# 1993 Johnson outboard wont start



## 1morecast (Jun 13, 2007)

hi all, i have a 93, 2 stroke Johnson out board, it's been running fine up till a month ago, and now i can't get her to start..it will turn/crank but thats it. I'm testing to see if i get a spark with a spark plug tester....all three cylinders....if no spark in any of them could it be the power pack ? what about the kill switch? would it crank but not start if the kill switch was bad or would it not crank at all if bad? i'm new to boat motors and could use some help. thanks


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## Jose' (Aug 31, 2013)

Gonna be hard to help ya until we find out if you've got spark at the plugs. Once you find out the answer to that more of us will have an idea on what to help ya with. Start with seeing if you have spark... then we can move to the fuel system.. kill switch.. and so on.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## 1morecast (Jun 13, 2007)

ok, finally had time to check for spark, hooked up a spark plug meter to each of the three plugs and all showed no sign of spark.....were should i start looking next? i checked all wires, no cuts, cracks or corrosion.


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## nixmkt (Mar 4, 2008)

1morecast said:


> ...were should i start looking next? i checked all wires, no cuts, cracks or corrosion.


Had a similar problem with my 93 twice. Second time was the power pak but the first time was corrosion under the ground wire connection to the block. Wasn't apparent until I disconnected the wire from the block. Cleaned and greased it up before reconnecting and it fired right up.


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

Make sure the "Kill' switch isn't in the "kill" position. I've seen that happen.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Pull the cowl off your mtr and check the fuse. Probably in a holder on the left side by the coil pack. Possibly tucked in and wire tied with some other wires. If it's blown start checking for loose/corroded or shorted wires. Also check for bad grounds at battery and ground for coil. Also check the rest of the fuses wherever your main fuse block is located.


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## jjpugh (Feb 6, 2007)

I'm having issues right now with my motor and I'll tell u I bought a repair manual by seloc. Has a ton of easy to ready step by step trouble shooting. I personal would check the kill switch and all fuses if that's good look up what stator u got and it's specs and test the resistance. And go from there


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## 1morecast (Jun 13, 2007)

thanks, will check fuses next, my kill switch is not a switch, it's hooked up with a red chord that attaches from the key lanyard, always have to have that hooked up or i get nothing .
i do have a fuse box area behind the dash and i'll look to see if i can locate a fuse on the motor itself.


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## Meerkat (Aug 10, 2008)

I had a similar problem last year & it turned out to be a corrosion (bad connection) between ignition switch & kill switch. And "kill switch" is term for that red button with lanyard attached. Hope this helps. It drove me nuts till i found it!


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## 1morecast (Jun 13, 2007)

Just an update for those that were following this thread, 
i ended up replacing the power pack, which was a pretty easy job....and it started right up.
thanks to all who chimed in with help, this is a great forum and the OGF people are great! Now to get out there and get some perch before the season ends.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Glad you got her running.

FWIW, hopefully you found the ignition fuse. Make sure you always have a couple spare fuses on board. Hopefully you won't have any issue's but just in case, they may help you get back in.

Also, most of the time the power pack fails because it's 'the brain' of the ignition system, does a lot of work and just wears out. Sometimes it fails prematurely due to a bad or weak ground in the ignition system. Make sure all your grounds are good and clean.

Good luck on the water.


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## 1morecast (Jun 13, 2007)

Thanks Fastwater, i checked all fuses like you suggested and grounds before moving onto the power pack, i do always keep extras on board and the heads up on a blown fuse will be a great place to start if i end up having issues.


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## 1morecast (Jun 13, 2007)

1morecast said:


> Thanks Fastwater, i checked all fuses like you suggested and grounds before moving onto the power pack, i do always keep extras on board and the heads up on a blown fuse will be a great place to start if i end up having issues.


Fastwater, if bye chance a fuse was blown the replacement of my powerpack would not have worked, correct? were exactly woul;d i find my ignition fuse? the fuse pack up front bye my dash board? those were all good....but you have me worried i may have missed something?


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

You are correct. If the ignition fuse were blown, the replacement of the power pack would NOT have corrected the problem. 

You should have an inline fuse/fuses somewhere under the cowling on the engine itself. Did you find that one? Just want to make sure you know about it in advance in case you ever get out and have an issue.

Check this diagram out and see #23(20amp fuse) at the bottom of the page in the wiring loom. 

Johnson VJ140TLETF 1993 OEM Parts lookup - IGNITION SYSTEM ...
www.evinrudeonlineparts.com/OemParts?ariq=/Johnson/VJ140... 

Not sure of the exact location or where they'll have it tucked in at on a Johnson but on a Merc. it is on the right side of the mtr up by the coil folded in and secured by a wire tie.



.


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## 1morecast (Jun 13, 2007)

Fastwater, 
thanks for the diagram, i did check that fuse like you suggested, Not knowing that it was the ignition fuse at the time, only that it was 1 of the fuses under the cowling that you suggested i check. Do you find that that Fuse blows quit often?
Appreciate the help my friend.


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## fastwater (Apr 1, 2014)

Only had issue's with one of them blowing many years ago. But it was down in Fla. at Okeechobee. Way back in 'the Monkey Box' where I didn't want to be stranded overnight in a bass boat that set very low in the water. Too many skeeters, gators and cotton mouths. Ha! 

After a couple hrs. of searching, found the fuse, replaced it and was able to make it back to camp. Found a bad ground connection at the coil causing the issue.

Not a problem on the help and you're Welcome. It's what makes these sites so great.


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