Pontoon overhaul with a Johnson Tracker 40 hp

[radiopontoon]

Hi guys,

This is my first post. I'm from southern Louisiana. I'm tacking my first boating project. I've acquired a pontoon boat and am renovating it from the pontoons up. I plan to completely strip out any wires on the boat and re-wire it with harnesses from ezacdc.com .

The boat came with a Johnson Tracker 40 hp engine. I have an owners manuel being sent as I write this. The boat did not come with any of the fuel tank stuff or ignition stuff (the key to turn it over.) I have a ton of questions, so I hope to lean on you guys for some advice:

1. The engine has been sitting for a long time (possibly years?). The first thing I would like to do with the engine is bring it to a marine mechanic who can replace any tubing that may have crud in it and kinda just clean it out. Is there a proper name for this type of maintenance? Any ideas for how much I should expect to spend on this?

2. Will it be a problem that the engine does not come with any fuel tank stuff? Can I buy *any* fuel tank and it will work? Is the fuel pump located in the tank or on the engine?

3. Will it be a problem that the engine does not come with any ignition stuff? Can I buy any three-prong ignition switch and successfully run the boat?

As you can probably tell, I know nothing about how a marine engine gets fuel and how to turn it on/off. Basically, I'm wanting to know if I will have to go to Johnson to get parts for the fuel / ignition stuff, or if this is common generic stuff I can get anywhere (ie, West Marine)?

Thank you kindly for your input,
RadioPontoon

[radiopontoon]

I've been able to answer #2 - any fuel tank will work. You just prime the engine by squeezing the bulb on the fuel line and you're good to go.

I still worry about #1.

For #3, I guess my problem is that I don't understand the marine engine electrical system. There's a positive and negative lead coming from the engine. Those are supposed to connect to a battery. When you turn the ignition switch, I guess it closes the circuit from the engine to battery, and when you are actually in the ignition position it closes a circuit to the starter which starts the engine. ??

[kenJ]

In the big picture, outboard are fairly simple machines. I'd go to the library and get a couple books on outboard repair and do it yourself. Some parts will be Johnson specific, others like fuel lines, throttle/gear shift/steering cables can be generic. The engine will probably need to have the carb(s) rebuilt, the oil in the lower unit changed, new spark plugs/wires and if not solid state ingition, then the points at least cleaned/adjusted. If it is electric start, then yes it will have large wires that go to the battery. As far as a remote key to start, any automotive will work, but I would go with a marine version, they are a bit more water/corrosion proof. There are several places on line where you can purchase engine specific information, that is probably the best route to go as far as re wiring.