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1987 Johnson 90 running lean
darrenmolder	#1  Posted on 07/01/10 - 4:34 PM
Member Posts: 61 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/30/10	After purchasing my '87 Montauk on the coast and returning home in the mountains it is running lean enough to cough and stutter especially at low speed or idle. I am trying to diagnose and remedy the situation, preferably without taking it to a shop. I boat mainly around the 2,500 ft level and am wondering if the altitude hasn't leaned it out as the motor was recv'd by me in fairly good order. The Johnson owners manual doesn't cover any carb. adjustments so I am looking for a few tips I might try before buying a shop manual for it as I'm not sure of putting too much money into her yet. I'm thinking it could be as simple as an air/fuel mixture screw. Thanks, Darren
Barryg	#2  Posted on 07/01/10 - 6:00 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 242 Comments: 1 Joined: 04/01/08	Darren it could be something simple like bad gas. The Ethanol bug is a serious problem for the outboard motor. My father in law had a 60 hp Johnson this week that was running rough. We put in some marine additive and high test gas . We ran it for a few minutes and the problem cleared up. Hope your problem is fixed as easy as ours was.BG
joninnj	#3  Posted on 07/01/10 - 9:25 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 408 Comments: 3 Joined: 06/07/07	Barry make a good point, Could be a simple issue... Sounds like a fuel delivery problem. 2500 ft is not that high up to effect operation... I would check all of the fuel connections, starting at the tank and line for leaks and the vent is open etc... and make sure the fuel is getting to the carb past the fuel pump. Run some Seafoam or BerryMans B12 through it. A higher concentration, like triple the dosage from a smaller tank if you have one (3 gal would be work) to start cleaning the carbs and system. This will only help with marginal blockages and grime. If you have a really fouled/gummed up carb it may need a rebuild... Jon in NJ Many other boats and outboards in my boating history The Whaler is the one I like the best!!!
Joe Kriz	#4  Posted on 07/01/10 - 9:37 PM
Site Owner Personal Page Personal Album Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 11447 Comments: 452 Joined: 03/18/05	From what I remember for High Altitude Jets, they aren't changed unless you are operating above 6 or 7 thousand feet. You seem to have other problems. Where do you have 2,500 foot hills? You don't list your location in your profile so I can't determine which hills you have... :-) I live in the mountains... 8 thousand and 14 thousand foot mountains surround my area.... The valley floor where I live is 3 thousand feet. I typically boat from sea level to 4 to 5 thousand feet without much problem. The boat is faster and runs better at sea level, but still runs OK at the upper levels. Honestly, I am not trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill, but I can't resist.
darrenmolder	#5  Posted on 07/02/10 - 3:07 PM
Member Posts: 61 Comments: 0 Joined: 03/30/10	Thanks for the info. it sounds like I need to examine my fuel system so that will be my first priority. To answer your question Joe I live in the North Idaho Panhandle roughly 50 miles south of the Canadian Border. Most all our lakes are glacial, with varying altitudes however the most pristene kokanee lakes are around 2,500 ft. elevation and over 1,000 ft. deep. Thanks, Darren
Joe Kriz	#6  Posted on 07/02/10 - 3:53 PM
Site Owner Personal Page Personal Album Photo Albums Project Albums Posts: 11447 Comments: 452 Joined: 03/18/05	Thanks for the info... You have many higher mountains around you then 2500 feet. I have boated on the Lake in Coeur d'Alene.... http://www.joekriz.com/movies/Idahomo...homov.html
DWinter	#7  Posted on 07/02/10 - 4:23 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 252 Comments: 0 Joined: 01/02/10	Ok Joe and Darren, you guys have made me jealous. I've never run boats in water that was clean enough to drink. Hopefully sometime I'll get the chance to test that sweetwater. I've been all over the world, but thanks to Uncle Sam, It's been a salt life for me. Duane G Winter 1984 BW Sport 15 Center Console