Re: 9.9 Johnson Carb Question

[PugetSoundBoater]

Hi Dave, the OMC complete carb kit pn 0398453 does come with a needle bearing. I recently did 2 carbs with this OMC kit,a ’76 15 hp and a ’77 9.9. Both idle nice now. I don’t know if the Sierra kit comes with a needle bearing or not.You might as well get the OMC kit that has the bearing, cause the bearing by itself is around $11.
I made a hooked rod out of some stiff stainless wire to remove the old bearing. Mumbles used a dental pick,which i didn’t have. Make the hook real small to get through the bearing and pull it out. It may slip out of the bearing and may take several tries to get it out.
A way to tell if the bearing is in there is to measure the distance on the needle down to the step on the needle where the bearing fits. Then carefully measure and feel down the side into the hole with a stiff wire the same distance and see if you hit the bearing. Be careful and gentle so that you don’t gouge the surface down in there.
It may be of some help to get the carb kit ,look at the bearing ,fit it on the needle to see what the situation is down in there, kinda visualize what you can’t see.
When i got my ’76 9.9 i found NGK spark plugs in there.I figured the wrong plugs were in there,not being Champions or AC. I was just getting into outboards and thought how odd it was to have NGK plugs in a USA built outboard. I have had good luck with the B7HS ever since. Use B6HS if you will be trolling and idling a lot. I have not tried them yet though.
Fleetwin has the right idea,find a good carb to swap and see if it runs better.That would help isolate the issues you have been having. I have never pried out the lead shot,never had the need to ,but i could be missing an important step. I do have a couple on hand,just in case.
I know this may sound a bit strange, but i like the challenge(s) of my 1976 9.9, i have done quite a bit of work on it. I am confidant enough that it is going to Canada this summer as my back up to my 25 HP.
Keep posting and letting us know how you are doing.
Jim PSB

"Some people want to know how a watch works, others just want to know what time it is"
Robbie Robertson