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Problems with 1982 Johnson 15 HP - recoil starter and carb

CMOS

Regular Contributor
Howdy All,

I've been working on this motor for a few months and finally got her fired up in the driveway last weekend. She seemed to idle very well. This weekend (Labor Day) was supposed to be its maiden voyage. Lady Luck was not having any of that however. We never got away from the dock. Hoping for some help with a few things I will need to to.

Problem #1 at the boat ramp: When priming the bulb I saw fuel pouring out of the rear part of the lower cowling (float issue I'm betting). I did do a full carb kit in this carb myself, so the leaking fuel was a surprise. I will pull the carb after I fix #2.

Problem #2: I was able to get it started but the idle never did get up to an RPM that was sustainable without me having to slightly advance the throttle. Engine finally died. Could not get it to restart again. However, a secondary and more pressing issue is that I'm having problems with the recoil starter in that there is a red colored "lockout arm" that keeps engaging the starter gear that stops the pull cord from coming out. I now have a sprained wrist due to this. When I try to pull the cord (yes, in NEUTRAL) the cord will come out maybe 1/4 or 1/3 of the way then dead STOP and lock. It's the red arm thingy (darned if I could find what this part is called on Boats.net or my service manual.) I also need to replace the recoil springas the cord does not retract all the way.

So - how do I keep that red arm thingy from engaging the starter gear? See attached pic. It seems to be less prevalent when I back the throttle all the way off, but I do want to be able to advance the throttle (and hence the timing), if necessary, when starting. How to fix this?

I tried to restart the motor in the driveway after the failure at the lake. I could not reproduce the leaking fuel at this time, however I still plan to pull and check the carb after I get the starter issue resolved. And - I just remembered that I forgot to open the fuel tank vent knob this past weekend.....

Thanks for any guidance on this.

CMOS
Recoil.JPG
 
There should be a small wire spring that pushes the arm away from the recoil. Sometimes they are put on wrong or they break if its there it looks like a long wire. That is the safety so you can't start at a high speed in gear. I would guess somebody took the recoil apart already because you just need to wind the recoil spring tighter.
 
Check your fuel pump for leaks. I have a little newer version of your motor and my fuel pump leaked like a sieve last year.
 
im new to boats but the fuel leaking sounds like a fuel pump leak, (similiar situation to mine), i ended up getting a new fuel pump.
 
I would check your float level make sure its level the carb body especially if the leak is new after the rebuild. You can also put a rubber band around the safety cam will work as a makeshift spring until you can get a replacement. Rubberband it to the metal support next to it.
 
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