1988 johnson runs great in the yard but in the water it drops a cylinder at random

[bayoucat58]

drops a cylinder at random usaly on start ups and getting out of the hole. when it starts firing again away we go , i have ohm the coils seem ok as the ppower pack compression 115 even on all four cyl. should i chang out the coil on the cylonder in question ?? thanks for any HELP guy's... Cat

 

[bayoucat58]

Re: 1988 johnson runs great in the yard but in the water it drops a cylinder at rando

oh the motor is a 110 H.P.

 

[bayoucat58]

Re: 1988 johnson runs great in the yard but in the water it drops a cylinder at rando

c'mon peeps my hooks are rusting please someone at least befriend me. thank you Cat =^:^=

 

[Borgey401]

Re: 1988 johnson runs great in the yard but in the water it drops a cylinder at rando

You should post your model # that will help the experts respond to your post quicker.

 

[oldrudedude]

Re: 1988 johnson runs great in the yard but in the water it drops a cylinder at rando

I am not clear about what is happening. Is the same cylinder randomly cutting out? Why do you want to swap out the coil? Have you verified that is is losing spark or did you just pull the plug wire to see if it made the rpm drop? If you haven't verified a weak or lost spark, do that before swapping out the coil. Have you been using the engine every day or is it new to you? Engine been sitting a long time without use, suspect carburation.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1988 johnson runs great in the yard but in the water it drops a cylinder at rando

If it runs good in the yard and drops off on the water, then it's most likely an electrical problem. The humidity on the water makes problem electronics give more problems. You most likely have a cracked coil or a bad connection. The best thing to do is, check all connections and make sure they're totally clean.

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: 1988 johnson runs great in the yard but in the water it drops a cylinder at rando

Next time you go out, take an inductive timing light with you. Pull the cowl off and check the spark on each plugwire. The flashes in the gun will tell you a lot about the spark quality. If the spark is solid, then have a look at the fuel side. Keep in mind that ignition problems tend show up when the engine gets up to normal operating temps.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: 1988 johnson runs great in the yard but in the water it drops a cylinder at rando

They also tend to show up when you're out on the lake, because of the humidity level. Fuel issues aren't going to change from the yard, to the lake, like electrical issues will.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: 1988 johnson runs great in the yard but in the water it drops a cylinder at rando

Issues also highlight when you are under load and not on the hose in your driveway.
Nothing wrong with having a spare coil anyway so I would get one and see.
Just my opinion though.