1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

[kfa4303]

Re: 1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

Hi weezy. Nwcove is correct about the white hose. It's part of the engine's oiling system. Just leave it be. I would also remove the key switch wires from the system entirely for now as well. You can easily add a push button/lanyard kill switch link the one in the pic below after you get the motor running. I've used them on all if my vinatge OMC motors. They're cheap, easy to install, work great and add an extra layer of safety to the motor. They only cost about $10 and you can get them on amazon and other sites. For now, you can stop the motor by simply turning the throttle all the way down. That's actually how most old outboards were designed to be shut off back in the day. Once you get spark in your plugs, you can spray a bit or 24:1 mix into the cylinders, install the plugs, put the motor in a test tank with water filled up to about and inch below the main exhaust and try to fire her up. Once she comes to life, we'll move on to the fine tunning stage. Hang in there, you've almost got it. Good luck!

 

[nwcove]

Re: 1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

did you remove the magneto plate when you replaced the plug wires? if so, its just as easy as that. dont worry about not being able to shut it off just yet, you still need spark. ( if you do get spark with the kill wires confirmed to be not grounding out, and do get it running, pulling the choke out should kill the motor...if that fails, disconnect the fuel line from it.)

 

[weezyq8]

Re: 1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

Nwcove,

My points look like they have a couple tiny pieces of metal shavings around the outside of them, maybe this is one of the culprits? Also, you mentioned that there should be continuity between the plug boots and the coil grounds...I just checked that, and it looks like only one of the plug boots is grounded to the ignition wheel. The other one is not getting a continuous reading on my voltmeter, as if it was not connected to anything. But the "spring" that I pushed into the spark plug end of the wire seems to be connected to the copper core because it is continuous to the wire core according to the voltmeter. Does that make sense? So, I need to figure out why the wire is not connected to the coil ground correctly. Maybe the coil-to high tension lead is not secure...

kfa,

That killswitch looks like a great idea. I'll go ahead and pull my wires out. Thanks for the moral support as well, it gave me the extra push to go out to the garage and look at everything one more time.

nwcove,

Yes, I removed the magneto plate probably a dozen times this week. What does that affect? SHould I be worried?



I'm gonna call it a night as far as working on the engine, as I have some homework to do...I'll get back at it after class tomorrow. Thanks guys!

 

[weezyq8]

Re: 1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

I forgot to mention, I don't have any acetone or emory cloth, but I will definitely pick some up tomorrow after work and class. Should I also get some ~400 grit sandpaper? I read somewhere that is works great for cleaning points.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

Sure just fold it in half, then run it through a few times, then clean.

By putting one lead on the coil ground, and another lead on the spark plug boot spring, you are essentially both testing the continuity of the lead, and testing the secondary winding of the coil. You should be getting between 3000 to 8000 ohms. Measuring the primary winding, it is a fat wire and is almost always good, you should bury the needle. You test the primary from the ground to the lead that runs to the points.

I assume you tested the spring to wire connection by piercing the insulation? You have a break in the line somewhere, a bad connection where it plugs into the coil, OR the secondary is shot. All of which will cause no spark.

 

[weezyq8]

Re: 1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

Could the secondary be shot even though it's new? I tested both coils a few days ago, and they were both fine. (Primary had no resistance, secondary had 6000 ohms). I'll look for a bad connection in the high tension wire and clean the points with fine grit sandpaper and emory cloth tonight and give an update sometime.

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

Unlikely, but it has happened.

Could also be faulty plug wire, or bad connection at the pin.

 

[weezyq8]

Re: 1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

I'm thinking its a bad connection at the pin, since I pulled it all apart to test the coils the other day. When I re-insert the wire into the coil, do I need to strip some of the insulation away and fold the copper wires outwards to the outside of the insulation, like a flower? Or can I just stick the spike straight in while twisting it?

 

[nwcove]

Re: 1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

make sure the wire is cut is cut off straight, put a bit of lube on the wire casing only, and twist it in untill it wont go any further. no need to fold the strands back at the coil end of things.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

Hi weezy. Don't strip any insulation off the coil end of the wire. Just cut it flush and firmly twist it on to the coil pin making sure that the pin pierces the inner copper core of the spark plug wire.

 

[weezyq8]

Re: 1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

Hey guys!! I have great news!! I finally got the engine running today! I bought some emery cloth and cleaned the points, then took off the plug wires from the coils and cut off a small piece of wire before re-inserting them. I also tested for continuity from the boots to the other end of the wires while they were off. I reset my points gaps, and then put the flywheel on...and still no spark. At this point, I was about to give up and throw the thing away lol, but then I noticed that the electric choke was pushed back against the motor (one side of the mounting clip is broken) and the ground wire from the solenoid was resting against the side of the engine. I removed the wire, taped it off, and boom! Spark in both plugs!!

So, after running the engine for a few minutes in a barrel and trying to tune the low speed needle, I realized that the engine was getting hot. I pulled the thermostat (it is a brand new one that I replaced) and it was dry inside the channel. I haven't replaced the impeller, so I'm sure that's my problem. But I'll save that for another day.

I just wanted to say thanks you to everyone for your great help. You helped me understand the different engine systems to troubleshoot the different issues, and I am very grateful. Also, a special thank you to kfa4303 for not letting me give up, and for your supporting words! I'm excited to finally have a running engine!

 

[nwcove]

Re: 1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

good job weezy, get an impeller installed, and you will be good to go!!!

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

IT's ALIVE!!!!! Sweeet! Glad you got her running. You definintly want to replace the impeller before you run it again. These old girls won't run on muffs either, so you'll have to put it in a test tank with water filled up to about 1-2 inches below the main exhaust port. Thankfully, replacing the impeller is pretty easy. just make sure the copper water uptake tube is properly aligned when you replace the lower unit. You can get a new impeller right there at iboats too. Here's a god link for dialing in the carb as well as some vids of other 18hp running to give you and idea of what to expect. Keep us posted.

http://forums.iboats.com/engine-fre...sorted-carb-variations-joe-reeves-167352.html

1958 Johnson 18 HP outboard - Running - YouTube
1968 18802E Evinrude 18 HP Outboard - YouTube
Johnson 18 hp 1963 - YouTube

 

[weezyq8]

Re: 1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

I ordered the impeller and a new gasket for my thermostat cover plate because the old one was torn and dried out. Here's a video of it running in a barrel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SUj_ViQJOY. I'll keep you guys posted on any progress I make.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: 1963 Johnson 18hp ignition problems - I'm stumped

Lookin' good. She'll be a little ripper on the water. You should be able to dial in an even lower idle by fiddling with the lo speed needle and the idle set screw at the base of the vertical throttle tower that passes through the lower cowl. Vroom, vroom!