Friends,
I am new to this forum and will ask your forgiveness if this problem has been discussed before. I just picked up my pontoon boat which has a Johnson 40 hp motor (1993). I had the mechanic replace the power pack and the two spark plugs. Put it in the water and noticed immediately a lurching issue. The motor will idle fine when the gear is not engaged. When put in gear, the motor doesn't immediately respond to the throttle. When it finally does (just a few seconds time and some fiddling with the throttle lever) it will work fine. Then, while cruising slowly (it's a pontoon, after all), the motor will lurch and speed up slightly before resuming normal operation. This abberation will last just a second or two and can be fixed by increasing the throttle a bit. When docking and slowing down, this behavior is more prevalent and the motor often kills. At full throttle this doesn't occur (at least it didn't over the weekend).
Before I talk to my mechanic, I'd like to have an idea of what is happening and whether or not I can do the repair myself. I appreciate your taking the time to read this post and for any help you may offer.
Thanks.
Blaine
I am new to this forum and will ask your forgiveness if this problem has been discussed before. I just picked up my pontoon boat which has a Johnson 40 hp motor (1993). I had the mechanic replace the power pack and the two spark plugs. Put it in the water and noticed immediately a lurching issue. The motor will idle fine when the gear is not engaged. When put in gear, the motor doesn't immediately respond to the throttle. When it finally does (just a few seconds time and some fiddling with the throttle lever) it will work fine. Then, while cruising slowly (it's a pontoon, after all), the motor will lurch and speed up slightly before resuming normal operation. This abberation will last just a second or two and can be fixed by increasing the throttle a bit. When docking and slowing down, this behavior is more prevalent and the motor often kills. At full throttle this doesn't occur (at least it didn't over the weekend).
Before I talk to my mechanic, I'd like to have an idea of what is happening and whether or not I can do the repair myself. I appreciate your taking the time to read this post and for any help you may offer.
Thanks.
Blaine
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