Home › Forum › Ask A Member › 1971 50hp Johnson › Re: 1971 50hp Johnson
Hm-m-m, cranks but won’t start but starts with a rope. That’s a bit unusual. Does it seem to be cranking at least 200 RPM? They won’t have spark if cranking too slow. And yes you can achieve 200 RPM with a rope. Check the spark while electric cranking spark plugs in) It should throw a 7/16" spark with ease. Don’t get hooked up with that spark or it will knock you right out of your shorts.
Don’t fear the "electric" shift. It isn’t electric shift anyway–it’s Hydro-Electric shift. It actually shifts by hydraulic (oil) pressure. The electric part only directs the oil flow from a pair of valves. The two problem areas are dirty, contaminated oil and the usual electrical problems like rotted wires, bad connections and failure of the shift switch in the remote control. I hate to admit it, but the Johnson switch is better than the Evenrude one. Yes, it is supposed to go into forward gear if not running (or failure of the system).