Will not start in the water.

[Jscar305]

Johnson 90 HP outboard will not start in the water. Runs perfect not in the water. How is contact with the water grounding the coils/ magneto?

 

[racerone]

Is this a 1964 model ??-----It might run on a trailer but it is NOT perfect as you assume.-----They all " bark and roar " on a trailer.-----I do not believe it has anything to do with grounding coils.------Post the results of a compression test.-----Does spark jump a gap of 3/8" ( all plugs on ) on a test device.-----Is your battery in good shape and load tested ?-----I often see bad starter motors too.------Some inspection testing needs to be done.-----Nothing to do with grounding the coils or the magneto !!!

 

[Jscar305]

The engine is an 80s model. No spark in the water. Has to be grounding out some way. I did not check compression because I do not have spark in the water.

 

[racerone]

Stop-------If the starter can not turn the flywheel fast enough you will not have spark !!!-----Do yourself a favor and do some simple trouble shooting.----Or perhaps start buying expensive parts and wasting your beer tokens.

 

[Crosbyman]

strange... is this a new to you motor or did it run ok and suddenly croaked ?

p.s. post exact model/year #s

not related mind you but all I can ad is that when my Merc Classic 50 had the same issue years ago the power pack was defective. never could figure why but it solved my problem.

has suggested do some testing before spending needless money on parts . did you service the engine in anyway ? how about starting with simple stuff like cleaning up all power connections
to the battery to allow max current to properly spin the starter.

unless your engine is underwater it is very unlikely grounding is the issue. look for POOR grounding instead.

 

[racerone]

The motor is nothing but a 2 stage " air pumping machine "-----With the motor in the water , the motor has to have crankcase compression high enough to overcome the pressure of the water in the exhaust housing.-----I am going to be blunt here.-----Do a compression test first to offer clues on the health of this motor.-----There is no point in guessing on parts grounding out it the water.----That is NOT happening here !!

 

[Jscar305]

Stop-------If the starter can not turn the flywheel fast enough you will not have spark !!!-----Do yourself a favor and do some simple trouble shooting.----Or perhaps start buying expensive parts and wasting your beer tokens.

Starter battery and cranking rpm are all there.

 

[Jscar305]

strange... is this a new to you motor or did it run ok and suddenly croaked ?

p.s. post exact model/year #s

not related mind you but all I can ad is that when my Merc Classic 50 had the same issue years ago the power pack was defective. never could figure why but it solved my problem.

has suggested do some testing before spending needless money on parts . did you service the engine in anyway ? how about starting with simple stuff like cleaning up all power connections
to the battery to allow max current to properly spin the starter.

unless your engine is underwater it is very unlikely grounding is the issue. look for POOR grounding instead.

I just picked this boat up cheap! latest update, while cranking in the water I was shocked by the ignition switch and the engine fluttered. Im on it, Ill just start with a rewire and wash rinse repeat.

 

[Jscar305]

After further digging into the harness....or should I say multiple harnesses, it appears that it has been, "fixed" a few times before. Ive never seen anything like this. If Larry and Moe did the wiring while Curly read the schematic I would expect better. Thank you for your input folks. By the way, I have bee to the Bombardier school and retired from the Coast Guard as a Machinery Technician. Just never saw this problem before and its because Ive never seen this big of a hack job wiring a boat!