1971 johnson 60 hp outboard runs at home but wont idle and bogs under load on lake

[wchrist939]

I recently bought a 1970 tide craft with a 1971 60hp johnson outboard on it. Had it checked out at a local boat shop everything ran great. Motor started 3rd time and idled smooth, motor was put in gear and ran fine.
When I took it out to the lake last weekend the motor would not idle and would die every time I put it in gear.
When I got the boat back home it started right up and ran fine both in and out of gear.

Any help would be appreciated

 

[Daviet]

Re: 1971 johnson 60 hp outboard runs at home but wont idle and bogs under load on lak

Did the boat shop check the spark and compression? What is the idle set at in the water and in gear?

 

[relocyo]

Re: 1971 johnson 60 hp outboard runs at home but wont idle and bogs under load on lak

I recently bought a 1970 tide craft with a 1971 60hp johnson outboard on it. Had it checked out at a local boat shop everything ran great. Motor started 3rd time and idled smooth, motor was put in gear and ran fine.
When I took it out to the lake last weekend the motor would not idle and would die every time I put it in gear.
When I got the boat back home it started right up and ran fine both in and out of gear.

Any help would be appreciated

Yea, sounds like u lost a coil or 2 , happens though, easy to check, easy to replace, and fairly inexpensive, get a spark gap tester from autozone or any autoparts store, follow the direction (i think they are in the top secret thread sticky) you need a hot bright blue spark to jump 7/16" , check all of the plugs, I bet you lost a coil or 2... Good luck!

 

[boobie]

Re: 1971 johnson 60 hp outboard runs at home but wont idle and bogs under load on lak

That mtr has only one coil. Has dist cap and rotor.

 

[relocyo]

Re: 1971 johnson 60 hp outboard runs at home but wont idle and bogs under load on lak

That mtr has only one coil. Has dist cap and rotor.

Well perhaps I stand corrected... Any advice then?

 

[wchrist939]

Re: 1971 johnson 60 hp outboard runs at home but wont idle and bogs under load on lak

yes they checked and had spark on all and compressionwas 125, 125 & 123. It will not idle in the water it just dies, but at home with the muffs idles in gear fine ( I don't have a tachometer on it yet)

 

[jtexas]

Re: 1971 johnson 60 hp outboard runs at home but wont idle and bogs under load on lak

lack of backpressure on the underwater exhaust enables it to run on the muffs -- on land, that motor will idle all day on 2 cylinders and sound happy doing it, then crap out soon as you put a load on it.

It's a classic symptom of clogged carbs. Having confirmed good compression & spark, a carb rebuild is indicated here. But first, inspect the tank for water & debris, and make sure the fuel is fresh.

There's a chance some of the fuel system components are not alcohol resistant, and are leaching into the gas (if you have ethanol-blended gasoline in your area) and fouling the carbs. Any rubber parts that haven't been replaced since the late 70's or so should be done now. Or, it's just years of accumulated varnish left behind by evaporating premixed gasoline. Either way, carb rebuild will do the trick. Install new kits. This is something you can do yourself, if you are so inclined.

 

[wchrist939]

Re: 1971 johnson 60 hp outboard runs at home but wont idle and bogs under load on lak

Thanks i will give it a try any idea what repair book is the best for this old of a motor?

 

[jtexas]

Re: 1971 johnson 60 hp outboard runs at home but wont idle and bogs under load on lak

you should be able to get the factory shop manual, try kencook.com or marineengine.com
Two other choices are Seloc and Clymers, both a pretty poor 2nd to the factory manual but better than nothing.

 

[nwcove]

Re: 1971 johnson 60 hp outboard runs at home but wont idle and bogs under load on lak

just curious, but can the timing on motors with a distributor be adjusted like an older car engines? jchrist, if i were you (i do agree with jtexas tho) just to confirm, and maybe do some minor adjustment, set a barrel under your motor, fill it to where it would set in the water, and see if it behaves the same. ive seen many small motors(10hp or lower) work great in a barrel at idle, in gear, in a barrel (no muffs). but not even start at the lake, with the same water level on the leg of the motor as was used in the barrel? like i said..just curious!