Hello everyone,
Well, I thought I was going to be boatless at the lake this weekend but talking to friends and joining this Iboats forum a few years ago helped me troubleshoot an isssue with my engine not starting at the boat dock/launch this past Friday, 11 June 2010. Well, I will tell the story. I had my wife back me down to the water so my outboard, 70 Horsepower, 1983, model# J70ELCTE would not start to save my life. I checked my kill switch, made sure the bulb was firm, made sure I had plenty of gas, pushed in on the key switch while I was cranking, nothing I would do would allow here to fire off and the battery was super strong. So I told me wife to pull us out with my truck and take her back to the campsite. Well, guess what it was? I had to rebuild my bottom carb because for some reason, don't know if it was trash in the needle and seat or a defective needle and seat, that the bottom cylinder chamber was filling up with fuel and choking itself keeping the motor from firing over like it is suppose to do. Well, before I figured this out I kept thinking back at the campsitel what the heck is going on so this past Saturday morning, 12 June 2010, I removed all 3 of the spark plugs and had my wife start it over and sure enough the bottom or number 3 spark plug hole would spray fuel/oil mixture out of it sitting on the trailer back at camp and the top 2 spark plug holes where dry so here I go taking off number 3 or the bottom carb to look inside the carb and so I had a brand new needle and seat assembly still in the factory plastic wrapping in my tool box went and replaced it and then adjusted my float assembly accordingly and reinstalled the carb back on and did a quick cranking up and walla!!!! She immediately fired over but I immediately shut it off because I didn't want to burn up the water pump impeller I replaced earlier this year. So I went ahead and put the air silencer box back on and button her back up and I was beginning to feel good but I wasn't back at the boat dock yet so I wouldn't be fully happy until I heard her running in the water/lake at the boat docks so yeap, my wife and I towed the pontoon boat back to the boating docks and as soon as I hit the key switch, Walla!!! she fired right up and boy I thought it was Christmas Day!!! I was soooooo Haaaaappppppyyyyy with my success. So I propelled my 20' Lowes pontoon boat that my 70 horse Johnson is mounted on and she screamed and with me on the boat by myself got up to 5,600 rpm's at 21 mph. Then I went to the beach right at where my camper is to pick my wife and other friends at and went out for a GREAT!!! day at the lake with no other issues the rest of today. Also, she idles out of gear in neutral at 1,300 rpms which isn't too awful bad. Take care, Bob
Well, I thought I was going to be boatless at the lake this weekend but talking to friends and joining this Iboats forum a few years ago helped me troubleshoot an isssue with my engine not starting at the boat dock/launch this past Friday, 11 June 2010. Well, I will tell the story. I had my wife back me down to the water so my outboard, 70 Horsepower, 1983, model# J70ELCTE would not start to save my life. I checked my kill switch, made sure the bulb was firm, made sure I had plenty of gas, pushed in on the key switch while I was cranking, nothing I would do would allow here to fire off and the battery was super strong. So I told me wife to pull us out with my truck and take her back to the campsite. Well, guess what it was? I had to rebuild my bottom carb because for some reason, don't know if it was trash in the needle and seat or a defective needle and seat, that the bottom cylinder chamber was filling up with fuel and choking itself keeping the motor from firing over like it is suppose to do. Well, before I figured this out I kept thinking back at the campsitel what the heck is going on so this past Saturday morning, 12 June 2010, I removed all 3 of the spark plugs and had my wife start it over and sure enough the bottom or number 3 spark plug hole would spray fuel/oil mixture out of it sitting on the trailer back at camp and the top 2 spark plug holes where dry so here I go taking off number 3 or the bottom carb to look inside the carb and so I had a brand new needle and seat assembly still in the factory plastic wrapping in my tool box went and replaced it and then adjusted my float assembly accordingly and reinstalled the carb back on and did a quick cranking up and walla!!!! She immediately fired over but I immediately shut it off because I didn't want to burn up the water pump impeller I replaced earlier this year. So I went ahead and put the air silencer box back on and button her back up and I was beginning to feel good but I wasn't back at the boat dock yet so I wouldn't be fully happy until I heard her running in the water/lake at the boat docks so yeap, my wife and I towed the pontoon boat back to the boating docks and as soon as I hit the key switch, Walla!!! she fired right up and boy I thought it was Christmas Day!!! I was soooooo Haaaaappppppyyyyy with my success. So I propelled my 20' Lowes pontoon boat that my 70 horse Johnson is mounted on and she screamed and with me on the boat by myself got up to 5,600 rpm's at 21 mph. Then I went to the beach right at where my camper is to pick my wife and other friends at and went out for a GREAT!!! day at the lake with no other issues the rest of today. Also, she idles out of gear in neutral at 1,300 rpms which isn't too awful bad. Take care, Bob
