Motor wont run in water but runs fine out of it.

[Becauseican]

i have 1985 johnson 40 hp. 1 day i killed it on lake and couldnt get it to start again. i then put new carb kits in it but then it would run fine on muffs and would start fine in the lake but when i engaged gears in the lake it would die so i idled it up a little and now can just idle around bit when i give to much throttle it dies. i done a compression check (without the throttle open) and got 135 on 1 cylinder and 130 on other. i am thinking of taking carbs off and taking them to boat shop and letting them put the kits in. any suggestions?

 

[Betterthannothin]

Re: Motor wont run in water but runs fine out of it.

Check your plugs and wires. I had an issue with mine that I chased for an entire month, turns out it was just my wires. Get it running on muffs and grab the wires one at a time, you will know very quickly if they are bad.

 

[1946Zephyr]

Re: Motor wont run in water but runs fine out of it.

Yep, you have an issue with a coil or wires. . I had a customer with this kind of issue and he found out it was a bad coil.

 

[ONERCBOATER]

Re: Motor wont run in water but runs fine out of it.

if you have a compression tester it might be worth a look too, running in the water puts more back pressure on the engine.

Sean

 

[Becauseican]

Re: Motor wont run in water but runs fine out of it.

I already check the spark. had a good blue spaek on both plugs. i forgot to mention when i put kits in carb i was not able to get the 1 jet out of the bottom of 1 of the carbs before i soaked it. also half the kit i wasnt able to replace. just the float and neddle valve. maybe i didnt do a good enough job?

 

[Betterthannothin]

Re: Motor wont run in water but runs fine out of it.

the smallest little speck can cause you problems with the jets, you shoud tear them down again and do a GOOD cleaning use compressed air to blow out everything. >>>>>>> BTW I had good spark to when I was on land and feet dry, but when the cowlings were on and running there was a short in one of the wires. It cant hurt to check them again. Good luck.

 

[boobie]

Re: Motor wont run in water but runs fine out of it.

Did you check the spark with the plugs or with an open air gap tester set at 7/16"??