2000 Johnson 150 Cold natured?

I recently bought a 2000 Stratos 283 Vindicator with a 150 Johnson on it. I've had it out twice and it starts really well and runs good.....but only after what seems like a long, long warm up. Trying to motor off the trailer is pretty much impossible because if you gas it, it dies. It starts right back up but it takes four or five minutes before you can accelerate above about 1000 rpm. This is a carburated motor with the EMM. Is this normal? This is the only outboard boat I have owned. Love the boat.

Carburetor motors do not have an EMM. The letters EMM stand for Engine Management Module which is a fancy word for a computer. If your motor is a carburetor motor there is no need for a computer. If your motor is direct injection/fuel injection then it will have an EMM or ECU. ECU is a Electronic Control Module which is another fancy word for a computer. If my memory is correct one computer is air cooled and the other is water cooled. If your motor is what I suspect it is then it should have a power pack. An engine model number will confirm what you have.

First and foremost I am not a mechanic but I do however have knowledge of boat motors. With that being said are you using the fast idle lever to warm your engine before you put it in gear? Also carburetor motors are real finicky when you put a load on them is reverse. Its best to let a carburetor motor warm up a couple of minutes in the summer before you put it in gear. I would let it warm up 5 minutes or more before trying to get on plane...in the cold weather add more time for warm up.

Automobiles had fuel injection technology in the early 80's. It wasn't until the late 90's that boat motors started using fuel injection technology...so in comparison its like trying to start grandpas ol 76 Ford truck. You have to pump the gas a few times and feather the throttle until it warms up. If you start it and drop it in gear it will stumble and sputter. To the best of my knowledge Johnson/Evinrude were the first to release a fuel injected V6 motor. If my memory is correct in 97 and 98 you could buy a fuel inject Johnson or Evinrude but from 99 forward they only had fuel injection in Evinrude. Anything after 98 for Johnson was carburetor. I am not 100% sure on my year dates so the best way to identify your engine is by the model number. It will identify if your 2000 Johnson is carburetor motor or a fuel injection motor...I put my $ on carburetor.

Since this is your first boat I am going a little more in depth. Hopefully I am not bombarding you with too much information. I do have a few tips I would like to throw at you. You mentioned the boat started fine but stumbled when you tried to back it off the trailer. If you have someone else driving the tow vehicle when you unload the boat have them back in deeper AFTER you have the motor running. Backing in deeper will allow the boat to float off the trailer. You can avoid putting a cold motor in gear and having it stumble. As there parking the truck the motor will warm up some. If you are by yourself then I understand the dynamics are different.

FYI your easy starting carburetor motor will become more difficult to start in cold weather. There is a starting procedure that helps make it easier. I have no idea if you know it so I will give detail...

back boat in until the motor is in water deep enough to start
trim the motor until level if possible...make sure your deep enough for this
squeeze the primer bulb until firm
raise the fast idle lever all the way up
turn the key on but do not attempt to start
push in on key for 2 seconds and release
push in on key for 2 seconds and release
push in on key and crank the motor
once it fires work the fast idle lever up and down...the fast idle lever basically does the same function as a gas pedal for a vehicle
once the motor is running smooth close the fast idle lever
once the motor is has warmed up some you can put it in gear...remember earlier you trimmed to level position to start so I would trim up a little when backing off the trailer.
patience is key...a carburetor boat motor is not something you fire up, drop in gear and take off

If you run the motor a couple of miles down the lake everything will be up to operating temperature. The rest of the day it should start fine by simply turning the key. If it sits for a couple of hours and you try to crank it and it does not start on the first try then push in on the key as you crank the motor. When it fires if its not running smooth raise and lower the fast idle a small amount.

Two things I want to go into more detail about...The fast idle lever pretty much acts like a gas pedal for a vehicle. Its only operable when the motor is in neutral. Work it up and down to rev the motor. Once it smooths out push it back down. Once the motor is in gear the fast idle lever become inoperable.

Pushing in on the key...this does two things. It is and electric choke that primes the carburetor by spraying a small amount of fuel into the carburetors. The initial push in of the key primes the carburetor and the holding in on the key activates the choke. Too see exactly what I am talking about remove your hood. Turn the key but do not try to start the motor. Now push in on the key...you should hear the electric choke pulse fuel and activate the choke.

WThanks for the info. I have not had much chance to dig into it as work has gotten in the way big-time. The previous owner installed a hotfoot throttle. I don't have a fast idle lever. I'm considering going back to the side throttle control. I am a lone fisherman so I launch by myself. I have been floating it off the trailer. I can shift forward and reverse and as long as I don't push the throttle, it never dies but the weather has been very warm in Virginia. It has the system check lights but it is carburated. The operation of the electric primer/choke was not explained very well when I bought it. It does take five or ten minutes before I can accelerate enough to get it on plane. Guess that is the nature of the beast. I really appreciate your reply. This my second boat, the first was an i/o with a V8. I'm old enough that I remember when just about all cars had manual chokes.

it might need a carb job but for a quick fix, try pushing the choke as you push the throttle.

It might, I plan on taking it in to get checked out when I get back home. Ill definitely try the choke. I did not know it had one. I thought it was just the primer. Thank you.

it's not actually a choke, it dumps fuel into the intake.

R19 said it pulses fuel and if you hold it in, it activates the choke. Yes, no?

[QUOTE=mking;556577]R19 said it pulses fuel and if you hold it in, it activates the choke. Yes, no?[/QUOTE]

NO

Now I'm not sure about boat motors but some Truck Motors from the mid 1980's have carburetors and a computer that samples the exhaust and manages the fuel into the carburetor. Nissan 720 Pickup with 240 NZAP engine. The computer sits under the drivers seat and there is a electronic ignition module inside the Distributor as well. This truck was made right before Nissan Switched to the 1986 HardBody Style Trucks.

Now my boat motor once had dirt and grime sucked up into the cooling system and I had to have a new water pump installed after the dirt was flushed out of the motor. And another time the boat acted cold natured and I found out that the thermostat was stuck OPEN. The motor could not get warm when it first started and that caused it to run bad. After the new thermostat was installed the motor warmed up much faster and ran a lot better right after it first started. I'd look at your thermostat first and then add some sea foam to the gas to help clean out the fuel system.

I just take my boat into the mechanic and let them work on it.

[QUOTE=R19;556563]Carburetor motors do not have an EMM. The letters EMM stand for Engine Management Module which is a fancy word for a computer. If your motor is a carburetor motor there is no need for a computer. If your motor is direct injection/fuel injection then it will have an EMM or ECU. ECU is a Electronic Control Module which is another fancy word for a computer. If my memory is correct one computer is air cooled and the other is water cooled. If your motor is what I suspect it is then it should have a power pack. An engine model number will confirm what you have.

First and foremost I am not a mechanic but I do however have knowledge of boat motors. With that being said are you using the fast idle lever to warm your engine before you put it in gear? Also carburetor motors are real finicky when you put a load on them is reverse. Its best to let a carburetor motor warm up a couple of minutes in the summer before you put it in gear. I would let it warm up 5 minutes or more before trying to get on plane...in the cold weather add more time for warm up.

Automobiles had fuel injection technology in the early 80's. It wasn't until the late 90's that boat motors started using fuel injection technology...so in comparison its like trying to start grandpas ol 76 Ford truck. You have to pump the gas a few times and feather the throttle until it warms up. If you start it and drop it in gear it will stumble and sputter. To the best of my knowledge Johnson/Evinrude were the first to release a fuel injected V6 motor. If my memory is correct in 97 and 98 you could buy a fuel inject Johnson or Evinrude but from 99 forward they only had fuel injection in Evinrude. Anything after 98 for Johnson was carburetor. I am not 100% sure on my year dates so the best way to identify your engine is by the model number. It will identify if your 2000 Johnson is carburetor motor or a fuel injection motor...I put my $ on carburetor.

Since this is your first boat I am going a little more in depth. Hopefully I am not bombarding you with too much information. I do have a few tips I would like to throw at you. You mentioned the boat started fine but stumbled when you tried to back it off the trailer. If you have someone else driving the tow vehicle when you unload the boat have them back in deeper AFTER you have the motor running. Backing in deeper will allow the boat to float off the trailer. You can avoid putting a cold motor in gear and having it stumble. As there parking the truck the motor will warm up some. If you are by yourself then I understand the dynamics are different.

FYI your easy starting carburetor motor will become more difficult to start in cold weather. There is a starting procedure that helps make it easier. I have no idea if you know it so I will give detail...

back boat in until the motor is in water deep enough to start
trim the motor until level if possible...make sure your deep enough for this
squeeze the primer bulb until firm
raise the fast idle lever all the way up
turn the key on but do not attempt to start
push in on key for 2 seconds and release
push in on key for 2 seconds and release
push in on key and crank the motor
once it fires work the fast idle lever up and down...the fast idle lever basically does the same function as a gas pedal for a vehicle
once the motor is running smooth close the fast idle lever
once the motor is has warmed up some you can put it in gear...remember earlier you trimmed to level position to start so I would trim up a little when backing off the trailer.
patience is key...a carburetor boat motor is not something you fire up, drop in gear and take off

If you run the motor a couple of miles down the lake everything will be up to operating temperature. The rest of the day it should start fine by simply turning the key. If it sits for a couple of hours and you try to crank it and it does not start on the first try then push in on the key as you crank the motor. When it fires if its not running smooth raise and lower the fast idle a small amount.

Two things I want to go into more detail about...The fast idle lever pretty much acts like a gas pedal for a vehicle. Its only operable when the motor is in neutral. Work it up and down to rev the motor. Once it smooths out push it back down. Once the motor is in gear the fast idle lever become inoperable.

Pushing in on the key...this does two things. It is and electric choke that primes the carburetor by spraying a small amount of fuel into the carburetors. The initial push in of the key primes the carburetor and the holding in on the key activates the choke. Too see exactly what I am talking about remove your hood. Turn the key but do not try to start the motor. Now push in on the key...you should hear the electric choke pulse fuel and activate the choke.[/QUOTE]

start with the high % issues with carburetor outboard motors, rebuild the carburetor.
for around $50 & a couple hours of your time i bet your issues are solved.