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1996 Johnson 130 under performing (J130TLEDA)

C

ccaron

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I just purchased a 1996 Johnson 130 hp from a dealer after my Johnson 110 took a s***. My old 110 was very peppy and would push my boat at about 36mph if I trimmed it right. The new 130 seems sluggish out of the hole, and with a tail wind I only get 32mph. These motors are on the same boat, so I have a good comparison.
The dealer seems to think that changing the prop from a 19 to a 17 pitch is going to fix it all. I am skeptical. My buddies say that WOT my tach should read between 5300 and 5500 rpm. I went online and I THINK my motor is rated to max out at 6000 rpm. Right now, at my 32mph, I max out at 4600 rpm. I cannot believe that a prop change is going to get my max performance.
If the motor is truely rated at 6000, shouldn't my tach read as close to that as possible with WOT? How do I find out the true max RPMs?
If the prop gets changed to a 17 pitch, that would help out of the hole, but wouldn't I lose at the top end?
 
Step # 1 is a compression test.----Step # 2 is a check for spark that will jump a gap of 7/16" or more.--------If those are OK then maybe a visit to a shop with a dynomometer to check the performace / output of the motor.-----A 17" pitch will allow the motor to rev higher and that compensates for the loss of pitch.------Boat speed will likely stay about the same.
 
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Start with a compression test. Then do a cylinder drop test on it to see if it's running on all cylinders.
 
What exactly is cylinder drop test? I am not a mechanic and I want to sound smart when I go back to the dealer to have them fix the problem. They said that they did a compression test before I bought it and all 4 cylinders were excellent. I do not have the actual numbers.
 
I intend to have the shop that I bought this motor from fix the problem. However, I need to get as much info as possible so they can't say there is nothing else they can do. I expect the motor to at least perform close to specs when I receive it. If it changes later, then I may to do some work of my own.
 
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