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1990 Johnson GT150 starter/starting issues

P

Pat Carroll

New member
I am about to install the third starter on my 1990 Johnson GT150 in the last year. I know for a fact that I am using the correct part number. What seems to be happening is the starter overheats and then fails. After trying today to start the motor for only half a minute or so the housing on the outside of the motor is too hot to touch. It acts like the battery doesn't have enough power to turn the motor over. It hesitates instead of spinning smoothly. I know my battery is good. I had it tested today and it showed to be overcharged with 855 CCA when it is rated at 800. This is the second time I have had this same problem in the last 6 months.

I wonder if I am ruining the starters by running the starter for too long on days when I have problems getting the motor started. Some days the motor starts and runs basically right off the trailer and other days it won't start at all. On days when I am having trouble getting the motor started how long should I try starting it before I give it a rest so I don't ruin another starter?

I am not sure why some days the motor starts and runs perfectly from the jump and other days I end up running the battery down and going home without fishing a lick. I follow the same starting procedure every time yet it seems that sometimes the motor floods out. Should I be doing something differently based on the air temperature? It is definitely harder to start on cold days.
 
I can assure you that if your motor is in good condition and you are using the correct procedure , it will start right up.--------So outline YOUR starting procedure in some detail so we can possibly help.----Are you pushing the key in to start it?-Have you done a compression test ?---How long have you owned it ?----Is this " hard to start " a condition that showed up suddenly ?---Provide as much detail as you can.
 
I have owned the motor for about a year. I have not done a compression test but one was done before I bought the motor. It runs like a scalded dog when it starts. My previous motor (also a GT150) dropped a cylinder so I am familiar with how a motor will act if it does and I have had no such symptoms with this one. The "hard to start" condition is an on and off thing. I use my boat on average at least once a week--more in warm weather and maybe only once every 2-3 weeks when it is cold. The motor is definitely harder to start in cold weather.

I keep my battery charged all the time on a trickle charger and don't take the boat out without a 100% charge.
I run 93 octane gas with ethanol and marine fuel stabilizer because my mechanic told me it would be better to run the 93 with ethanol than the 87 without it.
I first try starting the engine by just turning the key
If that doesn't work then I try pushing in the key (choke). I try to use the choke sparingly because it seems like it is really easy to flood out the motor and once it is flooded it is IMPOSSIBLE to get it started. If I keep on the choke until I start smelling gas or seeing gas in the water it is too late--its flooded and it isn't going to start without pulling the plugs and I don't like doing that at the boat ramp.
Sometimes it seems like it helps to open up the throttle with the engine out of gear. My mechanic said that can help sometimes because it delivers more air into the system.
That's really all there is to my starting procedure except that if I run the battery down I will resort to using my portable jump starter in an effort to avoid going home without wetting a line.
I am wondering if I am ruining the starter by continuing to attempt to start the motor when it doesn't want to start and/or is flooded. How long can I go without doing damage?
 
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