Re: [OMC-Boats] Hello

I have the Buick 300 in my boat. All spark seams to check out. Do you think there is anything to the battery issue? First 3 times out were at approx 500' and about 5000' + when I had the issues.

--- On Tue, 8/25/09, Lee Shuster (lib1) <lib1@...> wrote:

From: Lee Shuster (lib1) <lib1@...>
Subject: Re: [OMC-Boats] Hello
To: "Evinrude & Johnson Boats of the 1960's and 70's" <omc-boats@...mate.com>
Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2009, 11:44 AM

1) What engine is in your Surfer, 200 hp Buick 300? or 210 hp Chevy 307 ? ( Buick has the distributor at the front, Chevy is in back.)
2) What altitude are you running at; a) Before and b) After ?   Altitude can cause a straight 4% loss per 1000' but it's a very subtle and even loss of power, so I would guess it is not you primary problem.
3) You mentioned you just picked up this boat? Depending on it's recent history, you may be chasing down fuel/carb issues and these may or may not be in combination with electrical/spark issues.
4) So erratic running and loss of power are most likely symptoms of either fuel or spark or often both.
Attach the troubleshooting logically and keep track of every change you make.
I find it easier to totally eliminate spark issues first. That means checking/replacing spark plugs, wires, coil, distributor cap & rotor, points condensor, ballast resistor or whatever you have substituted.Battery and most especially cables/.connectors need to be double checked for oxidation-free conditions. Any fully-charged Group 24 or Group 27 marine starting battery should be fine, but double check the cables and that includes the return path grounds.  A timing light and dwell/tach meter are helpful. Remember, while it is an automotive engine, electrical system parts (distributor/alternator/starter) need to be marine approved to prevent potential explosions or fires.
Fuel system problems, require checking/cleaning the carb bowls/seat valves and floats, check the fuel pump for adequate flow, check ALL the filters, and make sure you have a look at the inside of the tank for rust. This requires removing the fuel tank and pulling out the sending unit. You'll usually see signs of dirty or varnished fuel, but not always. Fuel contamination can hide and re-appear in strange ways. Sometimes it can take many outings to get everything completely flushed thru the entire system, tank to carb jets.
Lee

On Aug 25, 2009, at 10:51 AM, Greg Tabers wrote:
Hey Justin-
I am new to the list as well. I just picked up a 1967 Johnson Surfer in June. I will have to put some pictures up of when I got it. What a mess! What year is the one you are getting. I would love to bounce info off of you as you go.

To the forum I have a question. I replaced the point system in my boat with a light system made by "Accel". Before I replaced it I had tried everything I could think of to get the motor started. Everything tested fine and finally determined that it was the condensor. Once I replaced it, it fired right up and was idling pretty smooth. At the time I was borrowing my uncles battery from his boat. My family and took the boat out 3 times and it ran great. My family makes an annual trip every year and my uncle was taking his boat so I had to give him his battery back. I bought a new battery and headed up to the lake. I had all kinds of problems getting it to run right. There was no HP and the top speed was easily 15 miles slower. We tried adjusting the carb thinking it may have been the altitude, but that didn't fix it. On the second day it actually died and I couldn't get it started. I found out that the electronic timing piece I put in had broke. The light
 sensor had seperated from the mounting plate. I finally got that fixed and decided to try it again. I got it running, but still no horse power and no top end.

I saw a post about proper battery size a couple of weeks ago. I haven't checked what my uncles battery was, but I was wondering if my problems were caused by an under-powered
battery or the altitude change or what. Any ideas?
--- On Tue, 8/25/09, Justin DeSantis <duc1098desmo@...> wrote:

From: Justin DeSantis <duc1098desmo@...>
Subject: [OMC-Boats] Hello
To: omc-boats@...
Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2009, 7:31 AM

Hello. Just joined the list. Hoping there are still a few active,
knowledgeable members. I'm picking up an old Johnson Surfer later this
week or weekend and I'm sure I'll have questions. Boat is a one owner
in excellent shape for it's age. All original, runs good. It's water
ready as is. I was looking at newer boats, but the Surfer came along
and I just sort of like it's funky retro look. Plus, it belongs to an
old family friend so I know it's history. It's been very well
maintained and kept indoors. I live near Pittsburgh, so I'll be using
it on the rivers and maybe some on Erie.

Ok, so that's the boat, I guess I should also tell you about me.
Pretty boring really. Currently unemployed. Laid off like lots of
other people. Until recently, I've worked in the motorcycle industry.
I've been a tech, sales man, sales manager and service manager. Did
that for 14 years. Now looking for my next adventure. The Surfer won't
be my first boat, I had a Glastron with a Johnson motor before that.
Technically, I still have it. But the motor is old and needs a few
parts I haven't been able to find for a price worth buying. Well in
the interest of keeping this short, I'll stop now. If I left out any
crucial details, feel free to ask.

Justin
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Received on Tuesday, 25 August 2009