1989 Johnson GT200 sputtered and died

TimTJR

Seaman
Joined
May 17, 2018
Messages
69
Hi folks,
I have a 1989 Johnson GT200. I pulled it out from being winterized yesterday, put the muffs on and it started up fairly easy as usual. Last year right before I winterized it, I put Stabil in the gas tank and ran it all day with intentions to run the whole tank out. I ended up with about 5 gallons when I parked it for the season. So yesterday I took the boat to the gas station and filled it up with 90 octane (ethanol free) (about 15 gallons), and added the appropriate amount of oil. Backed the boat down the ramp and it started right up again. I left it running with my wife in it as I went to park the truck. Went back down and got on the boat, put it in gear and it started going as normal. I was going idle speed. Then suddenly the engine started sputtering and died. So I turned the key and it started right back up and sounded fine for about a minute, then started sputtering again and died again. After about 4 times of sputtering and dying, it will not start at all now. So I got the boat home and noticed my primer bulb was hard as a rock, even with my trim all the way up. Usually when I trim it all the way up the bulb doesn't stay hard like that. So I squeezed the bulb a few times (real hard) and I heard a squeek noise in the carburetor, trimmed it back down and the engine started back up easy. Then it started sputtering again and died. Now I can't get it to start again. Does anyone have any advice on what I should do next? Oh, I forgot to mention, when I got the boat home, I took the fuel filter off and checked it out. It looked good. I also made sure gas was going through it by pumping the primer bulb.

Model # J200STLCEB
Serial # 0 02351768
 

racerone

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Messages
38,888
Where was the boat stored ?-----Any chance water got in the fuel tank ?-----There are 6 carburetors not all of them would have the same problem.-------No mention of charging / load testing / checking cables and terminals on your battery.----That might be a good idea.
 

TimTJR

Seaman
Joined
May 17, 2018
Messages
69
Thanks for your reply Racerone. I don't think water got in the gas. But I guess it's always possible. It was stored outside under a boat cover. It does have a water separator on it. I had all the batteries on trickle charge for a few days before starting it. I didn't test the voltage but the battery sure didn't seem to get weak with all that cranking. Would the battery cause it to sputter? I never heard of that but I'm not an expert mechanic. I am more of a mediocre mechanic. I can check the voltage of the battery today.
 

racerone

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Messages
38,888
Test for spark on a test device.------All plugs in.------See if spark will jump a gap of 3/8" on all leads.
 
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