Why is my outboard dying?

[nskinn]

Yesterday I motored my 23 foot sailboat out for 20 minutes to the middle of Lake Washington, put it neutral for about 5 minutes, then when I shifted into forward the motor had almost no power. It wouldn't go faster than 1 knot. I noticed that for about one minute there was only a spray coming out of the pee-hole, then I reduced the throttle and a strong stream resumed. After a few minutes I shifted back into neutral and then forward again and then it died and wouldn't start. I tried removing and cleaning the spark plugs.

It was pretty windy out and my boat drifted to a beach with the keel bumping against the sand. I called for a $200 tow to take me 20 minutes back to the marina.

I haven't been sailing by myself yet, or I would have raised the sail. Can you raise the sail when the wind is blowing from the stern? Every time I tried to point the bow into the wind, the sailboat just turned downwind.

It is a 1992 9.9hp Johnson outboard that the mechanic described as "well used". I recently spent $225 to have the carbs cleaned. It has remote controls that are pretty finicky. When I shift from forward into neutral the rpms rev up pretty high. I can then lower the throttle to low rpms and shift into reverse, but then the outboard revs up to high rpms and wants to jump out of the water.

 

[Joe]

Did you open the gas tank vent? Next, call the "mechanic" and ask him why it's running so crappy after he worked on it. If it's not a fuel supply problem, you may have internal issues, so you're talking about a re build.

But first, you should consider replacing the control cables, they wear out, get sticky and make life difficult. Morse or Teleflex... take the old ones into the chandlery to match them up. You'll be happy.

re: raising the main. Hoist it a little bit to get the boat moving(leave a sail tie on to keep it under control), then steer into the wind. Leave the tiller free to swing, and fix the boom amidship. Hoist away. (remove the tie!) With the boom fixed and the tiller free, the whole boat will act like a wind vane and try to head up. Once the sail is up, go back to the cockpit and tie off the tiller onto a close reach, then hoist the jib. If your halyards run aft to the cockpit, steer with the tiller between your knees while you hoist the sails. A few turns on the winch will help you pull them up by hand. Shouldn't have to grind.

BTW, when I'm single handing I raise the main at the dock, unless I'm pointed dead down wind (makes it hard to back up) Keep the mainsail sheeted tight while motoring to reduce flogging, don't raise the jib till you start start sailing for the same reason.

 

[tommays]

It sounds like the remote is not adjusted correctly amound other issues

When you throttle down to shift it should NOT go to high RPMs

When you shift into reverse there is a LOCK on the motor that moves when the motor is put into reverse and holds it down ,it does not seem to be working

 

[nskinn]

Did you open the gas tank vent? Next, call the "mechanic" and ask him why it's running so crappy after he worked on it. If it's not a fuel supply problem, you may have internal issues, so you're talking about a re build.

The gas tank vent was open. The mechanic just rebuilt the carbs and didn't work on anything else. He kind of implied that my outboard was a piece of junk. I think that I may have to buy a used outboard motor to replace this one.

Thanks for the tips on sailing! I especially like the one about raising the mainsail while still at the dock.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Running aground on a lee shore is not a good thing. Remember, if your motor quits and you do not have any sails up, then you can always throw out an anchor to hold you in place (hopefully it will set) and then you can safely sit while you deal with your engine or hoist a sail.
I would take your whole boat to an outboard mechanic and have him/her check it out. There are other things other than fuel supply that can screw up the operation of an outboard. A cracked or bad coil, for example. In my experience, the thing that most violates the proper running of an outboard is the fuel, however. Usually dirt or water in the fuel tank, or gas left in the carb so that it varnishes up.

 

[txtowman]

assuming this is a 2 cycle (oil-mix) unit there are two things you should avoid especially on an older well worn motor

try not to idle the motor any more than necessary, the mix is often too rich and can foul the plugs quickly.

if the engine will be off long enough to cool off don't shut it off, turn off the fuel and let it die.

always use fresh fuel and shake the tank before pumping the bulb in order to mix the gas.

this is just my experience but I have very good results by following these guidelines.

 

[Bob Poff]

This may seem odd, but it worked.

I had troubles with an outboard not wanting to run under load years ago. Took it to the shop a couple of times. Same result. Finally the shop guy asked me how old the primer bulb was. When I told him he said "replace it".

He was right. New primer, all was well.

 

[BobM]

http://www.sschapterpsa.com/ramblings/Johnson_9.9_troubleshooting.htm

http://www.sschapterpsa.com/ramblings/Johnson 9.9_15.htm

Time to get your hands dirty. The links above provide more info than you could possibly imagine about the 9.9. Don't listen to the excuse for a mechanic you went to. The 9.9 has been on more sailboats and logged more knots under power than any other sailboat auxilary in history. Parts are plentiful and, althought there are year to year differences that make the correct manual an absolute necessity, there is no reason to get a new engine short of a melt down.

Pull the cover off the engine and watch everything move as you move the throttle lever. If it is reving high at a shift point than chances are you need to adjust the shift cable or throttle cable. It isn't rocket science. You just need to watch what is going on. First, make sure that the cables aren't binding. They should not be buried under a bunch of gear or trying to make abnormally tight changes in direction. Loops are fine, but tight loops are not.

The shifter lever on the side of the engine case is engaged by the cable via a spring loaded push pin. Disconnect it and put the outboard in neutral (middle of three potential positions). With the shifter in neutral, adjust the threaded adjusting wheel on that cable so that the push pin is best aligned with the lever on the engine then reattach it.

Remove the cover on the engine. Look at how the cable interacts with the engine. There are adjustments of cable length essentially at the carb that set the idle and wide open throttle limits. It may be that your idle is too high. These 2 strokes really can idle pretty slowly with even a lope in the idle and be normal. Needing a high idle is a bad sign and I agree that replacing the priming bulb should be a consideration as well as replacing the water pump impeller. They are normal wear and tear items and I'd replace them on any engine I had, just as preventative measure.

With the engine off move the throttle forward noting the amount of change at the engine. I don't recall the exact details, but setting the idle properly and adjusting the cables so that you have a decent idle and don't over rev should be easily figured out. Go to the links above and get educated. Then get to work and don't leave the dock until you are absolutely sure that the engine is running properly.

 

[Benny]

There are two things you should have done when the engine cut 1) get your sails up and gain steerage or 2) drop your anchor to prevent drifting into shallow water. All you really need is to get the jib up and that can be easily done with the wind behind you, just slack the sheets some. Also if you anchor the boat will usually swing bow to wind which will allow you to easily raise the main and then you can fall off and gain way. Practice and play out scenarios in your mind that way when it happens again you'll know exactly what to do. An unlimited tow insurance membership will cost you around $120 for a year but will take care of towing expenses for as many times as you may need it.

 

[Tom Spohn]

check simple things first. I once had a similar problem when the primer bulb was stowed "upside down" This one had a check valve in it that stopped fuel flow. Also if there is a fuel filter in the line time to replace it.

 

[kloudie1]

Air leak on the suction side of the fuel line is definitely a possibility. The primer bulb is something to consider.. Don't forget to look carefully at the fuel connector too.. The thing that plugs the fuel into the engine.. I have seen a couple of these leak air at the
o-ring inside.. which can cause a very lean mixture and make a 2 stroke engine rev when out of gear. I agree with Bob.. old is not necessarily bad.. I have a 1967 Johnson 6 hp that runs fine.

 

[nskinn]

Thanks for all the help!

I will go work on it this weekend.