94 Ocean Runner 225 Ignition Timing Question

EastonRob

Recruit
Joined
Jul 2, 2021
Messages
3
All, I'm new to the forum but looking for help keeping a Johnson 94 Ocean Runner 225 alive. I basically inherited it from my late father-in-law a couple of years ago. I believe age and neglected maintenance are catching up with it, and I've been struggling to keep it running reliably.

Right now I'm trying to set idle timing correctly. I have service manual, and last year I was able to do this correctly. This year I can't seem to be able to adjust the idle timing at all. It's kind of stuck between 0 and 2 degrees BTDC, and the idle, while often inconsistent, seems to stay in the 1100 to 1500 range. When I try to retard that with the adjustment screw, the timing mark doesn't really seem to move, although I might hear the motor hesitate briefly before resuming it's strong (and high) idle. At some point of trying to keep retarding the timing it will then just die, like I've pushed it too far. During all that time I never see the pointer mark really move though, and the idle speed never really drops until the motor actually just dies.

Is this a timer base or stator issue? Looking to narrow my troubleshooting a bit. Not being able to set a smooth, reasonable idle has made it difficult to troubleshoot and adjust other things, like carb mixture, QuickStart, etc. Boat runs pretty well above idle, although I sense she might be leaving some HP on the table due to timing, fuel mixture, or lync/sync not being 100% optimized (I have followed service manual for this process, but....well, I'm learning).

Some more info:
1. Recent compression test I did showed about 95 to 100 psi on all 6 (motor wasn't really hot at time).
2. Rebuilt carbs last summer, and I struggled to get the bowls and side plates to seal properly, as I think there is some warpage.
3. PowerPack was replaced with CDI unit two year ago (IIRC)
4. Plugs are new and gapped properly (should be correct plug)
5. Brand new VRO pump installed last week
6. Fuel and oil supply lines and primer bulbs are new

Thanks for any and all help.

rob
 

racerone

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Messages
38,876
Looks like a lot of money spent on parts so far.---Sorry-----Maximum timing advance is set at the factory and does not change for the life of the motor.-----And idle timing looks after itself.---Yes it does.-----Or should I say that idle timing is the point where throttle plates open.-----Be careful if you decide to make adjustments.-----What other trouble shooting have you done ?-----Why was the BIG $$ VRO pump replaced ?
 

EastonRob

Recruit
Joined
Jul 2, 2021
Messages
3
Are we sure we are talking about the same motor? 94 Ocean Runner V6 looper 225? Not trying to be impertinent, but that runs counter to what I've read online and in the service manual.

VRO unit was replaced as it started giving me intermittent low oil alarms last year. Typically it would happen after running at speed and then going into idle or trolling speed. Guests on the boat aren't comforted by the noisy alarm even if it went away with a quick pump or two on the oil bulb. I chased a lot of possible causes, and even tried an aftermarket VRO. Finally went with OEM VRO and it seems to be working fine now.

Thanks for the help.
 

flyingscott

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Apr 8, 2014
Messages
8,221
Doe that have the optical ignition on it? Did you defeat the qwik start? What is the motor doing?
 

EastonRob

Recruit
Joined
Jul 2, 2021
Messages
3
No, I don't think the 225's have the optical sensor. From what I've read in the past I believe that's 175 and below (someone can correct me).

It's had a LOT of symptoms due to multiple issues and neglected maintenance, I'm sure. I've still got to tackle the shift interrupt issue (or lack therefor, it's not engaging at all). It's always run decently well above idle. The main thing I'm trying to do now is get a nice, stable idle roughly in the area it should be and also make sure it doesn't stall coming in to dock (has a nasty habit of doing that just as I'm trying to slow the boat down, usually with the wind at my stern).

I'd also like to do a better job with the carb idle mixture adjustment, but it's hard to do when the idle does what it wants.

I forgot how to disable the QuickStart. One of my theories was that it wasn't coming out of QuickStart, but it's hard to verify when the idle is high (QuickStart is disabled above 1100 RPM, from what I've read).

Thanks again.
 
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