Old Johnson 6 hp

[peptobysmol]

don't know how old, but why would I have to keep pumping the pressure bulb to keep the motor running. Without pumping the priming bulb it would lose pressure and the motor would die. Aside from having a hole in the line/replacing the fuel hose from the tank to the motor, what else could it be? Does this motor have a fuel pump or does it rely on a sipon method for fuel intake?

TIA

[tommays]

It has a fuel pump mounted on the motor

[peptobysmol]

Originally Posted by tommays

It has a fuel pump mounted on the motor

Thanks.
So then if the priming bulb is "deflating" or losing its pressure, then either it has a hole/leak in it or it is partially plugged and the fuel pump is operational? I think the best course of action would be to replace the hose from the tank to the motor, correct?

[Siamese]

It's most likely the fuel pump. You could replace the hose and see what happens, but it sounds more like the fuel pump. I had the identical symptoms with my 80's Evinrude 6 horse.

The fuel pump on most of the 6 horse engines from Johnson/Evinrude is simple to replace and not very expensive.

Do a little searching online and you'll probably find the info you need.

Also, if you remove the enginecover and simply follow the fuel line back from the carb to see where it goes, it should end up at the fuel pump. Depending on year, it may be a square thing about 1.5 inches across and about a half inch thick. It doesn't look like a pump. There may be a screw in the middle of it to remove its cover. Removing the cover reveals a diaphrahgm.

If that's what your're seeing, you've found the fuel pump. Before you go any further, get a replacement fuel pump. Looking at the replacement will tell you pretty much everything you need to know to do the repair, assuming you're reasonably mechanical. Skill level for this does not exceed the skill level required to change the oil on a car...or at least not by much.

[Siamese]

It's most likely the fuel pump. You could replace the hose and see what happens, but it sounds more like the fuel pump. I had the identical symptoms with my 80's Evinrude 6 horse.

The fuel pump on most of the 6 horse engines from Johnson/Evinrude is simple to replace and not very expensive.

Do a little searching online and you'll probably find the info you need.

Also, if you remove the enginecover and simply follow the fuel line back from the carb to see where it goes, it should end up at the fuel pump. Depending on year, it may be a square thing about 1.5 inches across and about a half inch thick. It doesn't look like a pump. There may be a screw in the middle of it to remove its cover. Removing the cover reveals a diaphrahgm.

If that's what your're seeing, you've found the fuel pump. Before you go any further, get a replacement fuel pump. Looking at the replacement will tell you pretty much everything you need to know to do the repair, assuming you're reasonably mechanical. Skill level for this does not exceed the skill level required to change the oil on a car...or at least not by much.

[M275sailer]

Check your hose connectors to see if the small O rings are leaking or cracked. You can swap out the whole connector. Replacing the little O ring is a PITA.

[tager]

Lift your tank up above the motor... go sailing.

[darenh]

My 1974 Johnson 6 was sluggish so I had the fuel pump replaced, along with a general inspection and tune-up. Cost me about $100 and now the motor screams and is completely reliable. Get a new fuel pump.

[mattosdf]

i think its the fuel pump too.

[cnc33voodoo]

You can fix the fuel pump if you remove it and follow these instructions.
Take the front screw off and set the inlet aside.Then remove the four mounting screws and the assembly will come apart.
Carefully peel back the two diaphram gaskets and take note of how they came apart so you can reinstall in the same order.
Inside the main housing you will find two springs(1 inlet/1 outlet) pushing down on two tiny circular ports/diaphrams.There is a metal ring (seat) that should be holding the springs down and it has tabs in the middle to center the spring.These tabs bend up and the spring and seat pops onto their side basically holding the diaphram open at all times,hence no fuel pressure.
What I do is take a pick and remove the spring and seat, use the pick to bend the center tabs back down, reinstall the tiny rubber diaphram, center the spring in the port and press the seat back overtop.
Once put back together the assemebly will hold everything in place assuming you bent the tabs in properly.
Its impossible to screw this up as only one side will have collapsed and you have the other side to use as a reference.
Rebuilding outboards is a hobby of mine and I have purchased quite a few good engines very cheap because of this problem which costs nothing to fix.