1959 Johnson 35 HP electric start turns over hard

[jwh]

What causes a 59 Johnson 35 hp to turn over so hard? Starter seems to be fine(spins good). If I remove one of the plugs it turns over great. Pull start is impossible with both plugs installed. Turns hard even with electric start??? Any ideas?? John

 

[Mas]

Re: 1959 Johnson 35 HP electric start turns over hard

Clean all electrical contacts associated with the starter...especially the ground. Make sure they're clean and tight with a known strong battery.

mas

 

[jwh]

Re: 1959 Johnson 35 HP electric start turns over hard

Thankyou much I will give that a try. John

 

[F_R]

Re: 1959 Johnson 35 HP electric start turns over hard

The starter motor and electrical system on that motor was adequate, with very little design overkill. Any degrading in any part of it will cause the problem asked about. As mas said, poor connections would top the list.

It is hard to turn over because it has a lot of compression. That is why it has compression relief valves for hand cranking. Unless somebody has removed them, not uncommon.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1959 Johnson 35 HP electric start turns over hard

What?? You can't hand crank that old bugger? Awwww come on. Yea, they are a bit tough. They're a lot easier though, if the ignition system is top notch. I just brought a 35 and a 40 back from a long sleep and crank them both up by hand before I broke a sweat. Both good health motors though. Each deliver 130 and 120 psi compresion and a refurbished ignition system. You might also check the condition of your coils, so you can hand crank it, in case of an emergency.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1959 Johnson 35 HP electric start turns over hard

I have found that on almost all of my 35HP motors from that vintage I had to replace the wiring/connectors. Probably not completely necessary, but boy do they crank nicer with brand new heavy gauge welding cable and fresh connectors!

 

[jwh]

Re: 1959 Johnson 35 HP electric start turns over hard

Thanks so much to all you guys for the info. I am going to start checking wiring and connections. Thanks again John