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1977 johnson 85hp.. model# 85EL77S

C

Caddy1989

New member
Short story.. Bought 3 months ago, always been a pain to start. Once started 99% of the time easy to start again within 6-10 hours or so.. then a PITA to start if sitting longer.... from previous owner to now still the case (maybe slightly better now)
Long story... replaced starter, plugs, fuel pump, did replace starter silonoid but ended up shorting out (old one works), all grounds, cleaned all wire terminations (ALL), my dashboard doesn't work and apparently wasn't hooked back up when the motor was put in and/or I bought it (possible issue??) Only thing that works is the over heat alarm which is 50/50% hooked up to hose which I've always shut off the engine right away and a 0% chance in the water. Once running runs great! Tubing, trolling. Doesn't matter runs great slow or fast

Mainly 2 questions I have....
#1 Why hard start? If I do the start up sequence prime, vent tank, idle lever up, choke, start... it takes longer than it should... and seems when I have the idle lever in just the right spot (flipping it up and down 1/2 inch about 3/4 max lever movement, it popps) its always no,no,no,no, yep starts like poof magic. I can bypass this by a squart of 50:1 gas into the intake and starts right up no matter where the idle lever sits hot or cold...
#2 what makes the cold start up different than the warm start up..

1 more question my starter to flywheel teeth engage 1/8 to 1/4 and my new starter is showing wear on just the top of the teeth... could a simple slip be causing these issues and I bought aftermarket should I buy oem?? Probably should but could that be the issue
 
Does the timer base rotate slightly when you raise idle lever to your start position, yes or no ?----Have you tried adjusting the choke solenoid ?----I would inspect the old starter to see if there is anything wrong with it.----Easy to do.
 
Old starter looks like the new one.. in the sense that the top of the teeth seem smashed back slightly. I know the have a taper on them but the new and old starter have gouges in the taper of the starter gear.. is there some height shim? Or were both after market and not exactly compatible? I'm thinking 1/8-1/4 inch engagement is very minimal... yes as I move the lever I see the timer base rotate... altho.. first half of lever movement seems to move timer base the most after halfway it moves little about a quarter of what it did up to half
 
Choke solenoid wasn't engaging 100% before cleaning the ground now have a good snap sound.. although possibly sync both carbs being the issue... how to book is pretty vague
 
???-----On the numbers above , they mean nothing.----Have you tried adjusting the choke solenoid , yes , no or no idea on what I talk about.----Note------I could rebuild a motor like that from top to bottom without a glance at a manual !!
 
No haven't adjusted choke solenoid. ( cleaned ground and other wire contacts) now it sucks in with a solid click.. and also haven't synced carbs.. don't look bad but manual is kinda vague in process... I understand no choke both are full open and key pushed in is (choke) both closed.. and that one being more open or closed than the other can be an issue. Not 100% sure how to sync carbs and or adjust choke solenoid other than the screw and link stop thing don't know the technical term
Does this sound like a strong possibility? And how to check and or do
 
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