October, 2011 | Outboard Motor Oil

Starting a Flooded Johnson Outboard

A flooded Johnson outboard motor is not the end of the world. With a little bit of time to allow the engine to drain, along with working the choke and idle, your outboard will be up and running in no time. Just follow these simple instructions:

First, push the choke on, turn the ignition switch, and bring the throttle to neutral. Next, push the throttle to full and open, turn the choke off, and then crank the engine. Finally, pull the throttle back to neutral, turn the ignition a few times, and let the engine drain. After you get back to land, make sure to check the motor and replace the Johnson outboard oil if necessary.

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What’s in a Name?

The best part of purchasing a new boat is getting to pick out a name. Some people are sentimental and name their boats after a spouse or child. I think that’s a great idea, but I lean toward funny or clever names.

When I walk down to the marina I keep an eye out for funny boat names. Friends also send me links to boats with clever names like “Vitamin Sea” and “Playbuoy.” A great party boat name is “Cirrhosis of the River.” Sometimes I’ll strike up a conversation with the boat owner’s while they’re changing their Evinrude XD50 oil. Boat owners with cleverly named ships tend to be pretty friendly and easy going.

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No Cruise Ships For Me

I’ll let you in on a secret: I love boating, but I loathe cruise ships. Don’t get me wrong, I have been on many a gorgeous cruise ship with fantastic décor, food, and entertainment – not to mention exotic destinations. What I dislike is the seasickness that accompanies such trips.

I’ve spent my whole life on the water in kayaks, canoes, motor boats, and sailboats. That’s why I was so startled the first time I went on a cruise ship and experienced sea sickness. Even though there are drugs and patches that take the edge off, I much prefer to steer my own smaller boat. I get more satisfaction and zero sickness in my own craft. I also take pride in knowing that I’ve maintained my boat with Evinrude XD100 oil.

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Best Light Show in Town

The cooler weather is making me nostalgic for summer. This past Independence Day was quite spectacular. Per tradition, the whole family stayed at my grandparents’ home on Long Beach Island. From the rooftop deck, we had the best view in town of the fireworks.

We could see the mainland’s fireworks show to one side and then simply swiveled our chairs to see the island’s fireworks display. Best of all, when it got really dark around, we watched the fireworks display over Atlantic City. The famed casino town goes all out, which is probably why all the boats cruised up the inter-coastal before nightfall to get a good spot to see the show. I’m betting a hefty chunk of those boat owners used Evinrude XD 50 oil in their engines.

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Putting in a Bulkhead

In addition to putting in a dock, my grandparents also decided to put in a bulkhead. A bulkhead is essentially a retaining wall that helps prevent erosion caused by wave action. Getting a permit to build a bulkhead can be tricky because there are some drawbacks to the environment in terms of redistribution of sand and eel grass. The township did grant a permit, but my grandparents had to sacrifice more of their land than they originally wanted to.

Our friendly neighbor recommended an experienced contractor who had put in our neighbor’s bulkhead years before. The man and his crew did an excellent job; the bulkhead has weathered many storms without damage. Our neighbor has been very helpful; first with the Evinrude XD 100 oil recommendation and then with the bulkhead contractor contact information.

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Building a Dock

, NJ has been my family’s summer vacation destination for decades. My grandparents went there so much that they ended up buying a beach home. As the family grew, they sold the first beach house and bought a larger home so all the children and grandchildren could stay together under one roof. The second home happened to be a bay front property, which made it easier to take boats out.

To accommodate the boats, a dock needed to be built. Technically, the water and small island in front of the home belonged to our neighbor, so we had to get permission to build the dock on the neighbor’s property. Fortunately, the neighbor did not mind, so long as he could occasionally use the dock for his own boat. The neighbor even recommended Evinrude outboard oil to us to make sure our boats always ran smoothly.

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Being a Cranky, Old Dad

I can always tell when my kids want something because they’ll offer to help on the boat – a task they’re usually loathe to do. This time around it was my daughter offering to help me change out the Evinrude oil on the boat. I knew what was coming, but I agreed to let her lend a hand.

Sure enough, when we were half-way done she tried to casually ask me if she could host a Halloween boat party with some of her friends. Now, I’m not anti-Halloween, but a bunch of teenagers out on a boat at night is a bad idea in general, but with the potential for Halloween mischief could make it a downright dangerous idea. She was disappointed when I firmly told her “no,” but was somewhat appeased when I told her she could have a small get together at our house on Halloween – with her mother and I supervising, of course.

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A Look Back at Johnson Motors

Bombardier Recreational Products purchased the Evinrude and Johnson brands in 2001. Several years later, in 2008, BRP ceased production on Johnson motors, although motors under the Evinrude brand continue to be sold. Here are some examples of the last Johnson motors:

The 2008 Johnson 9.9 horsepower two-stroke outboard motor featured two cylinders with a gear ratio of 2.42:1. The motor had 5,000 RPM and a maximum WOT of 6,000 RPM. The 2008 Johnson 15.0 horsepower four-stroke motor line had several models, featuring two cylinders and a gear ratio of 1.92:1. If you still own either of those motors, be sure to pick up Evinrude Johnson 2 stroke outboard oil.

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Indexing Spark Plugs on Evinrude E-Tec Outboards

The process to index the spark plugs of an Evinrude E-Tec outboard motor is relatively simple. Start by turning a spark plug until the gap between the ground electrode and the anode is facing toward you. Make a vertical index mark on the ceramic insulator. Then, insert the spark plug into the number one spark plug bore. Tighten it with a spark plug wrench. Be sure to not the orientation of the index mark previously made.

It may be necessary to move the plug to the opposite cylinder bank if the index mark cannot be lined up. Di-electric grease should be applied to the tip of the ceramic plug. Install the plug wire and repeat the process for all cylinders on your E-Tec engine.

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Troubleshooting Evinrude 9.9 Outboard

A popular marine engine for small boats is the Evinrude 9.9 hp outboard. Personally, I own a two-stroke version that operates like a dream. On occasion there may be a few hiccups, as there are with any engine, which requires some troubleshooting.

When troubleshooting, the four main areas to check are: gas tank, fuel line, carburetor, and fuel pump. You want to make sure that each of those areas is clean and without cracks. Although it is not one of the four areas, I pointed out, it can’t hurt to check the oil and replace dirty oil with Evinrude 2 cycle oil XD100, if need be.

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Winterizing Small Boat Motor

I realize that it is only October, but the cool fall air and incessant holiday shopping commercials have already put winter on my mind. With colder temperatures brings the end of boating season. I know I’ll be spending the upcoming weekend winterizing my small outboard boat motor.

It doesn’t take too much to winterize a small boat motor – cleaning out the engine, adding fuel stabilizer and whatnot. It is such a simple task that it always amazes me when people fail to do it, knowing full well that an improperly cared for motor left to sit over the winter can lead to all sorts of problems. Hopefully this post has served as a reminder and all of you readers will go and winterize your boats in the coming weeks. While you’re at it, don’t forget to order bulk outboard motor oil for next season.

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The Importance of Labeling

Purchasing in bulk is a good way to save money. Without proper labeling, however, accidents can occur. This is especially true when chemicals or oil is ordered in bulk.

That is why all of my bulk oil is labeled clearly. In large letters I write out what the substance is and the date it was stored. I’ve also put up caution signs on and inside of the shed where I store the bulk oil containers. This is to ensure that anyone in the area knows to stay away with flames.

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