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28hp OMC SPL Outboard died while running and now can't get any response from turning key

M

magdin

New member
I have been looking through these forums all day trying to troubleshoot.

I recently bought a 1987 Kennedy pontoon boat with a 28hp outboard that just says SPL on the cover and Outboard Motor Company on the plate. Not sure if it is a Johnson or Evinrude but from what I've read they are essentially the same, mine just doesn't have any branding on it.

I was able to turn over the engine and have it start and run before launching. I submersed the prop up to the bulge in the lower unit (water pump) and ran it for a while, making sure it would idle and put it in FWD and REV for a while which worked too. Launched it and let it idle in the lake for a while. All good. Then I decided to take it for it's maiden voyage under my ownership. It was running good, didn't get going too fast but just putting around. Finally I started to give it some throttle and it ran fine still. After maybe 30 seconds at ~50-75% throttle, it started to falter a bit. I could feel the power reducing and then it just cut out. I tried restarting a few times while out there but forgot to move it back to neutral so I guess it makes sense that didn't work.

I had to paddle back in more wind than I would have liked and barely missed a few obstacles on the way. When I got back, I put it in neutral and confirmed it wouldn't even try to turn over.

Troubleshooting

I first suspected a charging issue since it turned over so nicely three times without much run time but then died about 3 minutes into the first trip on the water. The battery was at 12.3V just sitting there. I did the rectifier check that is posted elsewhere on here (checking continuity between rectifier wires/ground) and that all tested out OK. The fuse on the port side looks fine. I jumped the starter motor off the battery and it would spin and engage but struggled to actually turn the engine. A few times it would engage and then stop, not being able to turn the engine over. Other times it would all but stop when it hit compression but eventually get over that and repeat. Is there some sort of compression release? Not sure why it turned it over so easily before but now is struggling. I can turn the flywheel by hand but obviously need to put some effort in in the compression stroke.

When I try the key, I can hear a click if I press the key in for choke and turn it (pretty sure the click is when I turn it to ON, not START), but don't hear anything (like the starter solenoid) if I don't have the key pressed in. I'm not sure what to look for on the neutral switch. The wiring in the console is a mess. There seems to be one of those studs for killing the engine if you fall out of the boat under the key but I have never had anything connected to it so I don't think that it the issue. I also tried connecting another smaller battery (from my riding lawn mower) to jump the boat battery with no difference.

Any ideas?
 
Johnson / Evinrude 28 HP are the same except for the paint color.----Did you install a new water pump impeller?----Mixing gas / oil at 50:1 in the tank?
 
Are you suggesting a new impeller will fix this issue? I haven't done much work on outboards but this seems to be electrical to me. The crankshaft/flywheel isn't seized and the starter motor will engage and somewhat spin the flywheel if I jump it.

If the impeller is a separate issue, thanks for the suggestion but I'd like to get this figured out first.
 
It is a " golden rule" on a new to you motor.----If you do not know old the impeller is then the motor needs a new one.----
load test your battery.----Check cables from battery to motor.----Take starter apart for inspection / ohm test on armature.
 
Since the motor only needs a battery to crank the engine but not to run.....

You said above:
"I could feel the power reducing and then it just cut out."
And you have no idea of the water pump condition, I suspect you overheated it to the point of failure.
 
I don't think it is seized. I can turn it over by hand using the flywheel.

I did some more testing this morning and ruled out the starter solenoid. If I jump it and give the smaller pin 12V it engaged the starter just fine. I turned the key to ON and jumped the started solenoid again and the engine started right up. What is there between the starter solenoid and the key that may be causing this?

You guys were right about the water pump, I didn't see anything coming out of the tell-tale now that I know what I am looking for. How long would it take to see something? I didn't want to run it too long so I only looked for a few seconds before I ran to turn the key off. The engine died on its own before I got to the key.

Also, how can I tell exactly which model/year I have? The plate on the transom clamp doesn't look like it has any information, probably very old/faded. I haven't been able to find anything stamped on the engine itself either. I'd like to figure out the electrical issue and then order the new impeller and whatever else I need so I can fix it all in one go.

Thanks for all the help so far.

1778430129405.png
 
The only fuse protects the power to the key. The key controls the electric primer (push in on key with key on or crank) & starter solenoid.

2nd picture, remove 2 screws #104, plate #103 & gasket #102.
1st picture, remove LOWER screw #6 & washer #7. Remove nut #67, washer #66 & 4 bolts #5. Lower unit will pull off.

Look up 1987, then 28spl then either J28..... Or E28..... Doesn't matter. Actual model year won't matter either, they are all the same.

Look at that decal from different angles, sometimes it becomes legible. That is the only way to be sure of the year.


1778431825813.jpeg
 

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Awesome, thank you for the helpful diagram!

I checked the fuse and it looks fine but I guess I need to do more testing. I can hear a click when I push the key in when it is in the ON position, but do not hear the starter relay click when I move it to START/CRANK.

Will there be gear oil in the lower unit I need to deal with? Getting the boat launched was a bit difficult and I don't know that I will be able to get it out of the water at the moment. I'm on a lake with no launch so I launched from my beach and got the truck stuck. Luckily I had a scissor lift and was able to launch the boat and then took some work to get the truck unstuck. Not sure I will be able to pull the boat out until I figure something out for traction in the sand.

Therefore my plan was to spin the boat around and pull the back portion of the pontoons up on the beach and do the repair there. But I don't want to get gear oil all over my beach.

Thanks!
 
You won't loose any gear oil.

As for not cranking with key, you obviously have power to the key. But are the connections good? Bad connections equal voltage drop. Solenoid requires more voltage/current than primer.

The neutral safety switch should be in the control. Are you in neutral? Try holding key to crank & slowly move shift lever forward & backwards.

Disconnect big red plug & reconnect it; Maybe bad connection.

Is the key switch good? Check for 12 volts at small terminal of solenoid when you turn key to crank.
 
Ah that's it, thank you! I was going through the rats nest of wiring under the console when I saw your reply. The key had power and I could see 12V at the solenoid connector off the key when it was in the cranking position. It looks like the solenoid wire then goes into the shifter/throttle control and I was about to tear into that. I first tried what you suggested about moving the shift lever slowly through its range and that was the ticket. I just didn't have it perfectly in neutral even though I had tried to do it a few times. I just didn't think to do it with the key on CRANK.

As for the water pump, do I just replace the impeller or the whole kit? I see it sold both ways.

I'm going to have to buy that manual and figure out the wiring better. There is a purple wire coming off the ignition terminal that goes into a black puck thing. That has a purple wire continuing back out from the same terminal into the wiring harness and then another tan wire also coming out and going into the wiring harness.

Thanks so much again!
 

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Buying a whole new pump wasn't that expensive so I just went with that. I found some youtube videos that show the process and it doesn't seem too bad. Thanks for all the help again!
 
Ok I tore into it and replace the entire water pump assembly. It needed it, the impeller was in rough shape and there were chunks of it stuck in the housing.

I put it all back together and now I feel like there is something else wrong. I get a telltale and there is water sputtering out of the upper exhaust so water is at least flowing. However, bubbles are coming from the split in the housing between the midsection and the lower unit where the water pump is. I'm assuming it is exhaust but I don't think it is supposed to be leaking out there. There wasn't any gasket or anything so I'm not sure how it was supposed to really seal but it doesn't seem very well sealed right now. I replaced the two o-rings on the tube above the water pump around the drive shaft and put some marine grease on them. The water pump itself had two gaskets on either side of the lower plate that I replaced. I did have trouble getting the shift rod to go back into it's connector so I was messing with it a bit (after tightening all the bolts on the midsection) to get it to pop back in there and tighten it up.

There is also water leaking from a hole in the front of the midsection just above the lower support bracket.

Did I do something wrong when I put it back together?
 
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Ok so I just want to be certain we're on the same page because now I'm hesitant to damage anything after I jumped the gun initially.

I have water coming from the holes circled in orange in this image and bubbles coming from the case split that I circled in red. I thought all of the exhaust was supposed to come out near the green circle.

So that all seems fine and I'm good to go? I would love to hear it. I just thought that would also mean water is able to get into the lower unit.
 

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You had the lower unit off. The water pump has seals below & the shift shaft has an o-ring. That's all there is. No seal or gasket at the mating surface.
Drive the boat.
 
Ok took it out and it seems to work fine, thanks for the extra confidence. Seems like I might have to clean the carb eventually since it runs a little rough but I'm able to get out and see the lake which is the most important thing. Thanks for all the help!
 
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