TOPIC: '91 Johnson 2.3

Picked up a '91 Johnson 2.3 hp. Made in Korea, got it running but has carb issues. Can't get it to idle. Lots of dirt in old fuel when I got it, cleaned it all up, new fuel lines, cleaned carb, bowl was full of gunk. took the carb apart, cleaned with spray cleaner, blew out all passages. the thing is really simple. Problem I'm having is getting the float adjusted. Cannot find anything on line, marineengine doesn't even list the 2.3.
Any suggestions.

2.3's were put out from 1996 thru 1999. Good News, it's a lot newer than you thought!

Anyway, you'll have to go by model # to find the correct diagram for yours, but to start with here's the 2.3's for 1996:

www.marineengine.com/parts/johnson-evinrude-parts.php?year=1996&hp=2.3

On the float, looks like it slides on the main jet/needle post. I'd imagine that, with the float bowl off, if you were to put together the float assembly with the carb upside down, screwing the main jet/needle assy into the carb, you can get an approximation of float level. Obviously it's impossible to adjust once you put the float bowl on. Not the greatest design, eh!

I've worked on some of these "Weedwacker" outboards with carbs that have impossibly small passages.

Best you can do is juice the heck out of it with carb spray, then give it a vigorous shot of air with a blow nozzle. Any little speck of debris lodged in there can cause issues.

BTW these take so very little fuel that you can easily flood them if anything is out of adjustment. If you suspect flooding, remove fuel and see what happens.

I didn't even notice before, but this is a slide valve carb like a Japanese motorcycle. Maybe it's a Keihin carb?? Or a copy of.

At any rate, it has a mixture needle that goes down thru the slide, and as the slide raises, the tapered needle lets more and more fuel thru.

Note there's a teeny weeny E-clip that goes into a groove on the needle. Looks like there are a number of grooves, for adjustment. This is just like as used on a motorcycle. If you lower the needle in the slide, it's gonna run leaner. If you raise the needle it'll run richer. So they are tuneable to some extent.

If it's been fiddled with, it might not run at all. So check all the settings and adjustments.

Boats.net also has listings for these, and good parts diagrams to go with:

www.boats.net/catalog/johnson/outboard/2-3hp

At least you'll be able to pin down the year of yours, and it should be a lot easier to find a manual now that you know the correct production years.

HTH & G'luck............ed

Thank Yeeew. it keeps listing as a 1991 The model # HJ2REIC but looks like the same carb. one size fitzall.
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Johnson HJ2REIC 2.3HP

Well, maybe it is a '91 as noted by decoding the model number. It was mfr'd in Hong Kong so that might be the disconnect. Not sure how these were marketed in the U.S. I suppose they could have been brought to the States by persons visiting or moving here. Seen one on eBay Australia too.

Boats.net doesn't have any listings for a 2.3 in '91 either.

I'd have to assume that the '96 thru '99 2.3's are probably the same. Hope so!!

I reckon you can compare the parts on your engine to diagrams of a '96 or whatever, if they look the same, they probably are. I've seen a lot of questions about that model from internet searches, so you're not the only one who has one. Strange!

I'll just follow your advice and tear it down again, push a can of carb cleaner through it, blow it out. I have the float set so it lets fuel in but stops enough not to overflow. You know it comes from China because I have to remove the bowl screws from the top but turn it upside down before removing the bowl otherwise the float needle falls out. Little bugger is hard to find on the workroom floor. Going to put on a clear fuel line. There is a fuel strainer in the tank that was also plugged with dirt. Not in a hurry to get this running but it's one of those things that keep knawing