stator, loose wire grounding the coil? I have checked for loose or worn wires and come up blank. It is trying my patience!!! Please help. Salty Dawg 1961

 

[ondarvr]

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 spl just dies

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 spl just dies

Could it be in the kill switch intergrated into the key switch? Power pack, stator, loose wire grounding the coil?



Yes

 

[ondarvr]

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 spl just dies

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 spl just dies

Acually not the coils, there are 4 and they wouldn't all go bad at the same time.

Does it shut off instantly like a switch was turned off, or does it slow down and then stop?

 

[oldrudedude]

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 spl just dies

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 spl just dies

Sounds like a bad connection. Ignition switch would by my first suspect. I would take it apart and clean the inner contacts shiny. But before I would do that, I would take apart the connectors that go into the kill and ignition switches, clean them shiny, and insure they are making solid contact.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 spl just dies

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 spl just dies

i'm with oldrudedude, insulation of wire shorting out, loose connection, bad ignition switch, bad kill switch. black with yellow tracer is the wire that kills the engine.

 

[salty dawg 1961]

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 spl just dies

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 spl just dies

Acually not the coils, there are 4 and they wouldn't all go bad at the same time.

Does it shut off instantly like a switch was turned off, or does it slow down and then stop?

When the engine dies, it is as if the kill switch is activated. No spit no sputter. Just dead. As soon as it dies, it will restart as if I turned it off and back on. Somtimes is may be 30 minutes before it happens again and sometimes it is a minute or two. Hope you can help. I have only a few hairs left.

 

[salty dawg 1961]

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 spl just dies

Re: 1997 Johnson 115 spl just dies

Sounds like a bad connection. Ignition switch would by my first suspect. I would take it apart and clean the inner contacts shiny. But before I would do that, I would take apart the connectors that go into the kill and ignition switches, clean them shiny, and insure they are making solid contact.

Thanks for all the advice. It makes sense. Looks like I will be taking it to the river this weekend to replace the switch and run some tests. Again thanks for the help, from all who took the time. Salty dawg 1961

 

[mikesea]

Re: Johnson dies but restarts easily

you can disconnect the blk/yel wires to powerpack and see if it fixes the prob.if it does,i would suspect key switch,and /or kill lanard if u have 1 ,or then if not any of hose,a prob.in the harness,remember,you cant kill it if the wires are off,you may need to choke it to death,then reinstall the wires,let us know what u find

 

[salty dawg 1961]

Re: Johnson dies but restarts easily

you can disconnect the blk/yel wires to powerpack and see if it fixes the prob.if it does,i would suspect key switch,and /or kill lanard if u have 1 ,or then if not any of hose,a prob.in the harness,remember,you cant kill it if the wires are off,you may need to choke it to death,then reinstall the wires,let us know what u find

I am going to just replace the switch since the general concisus is that is the location of the problem. i will keep you posted as to whether it is the cure. Thanks again. Salty Dawg 1961

 

[salty dawg 1961]

Re: Johnson dies but restarts easily

Well, I replaced the keyswitch, making sure not to swap any of the wires. When I tried to start the motor, it cranked, ran for a few seconds, and died. It has not restarted since. I drew a diagrahm before removing any wires to ensure that nothing got crossed, and as I said it did start momentarily upon replacing the switch. I does turn over. It just wont start. This is driving me to the nut house. The carbs are getting fuel. I checked that. Any ideas? Salty Dawg 1961

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Johnson dies but restarts easily

A OEM Service manual for that motor will have a color coded wiring diaghram for that motor. I can give you some ideas on where to look in the meantime.

Check the wiring harness where the motor harness plugs into the boat harness. It should be on the port side of the motor. Look for melted wires or chafed wires, especially the black/yellow wire.

Purple is +12VDC ign accessory, black is ground, black/yellow is ign killer, grey is tach sender. On some of those motors, battery voltage is applied to the power pack when the motor cranks to assure spark at low crank speeds. I do not know if your motor has this feature, however, it is likely. There may be a wire from the starter solenoid secondary winding to the powerpack. The service manual will tell you for sure.