1984 Johnson 4hp Seahorse general informations needed

Hello all
I recently acquired a 1984 Johnson 4hp seahorse for my little Danica 16 sailboat
model BJBRHCRM
serial B014047
External tank neutral and forward gears, normal shaft. Thought it was long shaft but compared to my two seagulls it's almost certain to short shaft...ooops Still workable though

I'm curious about a couple things
(Forgive my ignorance but my experience up to know has been with fixing and using British Seagull motors)

The motor runs though to me it seems a little rough though I'm not familiar with the motor
It sometimes smokes almost as much as my Seagull which was 25-1 though the gas I have was in the tank when I bought it and I'm not exactly sure what mixture the rough and ready PO used, could be oil rich

I haven't run it for more than a couple minutes yet and only in a garbage bin of water
It starts easy, first pull
But doesn't seem to really start winding up till I move the throttle past the 'starting' point
(Another I saw on youtube internet seemed to be running like crazy at the starting point whiiiirrrrrrr)
Also the mixture adjustment knob seems to be not present and there's a little cap/seal there
So:
Where do I look for water flow?? It seems to dribble out the slit-like ports on the upper leg, Should it be spraying out, misting, a gieser?? When I run it in the bucket the cavitation plate is a good 2-4 inches below the water)

oh and anyone know a source of specs/ manual for this motor
THanks alot any info/help is much appreciated

model BJ4BRHCRM
serial B014047

(sorry left out the 4 in the model number when I wrote it initially

To remove the lower cover, I just loosen the 2 large flathead screws front and back and remove the choke knob? yes?

THanks so much for all the suggestions.
I'll pop out to my folks where my sailboat and engines live in the off season(I don't know why they object to me test running them in my apartment??!!) and do a compression test. I'll try and pick up an impeller enroute. I'll check the compression, if that's okay then I'll clean and gap the plugs (what's the gap for these)and check the spark, and if that's okay maybe yank off the gearbox and replace the impeller. then try firing it up again. One step at a time though

Are there any pitfalls to avoid in removing the lower cowling for the compression check(also to get a better general look at things) and then the bottom end for the impeller ??

Any quirks of this engine I should know about?, it looks pretty basic
i'll get a picture or two too.

So
I tested the compression on both cylinders and they both read between about 84-89 ish
I also tested the spark, good bright spark on leads jumping a 1/4" plus gap
I also tested it with the plugs (which I hadn't gapped yet) the plug was much smaller but it was still there
I picked up an impeller ($25...I might've got burned!) and I'll install that in the next couple days
I put up a few photos with the lower cowling off

It looks like it should have an air cleaner assembly with looks to be missing.
Is that right?

Otherwise it seems to be in good shape at least visually

By the way the engine will rev right up but I have to put the throttle way past the starting point, pretty well on the side of the cowling. Could this just be a throttle adjustment issue?

Another thing I was wondering about was: When I was pumping fuel into it with the bulb on the hose (the hose it quite old and stiff, the bulb is more supple) the bulb would flatten out right away and take a bit to expand again, though the tank valve was open. Is this just a crappy old hose or something with the fuel pump/lines??

Once again excuse my ignorant questions, the Seagull engines I've worked on are very rudimentary comparatively (that's what's cool about them actually)

THanks a lot!
I thought it was choke out , to start when cold, and then push it in to run after a short bit,. Did I have it backwards??!!
oy vey!
I'll start with the impeller, and then move on to the fuel lines.
My father says the plugs are fine, but new ones are cheap and then I'll have spares anyway.
It's a cute little motor and I like that it has an external tank, good for keeping weight off the extreme back of the sailboat.
Also longer range

Out of curiousity what does the carb have that whitish plastic square unit around it ..it sure looks like something is supposed to mount on it. I can't figure another reason for it??

Excuse the blurry picture but is this what a worn impeller looks like?
(remember I'm a seagull guy!)
The 'blades' are curled and quite soft

The new one has stiffer perfectly straight blades

Better photo
the inside of the pump looks good
I'm pretty sure this impeller is done, though it doesn't seem to want to come off!

The shaft has a fair amount of spotty surface corrosion

THe drive shaft pulls right out...from both ends
there's a little O -ring at the top and it looks pretty good
I cleaned up the shaft with steel wool and it looks good.
Some tapping and a little WD40 got the old impeller off
The shaft did pull right out of the bottom end when I tired to initially slide the impeller off
and when I had the bottom end turned sideways(i was cleaning the vents...my barrel had fir needles in it.) and some oil leaked out the drive shaft I believe, the oil looks good though, clear and greenish. I guess I'll have to top up the lower end

the shaft goes easily back into the bottom end , i did it gently to avoid damaging the seals if possible and with a bit of back and forth slides down into place nicely.

Does that sound all okay?

Poop! The drive shaft already came out
It seats back in and turns the prop
Can it still be amiss and should I take the gearbox apart now to check it?

by the way
I really appreciate all the help!!

Excellent
THanks again
It seems to spin smoothly and I managed to get the lower unit installed back onto the leg with a bit of gentle jiggling and cursing
Now to look up gear oil and maybe get some plugs, and test out the water circulation prior to doing fuel lines etc.

Fired it up today in the barrel after topping up the lower end oil. It's definitely putting out a fine mist, so that's good
Thanks for the help on that!

Still seems to un a little rough at slower speeds but that could be the fuel system components which I will go over

Supposedly the carb was cleaned but probably best not to assume it was done thoroughly

A couple questions if I may:

- My recoil/rewind starter works fine but is pretty rackety sounding recoiling back in . Is that normal??

- how hard is it to get at the points?

- Does this unit have timing of any sort to adjust??

Well
I gapped and installed the new champion plugs I bought the other day
Then I hooked up a timing light(I used my car battery to power it as it was an automotive timing light)
And clipped the inductive unit onto each lead in turn

Looking at roughly the front of the engine (where the throttle etc is)the flywheel mark sat just above the portside of the two marks (tiller side)for both cylinders. Definitely NOT in the center, but close

I noticed though i was getting a fine mist out the exhaust relief (I could see it some but mostly I would put my hand in front of it and it would be immediately wet) the engine still seemed to be getting pretty hot. If I splashed some water on the side of the block it would steam and immediately evaporate.Normal?? I put my hand on it and after 2 seconds I wanted to take it right off

I did try briefly to adjust the slow idle via the slot screw. It has a kind of retaining nut around it as well. Though I turned the slot crew in a little and the engine ran faster, it also seemed to smoke more which gave me the willies

I did download a service manual(which is for a zillion models for almost 20 years) and will go over the idle adjustment section again. The timing was the same after any idle adjustment

Looking at the white unit http://www.ebay.com/itm/Johnson-Evin...85a7d8&vxp=mtri noticed that somebody had shortened the unit which restricted the faster end of the throttle adjustment. It might've been the same fellow who chopped the choke knob which now fastens to it's stub with a Robertson wood screw(hilarious...but it works) I have to get an SS one though or buy a new choke pull.

I didn't get around to exploring the engine sync

I'm not sure if it has been run in salt water. I'll look into saltaway though

Should I be concerned about the slightly off timing?

Next up is the engine sync and idle adjustment..I might've been going at it backwards. I did have it in a barrel of water well above the cavitation plate and in gear when I was adjusting before.

The flat exhaust cover being the largish square metal plate bolted onto the head? Yes I was putting my hand on that. aha!
I'll check it again elsewhere. I haven't pulled the rewind off (it's part of the cowing top) and pulled the flywheel to get at the points yet..though i think I have a puller somewhere. So I haven't set or checked the points.
Sadly to get out on the water I have to hook up my sailboat and drive across town to the launch, an all day affair (including set up and take down of rig) However I might try it. i do have a little dinghy I could maybe try it on that I can move a lot easier...I wish I lived right on the water!

Thanks again!

There was just a very little bit of fuel in the tank(maybe 1/4 gallon) I was told it was fresh but I added a couple of fresh gallons to it with the appropriate amount of marine 2 stroke oil.
i'll get a tach on the motor when i adjust the idle .
Do I set the throttle to the point where I can shift and then adjust it to 800 rpm or do i set the throttle to 800 rpm and then adjust it in till it coughs and then back out again?

So I was checking the temperture a bit more
I put my hand on the head near the plugs after it was running for a short bit and counted 1 thousand 2 thousand . and by 2 thousand I had to yank my hand off as it was definitely very hot.
I set the idle to 1.5 turns out but haven't adjusted it in because I'm unsure if I'm over heating it or not (I feel a little stupid about all this as I'm usually pretty mechanically savvy)

The other thing that has me a little baffled is adjusting the sync. Depsite having the manual I can't really see how you're supposed to adjust it. I was watching the butterfly and it doesn't start to move until the two markers on the cam are waaaaaaay past it , at least and inch if not more. The cam looks like it sits in one spot and I can't see how you adjust the throttle linkage.

Thanks a lot, Some good pictures and diagrams!
I can get salt-away locally, it's not cheap but i'll phone around and price it out
I'll make an alligator clip unit too(i have a few old alligator clip leads from working on guitar amps) and adjust that tomorrow. I'm pretty sure it's currently off
I don't know if my tach works for a 2 cylinder outboard as it's a automotive one,. I'll mess with it a bit more and see if my father has a different one

As far as water coming out the exhaust relief(slots halfway up the leg) I can see a very fine mist and some dribbles out of the slots. If I put my hand in front it gets wet. Should THere be greater evidence of water circulation than that. I've been trying to research it but haven't found anything that describes it conclusively.

HA Cool
A multimeter!
I think my dad has a timing light tach, pretty sure he does
i'll try it and see about pickin up some saltaway and give it a go in the next couple days
Thanks again

Hi and Happy New Year!
I finally picked up some saltaway and ran my engine in it following the directions on the website
The manufacturer suggests a 30 second flushso I did that and then I just read your post and you were suggesting 1/2 hour
Should I give it another long run
Right now I have a mist/fine spray out the upper exhaust slits that wets my hand immediately and there are drips weeping out of all the ports and running down the leg.. Is that about right?
I might run it a little more for kicks
What the heck!

I ran it for about 5-10 minutes and it seems to be much cooler, now I'm messing with the sync

I a adjusted the throttle cam follower screw in a little and it seems to running more where it should
Admittedly I eyeballed the butterfly valve movement usinga combination of watching it and the arm on the outside that moves it.
I think I got it pretty close though. The engine seems to run quite a bit better and it makes more sense with the start and 'switch gear' settings.
Thanks. I'm looking forward to some relatively not freezing and wet weather to try it out in.

THanks again for all the help
I trailer my boat to the launch ,set it up and took it for a spin. The engine ran like a top, seemed a little smoky but I think it's just the cold weather making it look smoky. I ran it for about 30 min at varying speeds, mostly faster and it's a nice little motor, much quieter than my seagull and more poop too!

hmm
well last year I tried the engine on a good 1.5 run pushing my 950 lbs full keel little sailboat to a marina and back. It ran well, a sort of a test run.
I will say that near the end of this run we were cut off several times by very large power boats and the huge crisscrossing wakes swamped and stalled my motor. TWICE. It did start each time after.
At home I drained the carb of gas and ran it it in fresh water.
Then a few weeks later set out on a camping trip up a local inlet and as the wind died enroute I started the motor
It ran for about 30 min til I started smelling burnt melted plastic..i didn't think anything of it as the motor seemed to be running well, no smoke, so I thought it was from the shore. A few minutes later of course the motor is starting to smoke and run down. I shut it down and as there was the lightest of breezes we sailed to a little island we could camp on.
When we decided to leave a couple days later there was a wind so I sailed and then it disappeared and we were a ways from the boat ramp (4-5km) So I started the motor. Surprisingly it ran, Not perfectly but it was enough to limp back to the ramp at a decent clip.
I believe I ran it out of gas and ran it in fresh water.
But I decided to delve further into it today and test it's compression.
When i got the spark plugs out one of them was filled with what looked like a water oil slurry (partially frozen as it's coldish here)
There was a similar looking goop in the cylinder
the other didn't look great but a lot cleaner
i went to test the compression. the motor didn't want to turn over
I coaxed it a bit and it started to turn...I probably should've put some diesel or WD40 in their but I'm a best impatient.
So I tested the compression as is and I got about 64 on the nicer looking cylinder and somewhere between 56-64 on the nasty looking one
There was an air hissing sound from the fuel pump/carb area of the motor
It's likely a pretty unhappy motor yes?

ooops Did a really good one. When I was testing compression i was using the long insert for the compression tester rather than the short one...yeah!
Anywho with the proper attachment I get about 84 psi in one and about 82 in the more goopy cylinder. I think that's what it should be
I cleaned the plugs and spray alot of WD40 in the cylinders and let it sit for a while sparkplug holes up to make sure the rings were free (in case they'd rusted up
The motor runs but seems like it could be missing (could be last seasons gas) and I want to pull the lower unit off and check the impeller to see if I cooked that whole unit
Something was amiss..

If one of the cylinders is gooped up, it may be an ignition problem on that cylinder.
Check the secondary resistance on the ignition coil for the cylinder in question.

Check spark with a open air spark gap tester. You say the engine got swamped a few times get new points and condensers and pull the flywheel. The black coils are real durable but if one is cracked just replace both with the new light green coils.

I checked the spark and there seemed to be a goodly amount earlier. I alligator clipped the plug to the block and turned it over. Big spark on both plugs, looked more yellowy orange than your usual deal, but definitely present, My brother on listening to it seemed to think it was 'missing on the top end' I understand the missing part, not the top end bit.

I think I discovered the melted plastic smell...it was the actual removable plastic lower part of the cowling around the sparkplugs melting. I can see it's slightly deformed and wasn't before. Is it easy for the cooling intakes on these engines to be plugged?

I'll look at the ignition too.Thanks for the tip!
Dragged the engine back to my apartment/shop (haha) It's currently gooping out grey sludge from the lower exhaust into a cardboard box.

Oh and how do check the secondary resistance on the ignition coil..I'll look it up too.