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60 HP Johnson ignition problem

tims ford

New member
Please help!
I have a 1990 60 hp Johnson. It had no spark, I went through troubleshooting, replaced the power pack, now it starts,idles fine. When I give it full throttle it makes power to 4100 rpm's and starts missing like it's hitting a rev limiter. also a strange note, my compass is spinning very quickly,like I was in a sci-fi movie.
any input would be greatly appreciated
 
if your 60 hp is a model EL/TL or TTL your power pack has two limiters neither should be at or near 4100 rpms. i would un hook the kill wire (the black one ) at the powerpack (p/p). maybe the electrical field thats messing withyour compass is also doing your ignition wrong. according to CDI if at any time 2 volts or over ends up on the kill wire severe damage can occur to your p/p. just a guess but please let us know
 
The kill wire is black with a yellow stripe. You could also have a coil acting up. Put a timing lite on each cyl when the prob occurs, look into it and look for black spots. That's the cyl that is missfiring.
 
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thanks, gkull and boobie I'll try this weekend on the lake. Is it true you should not run an outboard at high rpm's on a garden hose?
 
Just an update. After replacing the rectifier,disconnecting the tach(mechanic told me a shorted tach can cause all kinds of ignition problems),running the boat and getting the same results, I brought the boat to the mechanic. After he tested everything and it all tested fine, he decided to swap out the power pack and it runs perfect. I guess I got beat on my power pack purchase(no returns on electrical items).
 
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