1995 Johnson SPL extra telltale question

[Jimwhall]

I'm bringing back my old Johnson 112 on my '95 Sylvan.

I've had it winterized every year and made ready for summer, but due to some health conditions in the family it didn't get used, and sat under a shrink shack next to a cottage.

Yesterday I put on a battery, the muffs, and put some fogging oil in then manually cranked it to make sure things were lubed up. When I put in the gas it took a couple three minutes but then started right up, ran for awhile, and restarted no problem. Transom is fine. Floors are fine. Telltale is fine.

The issue I run into is this: On the muffs there is a stream of water shooting out the front. Internet searches say everything from 'don't worry about it' to 'if you run it on the water you'll cook the engine'.

Does anyone know why this might be happening? How much do I have to worry if the telltale is fine? AI says to replace the impeller and check gaskets but I've never done that and it's *really* hard to find a mechanic in Northern Michigan who works on these.

 

[Crosbyman]

post a close up pic where water exists the gc ... is it out some hole in the GC ?, watre pressure pick-up for the speedo ?? etc.. water drain hole ??

 

[tphoyt]

If you have never done it do your self a favor and service the gear case with new impeller and gear case oil at the very least.

 

[Mc Tool]

I'm bringing back my old Johnson 112 on my '95 Sylvan.

I've had it winterized every year and made ready for summer, but due to some health conditions in the family it didn't get used, and sat under a shrink shack next to a cottage.

Yesterday I put on a battery, the muffs, and put some fogging oil in then manually cranked it to make sure things were lubed up. When I put in the gas it took a couple three minutes but then started right up, ran for awhile, and restarted no problem. Transom is fine. Floors are fine. Telltale is fine.

The issue I run into is this: On the muffs there is a stream of water shooting out the front. Internet searches say everything from 'don't worry about it' to 'if you run it on the water you'll cook the engine'.

Does anyone know why this might be happening? How much do I have to worry if the telltale is fine? AI says to replace the impeller and check gaskets but I've never done that and it's *really* hard to find a mechanic in Northern Michigan who works on these.

View attachment 416371

Servicing the gear case and water pump is not hard or very technical . I guess it might seem like open heart surgery..... removing the gear case an all, but its pretty straight forward and there are heaps of vids showing how to do it , and basic tools will do it .
If you get a service manual it will show you how to do lots of basic stuff that could save you $$$.

 

[Jimwhall]

Servicing the gear case and water pump is not hard or very technical . I guess it might seem like open heart surgery..... removing the gear case an all, but its pretty straight forward and there are heaps of vids showing how to do it , and basic tools will do it .
If you get a service manual it will show you how to do lots of basic stuff that could save you $$$.

Any idea on why it's shooting water out of the front of the skeg? It's weird.

 

[Crosbyman]

here is one answer from an intelligent place ... fwiw of course.
why would a 112hp jonson gearcase from 1995 shoot out a stream of water from the gearcase for no apparent reaseon or usefulness

On a mid-1990s 112 hp Johnson outboard, a small stream of water coming out of the gearcase area is usually intentional, not a leak or malfunction.
Common reasons:

• Exhaust relief / cooling discharge
  • Some Johnson lower units route a small amount of cooling water into the exhaust housing or out through passages near the gearcase.
  • This helps cool the exhaust and can also reduce noise.
• Speedometer pickup
  • Many older outboards have a tiny hole on the leading edge of the lower unit that picks up water pressure for a boat speedometer.
  • At speed, it can spray or stream water.
• Prop hub exhaust water
  • Cooling water often exits mixed with exhaust around the propeller hub.
  • At idle or on muffs, it may appear as random streams from the lower unit.
• Cavitation plate drain passages
  • Water trapped inside the exhaust housing drains through ports near the gearcase after shutdown or while running.

If the stream is:

• steady and clear → usually normal.
• mixed with oil → possible prop-shaft seal leak or unburned 2-stroke residue.
• hot steam → cooling issue.
• coming from a crack in the housing → damage or freeze crack.

A 1995 Johnson 112 is a carbureted 2-stroke crossflow/V4 era engine, and those motors commonly discharge water from several odd-looking places that seem unnecessary but are part of the cooling/exhaust design.
If you want, you can describe:

• exactly where on the gearcase the stream comes from,
• whether it happens only at idle or while moving,
• and whether the engine was on muffs or in the lake,

and I can probably identify the exact passage or fitting.

when using muffs the water shoots out towrads the front towards the rear of the boat a slod stream about a quarter inch in diameter

That sounds very much like the speedometer pressure port or an exhaust/cooling relief passage on the lower unit of your 1995 Johnson.
If the stream:

• comes from a small hole facing forward on the gearcase,
• shoots toward the stern (rear of the boat),
• is about 1/4 inch diameter on muffs,
• and the motor otherwise cools normally,

then it is probably completely normal.
On many Johnson/Evinrude lower units there is:

• a small pitot/speedometer pickup hole low on the gearcase nose or side,
• or a cooling bypass passage that becomes very noticeable on muffs because garden-hose pressure is often higher than lake pressure at idle.

When running on muffs:

• hose pressure can force water through passages that normally would not visibly spray much in the water,
• producing surprisingly strong streams from odd places.

A few checks:

• Water coming from a clean machined hole = normal.
• Water coming from a crack or corroded spot = problem.
• Engine should still have a good telltale stream and not overheat.

A 1/4-inch solid stream on muffs is actually fairly common on older OMC gearcases.

 

[Jimwhall]

Now that's good to hear. It's shooting out basically in front of the prop.

 

[airshot]

Can you get a pic of the hole that the water comes from ?

 

[Crosbyman]

shooting in front of the prop towards the bottom of the transom ???

 

[saltchuckmatt]

Getting a pic of the actual hole would settle it for sure. If it looks like a hole a manufacturing company would make...it probable is.

Test to see if the overheat alarm system is working...did the motor get hot?

All clues.