Old Motor Problems (Grrr) - to fix or to repower?

General Boats and Motors
1

Hey everyone, long time no-postie.

I am just about tired of throwing money (and gasoline) at my 1989 Johnson 140, over the course of last summer it developed a problem that has me about ready to demote it to anchor/reef status. (I already revived it from a sand-filled goner 3 years ago, here’s the link to the thread about the boat and the wreck:
http://old.charlestonfishing.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=83565)

For starters, it burns oil like crazy. I’m still using the VRO; which I imagine is the culprit. So I’m faced with replacing it to the tune of $400, or switch it over to premix with that kit. But the real concerning problem is as follows:

The motor will sporatically cuts out. Not a spit or a sputter or a bog or a hesitation, but totally cuts out. Sometimes it’s more like a hiccup, others it just totally shuts off. It usually takes a little time to crank back up. When the problem first arose, it would persist for about 20-30 minutes, then it seemed to run fine after that. Now it’s practically unusable because it’s so dang unreliable. Not to mention, last time I used it, it took me 30 minutes to get it fired again after it conked out. The ignition switch is OK.

I suspect it’s someting electrical, because it’s either runs or it doesn’t. When it’s running, it sounds just fine. Only once that I can recall it did run, but seemed to lack power. I replaced the coils with new ones last year, no change in the problem.

I’m at a loss, and frankly I don’t want to throw parts at a 22 year old motor unless I can identify the problem wiht reasonable certainty.

So, my question is two-fold. WHAT could be wrong with this thing? (Power Pack? Stator? Some type of crank position sensor or magneto?)

-or, in the alternative-

What’s a good source or some tips to find a good used motor? I’m thinking a 10-ish year old Yamaha 115/130/150, or just about any 4 storke/DFI two if I can get a good deal on it. I’d love an F150, but I think they are just a little too heavy and a little out o

2

fixing it shouldnt be a problem, as long as it will fail so it can be tested.

www.teamcharlestonmarine.com
www.joinrfa.org

3

I had a '91 Johnson 115 that developed a similar problem. It would run for a while then just stop and would not restart right away for various amounts of time. I started with a power pack which did not cure it. I finally chased it down to a short in the stator. When it got warm the short would occur then go back to a no fault condition when it cooled down. If you have a service manual it will tell you how to troubleshoot the stator windings. Like Chris V says, you have to be ready to test when it fails.

Iain Pelto
Edgewater 185CC “Jumpin’ Bean II”
Native Manta Ray 14

4

Thanks for the input. I’m trying to commandeer a service manual as we speak–any recomendations on which one to get? I’ve seen an official shop manual on e-bay, as well as the manuals they sell at west marine. I’ve also parused some .pdf sites on the web, but feel kinds iffy about that.

A few questions - are aftermarket stator/timer base/power packs (like Sierra, CDI) of acceptable quality and reliability, or should I stick with BRP parts?

What is the P/N for a Non-VRO fuel pump? I’m having trouble finding one.

Any advice on removing/replacing the flywheel? Mainly, what’s an easy way to hold it steady for re-torquing if I end up taking it off?

I’ve got got some electronics on the boat that easily draw over 9 amps (what I understand the stator’s capacity to be), I try to keep the battery charged to handle the load, but could it damage the charging & ignition system by demanding more power that it’s capable of producing?

Baker
Old, beat up 17’ McKee