6Hp Johnno headaches

[Dirtysanchez]

Hi all

I put my little 6Hp Johnno in for a service, it hasn't seen much action lately
It wasn't sucking any water so I asked them to replace the impellor.
Just heard from them, despite the service etc. the motor is still not sucking water.

As it's a 1982 model, they don't seem keen to further explore the cause, which is understandable.. they think maybe there is corrosion or some other crap blocking the water veins ?

Any ideas, or am I stuffed ?

Thanks

Russell

[Noelm]

well I guess the answer is "possibly" why do they not want to do any further repairs?? is it rusted to bits, just too old for them, they know nothing about it!, that is a fairly simple Motor, and not too much to fixing it normally, are you sure the Water pump is not working? if it is definately not working, then we can persue some other things for you to look at.

[Dirtysanchez]

Thanks for the reply Noelm
He confirmed the impellor was stuffed, & he has replaced it, but it is still not pumping, so he reckons he would need to take the head off etc.
This was my dads motor & it spent 99.9% of it's life sitting in a shed, so I am struggling to understand all of this to be honest

[Kleyny]

It doesnt have soemthing simple like a hornets nest up the tell tail.
you could try something like a back flush try putting the hose up the tell tail and let some water pressure through and see what happens.

neil

[pursuit001]

hi as nolem said there a fairly easy engine to work on.if the impellor was replaced the only thing it could be is maybe a build up of corrsion in the water ports.but you say its been in the shed 99%of the times so makes you wonder. my advice maybe instead of getting them to strip it down would be to source another power head. there pretty easy to come by these days and arent all that dear .
cheers shane

[Spaniard_King]

simple diagnostics required here.

Remove gearcase and shove hose on water tube(the tube that hangs down inside of the leg) presurise the engine and see if you get any flow from the appropriate points ie tell tale and exhaust. If there is flow.. its a water pump issue. These pumps are very fiddly and probly needs a full pump kit not just an impellor

[pursuit001]

garry very good point said there i never thought of that. dirtysanchez what garry has said is correct and you will find your anwser straight away .
cheers shane

[luckyone]

pull the side coyer off and you will see all of th water jackets and thermo and you can clean them up and put the hose through them chears and beers

[Noelm]

before any surgery is performed, we must be certain that the pump is NOT working, so it needs to be connected to a hose and muffs, and the Engine run for a bit to see if it does get hot, if so, then some simple "non invasive" checks need to be done before we go pulling anything to bits, as doing that can induce a complete new set of problems to chase. It could be just a blocked outlet, a rusted shut Thermostat, but we need to see if it is overheating FIRST!!!

[Dirtysanchez]

Guys, this is why I like this site so much, so much knowledge.. Thanks to all who have replied.

1) Motor was tested in a large bucket of water at my dads before he gave it to me, it wouldn't pump water and got hot very quickly
2) I took it to a Johnno service agent in Brissy I found on the web, and asked for a water pump service (whatever it takes)
3) They said lets do the 12 month service on her since it hasn't seen much action
4) They ring to say they have done the service, which includes replacing the impellor, and it still won't suck water. Now what hurts me the most is when I see the excellent advice and tips above, I wonder if these guys have done all this, or they can't be arsed ?
They want me to fork out $160 for this 'service' and I appreciate they have put time, effort and I suppose parts into this, but the engine is not doing one of the most important things, pumping water to cool itself, so what good is it for me to fork out my hard earned dollar for an engine that doesn't work properly ?

I am in the dark, I don't know a lot about these things, and my Mrs is on the war path that I am even considering paying.. Alternative is the guy keeps the motor and 'scraps' it at the wrecker for whatever he can get for it.

What now gents ?

Thanks again, I really appreciate the input.

[FNQCairns]

Guys, this is why I like this site so much, so much knowledge.. Thanks to all who have replied.

1) Motor was tested in a large bucket of water at my dads before he gave it to me, it wouldn't pump water and got hot very quickly
2) I took it to a Johnno service agent in Brissy I found on the web, and asked for a water pump service (whatever it takes)
3) They said lets do the 12 month service on her since it hasn't seen much action
4) They ring to say they have done the service, which includes replacing the impellor, and it still won't suck water. Now what hurts me the most is when I see the excellent advice and tips above, I wonder if these guys have done all this, or they can't be arsed ?
They want me to fork out $160 for this 'service' and I appreciate they have put time, effort and I suppose parts into this, but the engine is not doing one of the most important things, pumping water to cool itself, so what good is it for me to fork out my hard earned dollar for an engine that doesn't work properly ?

I am in the dark, I don't know a lot about these things, and my Mrs is on the war path that I am even considering paying.. Alternative is the guy keeps the motor and 'scraps' it at the wrecker for whatever he can get for it.

What now gents ?

Thanks again, I really appreciate the input.

Well you have $60 worth of tangable value from the plugs, leg oil, and pump bit's, so take it back write of the $100 as a bad joke then set about finding the cause, I am firmly behind Noelm when he states to do all of the other checks first before you pull bolts on the powerhead, you may need to but it's a last resort, there is nothing the average person cannot do to these engines if they have the inclination.

IMO do what Gary said, pressurise it even if you decide you have nothing to loose before pulling powerhead bolts.

cheers fnq

[Dirtysanchez]

Thanks FNQ... so you are suggesting I offer him $100 for the work done thus far and see if he takes it or leaves it, then take it home and start playing around with it a bit ?

[SunnyCoastMark]

Dirty sanchez -
I would be leaning more towards blocked galleries or a collapsed/seized thermostat.

This is a pretty easy and inexpensive fix. I'm not sure with the 6 hp - but I think you'll find the front cover plate (through which the spark plugs go through) is all you have to remove to expose the cooling gallieries and thermostat.

1) Spray all the bolts with a penetrating oil and leave for a few days.

2) Get yourself a new cover gasket and thermostat in the meantime.

3) Remove Spark plugs

4) with a small hammer or hammer and punch give all bolts holding the front cover plate a couple of sharp taps on the end of the head - this helps to release any rust and reduces the risk of shearing bolts.

5)Undo all bolts - you may have to use a screwdriver to gently prise the cover off.

6) Remove all gasket material from cover and head. Remove thermostat.

7) Inspect and clean all galleries - use small screwdrivers and fencing wire ( or a stiff coathanger). Also clean out all threads (compressed air is good for this)

8) Put it back together - tighten up all bolts diagonally opposite and evenly _ like you would a car head. Be careful not to overtighten.

Like I said - the above is a pretty straightforward, inexpensive, easy fix - which should be done anyway.

Any one else have any other things to add to the above?

Mark

[FNQCairns]

Thanks FNQ... so you are suggesting I offer him $100 for the work done thus far and see if he takes it or leaves it, then take it home and start playing around with it a bit ?

No, pay him in full, if they did everything correctly and we cannot say they didn't you will have $60 worth of parts included over and above when you dropped it off at the mechanics.

Yes, have a play at home, there is no solid reason why it will not go again if you trust it was good when put away last. Folks here will lead you along I dare say.

Worst come to worst you can get at least some of the dead $100 from selling the leg/whatever if you fail to get life out of it??

cheers fnq

[Noelm]

rememebr before pulling ANYTHING to bits, do the easy stuff, I have seen this a thousand times, the problem is a minor thing, but turns into world war 3, I am not saying it is minor, or is not a blocked water passage, but be sure first!