Getting that Johnson Outboard to Work

In Escanaba you are on the water and it becomes to many residents part of our lives. One of the places that hasn't truly been tapped for development. It is also one of those places that carries old world charm. 

While many are out in there in their $40K boats I'm styling in my $500 boat. I couldn't care less anymore. I would rather have a retirement account and run around in an old boat. 

The only problem I face is that the old Johnson motor that came with the boat didn't work. The guy promised me it did but I had a hard time starting it in the water so I took it home and put it on a rack to play with it. 

You can use a barrel of water to test it. In this case I had a bucket so I used that and once I ran it for a few seconds I shut if off because I didn't want it to overheat. You can read about the water inlet and why it needs to have constant flow HERE.

It was a fuel problem. I ensured the connectors were tight with some zip ties and ensured it was drawing fuel from the tank. Once I had a good flow and played with the choke and and other knobs it started up right away. 

I'm going to try and put it back on the boat and see if I can get it to run consistently in the water. Because its an untested engine I don't want to get too far out there the first few times. I will have my electric and my oars just in case. 

Its the simple things in life that make all the difference. Happy fishing!!!!