Trouble starting Johnson 115hp V4 1982 O/B

[Orillia]

Hi. I bought a used boat near the end of last season and then had trouble starting it. The marina said that I am not giving it enough choke. He said that even though there is a rainbow in the water that these older motors(around 1982) need an awful lot of choke to get the fuel into the system. Can anyone verify or deny this? I never had a boat with this size or age of motor before. I don't want to kill the battery like I did last year. Thanks.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Trouble starting Johnson 115hp V4 1982 O/B

What is your current starting method, please go into detail, it makes a difference.

 

[basspirate]

Re: Trouble starting Johnson 115hp V4 1982 O/B

those older motors are hard to start. that being said is the engine firing at all. it sounds like you are getting gas. sure fire way to check if it's a gas problem is to use a little starter fluid. this is where my word of warning comes in. starting fluid is not good for a 2 cycle engine. it thins out the oil and there fore should be used only once or twice just to see if it fires. dont try to run the engine on starter fluid otherwise you will have a very good anchor. if it fires you have a fuel problem. if it dosent fire you may have an ignition problem. also these older engines need to crank fast to start. is you battery fully charged and is you starter good.

 

[Orillia]

Re: Trouble starting Johnson 115hp V4 1982 O/B

Thanks for all the help. According to the marina where I bought it they had no problem starting it last year after I told them I couldn't start it. They even adjusted the carb. It was working for most of last year. The bulb is firm and the battery had a fair bit of charge I think but the marina told me that you have to keep the choke open throughout especially in wet weather. I usually crank it for about 15 seconds at a time before stopping. According to the marina the problem rests with me and not the boat( they may have a point). The plugs are new. Thanks again.

 

[basspirate]

Re: Trouble starting Johnson 115hp V4 1982 O/B

from what you described has the engine been running this year, and was the engine winterized

 

[Orillia]

Re: Trouble starting Johnson 115hp V4 1982 O/B

I did winterize it but it's still on the trailer this year. I should have it in the water soon. Just hoping that if I choke it enough it will start.

 

[SparkieBoat]

Re: Trouble starting Johnson 115hp V4 1982 O/B

first off you need to charge your battery, a 2 battery set up is what I usually use. second you need to test coils with a spark gap tester..maybe a weak one in there...next check stator and rectifier/regulator with a DVA adapter and a multi meter according to test that can be found at CDI electronics web site in the support section and in the pdf install sheets for each part. I had a motor that was hard to start and it was my regulator. also check carbs and fuel lines and fuel pump.

 

[SparkieBoat]

Re: Trouble starting Johnson 115hp V4 1982 O/B

o yea also check engine compression, poor compression can cause hard starts as well..it should fire off after about 15 secs of cranking and choking..on the second try at the most

 

[SparkieBoat]

Re: Trouble starting Johnson 115hp V4 1982 O/B

one more thing ..make sure the choke plates are both closing completely... not one closed and one almost closed, this will not work well. they should be adjusted for this...you should only have to use choke to get engine started and maybe bump it a couple of times to keep it running right after start, after that you should not have to use choke at all..if you do something is wrong.

 

[ezeke]

Re: Trouble starting Johnson 115hp V4 1982 O/B

You don't have chokes on that motor, but you do have a primer solenoid. To be certain that it is working, the handle must be turned so that it is aligned with the cylindrical base, and you should hear the click when you push the ignition key in.

Remember that the primer solenoid is just a valve and does not create pressure on its own. You must provide the pressurized fuel by pumping the primer bulb or by cranking the engine so that the fuel pump pressurizes the fuel.

Like most crossflow engines, you need to enrich the fuel air mix for a cold start, so it's best to push in the key while cranking the engine until the engine fires.

It's also essential that the timing be advanced for a cold start and the warm-up lever does that. If your remote control does not have a warm-up lever then you need to learn how to advance the throttle without going into gear.

Finally, you need to be turning the engine at 300 RPM; that requires a fully charged, powerful battery, good battery connections and solid cables.

 

[SparkieBoat]

Re: Trouble starting Johnson 115hp V4 1982 O/B

I was not sure what year they stopped with the choke plates..I have a 79 that has them and an 86 that does not so if his 82 has soliniod I guess 79 or 80 was the last year for choke plates.

 

[Orillia]

Re: Trouble starting Johnson 115hp V4 1982 O/B

Ok. Thanks for all the great advice!

 

[ScottinAZ]

Re: Trouble starting Johnson 115hp V4 1982 O/B

Follow the advice of those above me. My '82 115 fires right up every time. Prime the bulb, high idle lever up, key pressed in (activates primer solenoid) and let her rip, fires right up. it may stall a time or two, but if everything is in order under the hood, it should start with few if any issues

 

[virii01]

Re: Trouble starting Johnson 115hp V4 1982 O/B

Follow the advice of those above me. My '82 115 fires right up every time. Prime the bulb, high idle lever up, key pressed in (activates primer solenoid) and let her rip, fires right up. it may stall a time or two, but if everything is in order under the hood, it should start with few if any issues

I have the exact same motor, year and HP, and follow the same procedure and it starts almost instantly. I just barely have to twist the key and it fires up, let it idle high for ~30 seconds and we're good to go.