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1987 90 horse Johnson power issues

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maxmarinelli

New member
Ive got a 90 horse Johnson that stopped running last season. let it sit for the winter and just rebuilt the carbs and went to go start it up and there is no crank or trim. the battery has full voltage and it is the correct key. Im not great with wiring but I took the stater solenoid out and tested it and thats fine.
I also jumped the solenoid while in the boat and got the boat running. the key works to keep the boat running and shut it off but will not crank the motor or allow me to use trim even while the motor is running. included a diagram of a 86 90 horse the fuse seen just after the solenoid is still good. Could anyone shed some light on what this could be? I really want the boat in the water!! 1986_90_115.jpg
 
I'm sure some smarter guys will come along, but to me it sounds like two different issues. The trim should not be affected by the ignition switch in any way. It should work whether the key is on or off. So either you have a bad trim switch, or a bad motor. Have you tested to see if you have power at the trim motor when the switch is pushed?
BUT it does sound like you have a bad ignition switch. Have you taken your control box apart and looked at the wires and connections for shorts?
Could the trim wire and ignition wire be shorting each other? I don't know enough to answer that.
 
riopga said:
I'm sure some smarter guys will come along, but to me it sounds like two different issues. The trim should not be affected by the ignition switch in any way. It should work whether the key is on or off. So either you have a bad trim switch, or a bad motor. Have you tested to see if you have power at the trim motor when the switch is pushed?
BUT it does sound like you have a bad ignition switch. Have you taken your control box apart and looked at the wires and connections for shorts?
Could the trim wire and ignition wire be shorting each other? I don't know enough to answer that.
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seeing that the trim worked great last year I would assume the trim motor is fine but i will be sure to test that. I am confused at why these problems that sound unrelated both happned at the same time and why the if the ignition switch is bad why would it allow me to run the motor and shut it off but not allow me to crank the motor? Anyway do you know where I could source either new controls or a new ignition switch?
 
I have a 1990 90 hp, and it has a tilt n trim switch on the motor as well as at the controls. Does yours have that? It would be an easy way to test the trim motor. And you definitely could be right, they could be related. If they are, I think that would have to be a short.
You can get a new ignition switch on this site, Find your year model and check out the diagrams. Entire new controls will be very expensive. Changing an ignition switch isn't that difficult. Just take a picture of how everything is hooked up before you start disconnecting anything.
 
riopga said:
I have a 1990 90 hp, and it has a tilt n trim switch on the motor as well as at the controls. Does yours have that? It would be an easy way to test the trim motor. And you definitely could be right, they could be related. If they are, I think that would have to be a short.
You can get a new ignition switch on this site, Find your year model and check out the diagrams. Entire new controls will be very expensive. Changing an ignition switch isn't that difficult. Just take a picture of how everything is hooked up before you start disconnecting anything.
Click to expand...


im not sure if i understand your question. I have the controls on the console and they say omc on them.
 
Right. My motor has another switch on the lower cowling of the engine itself. Looking at the diagram for 1987, yours did not. Your tilt n trim does have two relays inside a small black box on the back part of the engine. They may have gone out.
You are probably going to have to open up your control box and see what is going on inside of it. Or wait for more knowledgeable folks to see your post. They may have more answers for you.
 
riopga said:
Right. My motor has another switch on the lower cowling of the engine itself. Looking at the diagram for 1987, yours did not. Your tilt n trim does have two relays inside a small black box on the back part of the engine. They may have gone out.
You are probably going to have to open up your control box and see what is going on inside of it. Or wait for more knowledgeable folks to see your post. They may have more answers for you.
Click to expand...


just went and opened up the controls looks like the kill switch is cut off but im pretty sure the boat ran without it last year anyway. but i did notice the trim is a seperate wire and does not tie into the ignition switch at the controls at any point. after opening it im left with the question of how i would test the ignition switch to see if it is bad and also how to test the relays you refereed to
 
UPDATE---


Found a bad wire in the motor that was causing this problem.

unrelated problem--- how do I change the lower end oil for this engine?
 
maxmarinelli said:
UPDATE---


Found a bad wire in the motor that was causing this problem.

unrelated problem--- how do I change the lower end oil for this engine?
Click to expand...

Glad you found it!

There are two big screws in the lower unit. One high , one low. When you remove them the oil will pour out the bottom. Be careful not to lose the rubber washers.

Fill from the bottom hole until oil is coming out the top hole, then put in the bottom screw then the top screw.
 
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