"D Smyth" wrote in message
...

With the plugs out, the starter cord turns her over with no problem. With
the plugs screwed in, it is almost impossible to pull the cord. ?????

Do you normally start the engine with the pull cord?

I forgot what size these outboards were. If you are not familiar with rope
starting them, you may be surprised at how hard that can be. Way back in
the good old days it was common for the larger outboards (when 50 Hp was
considered large) to have compression release so you could crank them over
by hand.

If you are sure that it is harder than usual then it must be because there
is still some water in the cylinders. Take the plugs out, tip the engine so
that the spark plug hole is the lowest and crank it over some more. You
need to get the water out.

You might also try taking the plugs out one at a time and seeing if it is
one cylinder more than the other(s).

If you tend to the motor quickly you can generally avoid any ill effects at
all. I have dunked a number of outboards and they have all survived. The
usual practice is to pull the plugs and get the water out then restart ASAP.
Make sure that the gas supply is clean, so if the tank dunked with the
outboard then either get a fresh source of gas or make sure you have a water
separator in line.

If the motor has carburators (vs fuel injection) then it will likely have a
float bowl that is also full of water. Hopefull the float bowl has a drain
on the side that you can pull, otherwise it can be very difficult to get the
water out. A small outboard you can pick up and turn to some angle that
will allow some of the float bowl to drain, although you may have to
repeatedly rotate in order to defeat any anit-drain features.

Once the clylinders are dry, the spark plugs are dry, and the float bowls
drained you should attempt to start it. A little spray ether can help out,
as there may still be a little water in the inner passages of the carburator
that will make it hard to start. If it doesn't start right up, check to see
if you are getting spark. If there is no spark, then there might be water
in someplace that is interfering with the ignition circuit.

I have had my dinghy outboard dunked a few times. Recently, I managed to
submerge the back half half of my houseboat and the dual 50 Hp outboards
were a couple feet underwater for several minutes. Pulled the plugs,
drained the carburators and they both fired right up and didn't appear to
suffer any.

Rod