Reply To: 1958 Johnson Motor Part ID

[David Stanton]

You mentioned you can crank it with jumpers, and it pulls fuel. You may have no spark. The factory ignition switch (if you had one) closes to disable the magneto when in the off position by creating a short. WIth no ignition switch, and no wires connected to that socket on the side, and no wires bypassing the socket to the magneto from outside the motor, the motor should start. With the big plug not connected to the side of the motor, it should start with the recoil starter rope too. If it hasn’t been run for decades, it may have the original magneto coils – if so, you can bet the insulation on the coils has deteriorated, cracked and you will have no spark. Wires to the magneto have nothing to do with cranking.
Dave