Hard starting 4-stroke outboard
 

Motor: 1996 Johnson 15 hp 4-stroke, model J15FREDR. About every 3rd trip,
the motor needs a million pulls to get it started. Primer bulb is pumped
till hard, as always. Once it starts, it runs smoothly and it will restart
effortlessly all day long, requiring a very light pull on the rope. When
shutting down the motor, I always let it idle down for a few seconds. I
wondered if tipping the motor up at the ramp might be a factor, but that's
rarely necessary at the ramp I use the most.

Best answer gets 15 virtual beers.

Hard starting 4-stroke outboard
 

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...


I wondered if tipping the motor up at the ramp might be a factor,
but that's rarely necessary at the ramp I use the most.

So, are you tipping the motor up? Like, maybe every third trip?

Best answer gets 15 virtual beers.

Have you already established the problem and are testing the group?

My suggestion is to run the gas out of the motor before putting the boat
away. There are two things that leaving the gas in the carburetor could be
contributing to:

1) Sitting for a week or two the gas will start to evaporate. As it
evaporates the "stuff" remaining gets condensed into something that is not
exactly what the motor likes to run on. Those million pulls might be
purging the gunk out of the bottom.

2) Tipping the engine up might allow gas to flow into the intake manifold,
flooding the engine.


I have a 9.9 Hp two stroke. When I run the fuel out of the carburetor it
will start on the first pull the next time, no matter how long the time
period was (after I squeeze the bulb and pump the gas up). If I don't drain
the gas out it will take a half dozen pulls to get it to start. Not as bad
as yours, certainly, but perhaps the cause is the same.

Rod

Hard starting 4-stroke outboard
 

"Rod McInnis" wrote in message
...

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...


I wondered if tipping the motor up at the ramp might be a factor,
but that's rarely necessary at the ramp I use the most.

So, are you tipping the motor up? Like, maybe every third trip?

No....probably every tenth trip. I do it on ramps I'm not familiar with,
until I'm sure of the things you wanna be sure of in those situations.


Best answer gets 15 virtual beers.

Have you already established the problem and are testing the group?

Nope. Definition of "best answer": A solution which involves changing the
way I'm doing something, rather than spending money or time. Your suggestion
about running out the gas is a major contender in the former category,
obviously. :-) The next 3 days will give me an opportunity to test the idea.
Fishing Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday......

Thanks!

Hard starting 4-stroke outboard
 

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...
Motor: 1996 Johnson 15 hp 4-stroke, model J15FREDR. About every 3rd trip,
the motor needs a million pulls to get it started. Primer bulb is pumped
till hard, as always. Once it starts, it runs smoothly and it will restart
effortlessly all day long, requiring a very light pull on the rope. When
shutting down the motor, I always let it idle down for a few seconds. I
wondered if tipping the motor up at the ramp might be a factor, but that's
rarely necessary at the ramp I use the most.

Best answer gets 15 virtual beers.



The cable operated choke may be out of adjustment, not allowing the shutter
to close completely. L:oosen the clamp screw, pull the choke closed, and
take any slack out of the cable, then tighten things back up. You do need to
advance the throttle a bit for a quicker start.

Richening up the idle adjustment screw can also help starting and warmup
time.

Bill Grannis
service manager

Hard starting 4-stroke outboard
 

In article , says...

Motor: 1996 Johnson 15 hp 4-stroke, model J15FREDR. About every 3rd trip,
the motor needs a million pulls to get it started. Primer bulb is pumped
till hard, as always. Once it starts, it runs smoothly and it will restart
effortlessly all day long, requiring a very light pull on the rope. When
shutting down the motor, I always let it idle down for a few seconds. I
wondered if tipping the motor up at the ramp might be a factor, but that's
rarely necessary at the ramp I use the most.

Best answer gets 15 virtual beers.


Does this have a manual or eletric choke or a primer?? try placing your hand
over the carb to choke it see if it starts up eaiser.. tilting isn't the factor
engine is just cold as hell when you first start it up..

Hard starting 4-stroke outboard
 

Yep takes 3 things to make a engine work. Spark, Fuel, Compression Loose
either one your pretty much screwed. and stuck Valves wouldn't have anything
to do with the hard starting.

Assuming you have a good spark when this happens, I'd try spritzing a little
fuel into the cylinder... it may identify a fuel related problem.

If fuel and spark and no joy, I'd be suspicious of stuck valves....

I'm betting on the fuel....

Hard starting 4-stroke outboard
 

I tried posting earlier but it did not show up.

Check the choke cable for improper adjustment, perhaps it is not closing
completely. Loosen the cable clamp screw, pull the choke knob out fully,
then remove any slack from the cable. Tighten the screw. Be sure you
advance the throttle in nuetral to help starting.

A previous post talked about fuel deposits. The 4-stroke carb has very tiny
passageways and they are easily plugged up with dried fuel deposits due to
the chemical makeup of today's gasoline. Use the Evinrude 2+4 fuel stablizer
in each tankful to minimize fuel problems. Also enrichening the idle
adjustment screw a bit helps starting, warm up, and throttle response.

Bill Grannis
service manager

Hard starting 4-stroke outboard
 

"Mikkilla" wrote in message
...
In article ,
says...

Motor: 1996 Johnson 15 hp 4-stroke, model J15FREDR. About every 3rd trip,
the motor needs a million pulls to get it started. Primer bulb is pumped
till hard, as always. Once it starts, it runs smoothly and it will
restart
effortlessly all day long, requiring a very light pull on the rope. When
shutting down the motor, I always let it idle down for a few seconds. I
wondered if tipping the motor up at the ramp might be a factor, but
that's
rarely necessary at the ramp I use the most.

Best answer gets 15 virtual beers.


Does this have a manual or eletric choke or a primer?? try placing your
hand
over the carb to choke it see if it starts up eaiser.. tilting isn't the
factor
engine is just cold as hell when you first start it up..


Manual choke.

Hard starting 4-stroke outboard
 

Thanks to everyone for suggestions so far. Stay tuned tomorrow or over the
weekend.

I think part of the overall problem is that I've been stuck in an apartment
for the past couple of years, and the boat's stored 2 miles away. This
arrangement doesn't lend itself to my normal way of learning to fix things I
don't understand well. Get out the manual, take a sandwich to the garage,
read, poke the motor, talk to myself, go to the library, come home, make
another sandwich, curse at the motor. Eventually, things get fixed, or at
least maintained better than when I have to bring the boat back to the
apartment, listen to the friggin landlord complain because we're not
supposed to park boats or camping trailers here blah blah blah....

Two weeks - moving back into a real house again. Job #1: Putter with the
motor, and clean & wax the bejeezus out of that boat in an environment
that's proper for a civilized fisherman.