Melandre wrote in message . ..
I recently purchased a used boat and plan to put it in the water for
the first time tomorrow morning. The boat has an inboard 120hp OMC
Cobra 2.3L, 4 stroke.

When I bought the boat, the seller told me the proper way to get it
started. However, I am not sure I quite remember everything.

i think he said that I must first PULL the shifter inward (toward me)
and then pump the motor by moving the shifter forward once or twice.

Then I think I am supposed to bring the shifter back to the neutral
position (not sure if I do this with the shifter still inward or back
to its regular "anchored" position) and turn the key. Then slowly push
the shifter forward to engage the driveshaft forward. Does that make
any sense?

What is the purpose of "pulling" the shifter in toward me first?
Aren't we supposed to simply move the shifter forward, backward or
neutral ? Anyway, if someone could confirm that this procedure is
correct and explain why we need to do this "PULL IN" trick with the
shifter, that would be greatly appreciated!

Andre


hi andre, a safety function of all control boxes is "start in gear"
protection, basically it wont crank if the gearbox is in gear to save
you throwing yourself overboard. to overcome this function and still
be able to "crank" the engine, you have to disengage the gearshift. as
mentiuoned this is achieved several ways, usually by pushing in on the
button in the center of the control lever and pulling the whole lever
out. now you can use the throttle but still be in neutral. "pumping"
the lever is akin to pumping the gas pedal on a car, dumping raw fuel
into the intake to help start. every boat is different to start, so i
would follow the instructiuons of the previous owner.
as far as "shifting" a boat into gear goes shift that type of gearbox
in and out of gear as fast as you can comfortably, no grinding. this
will lengthen the lifespan of your clutchdog and gears. if you cant
shift it without too much grinding it could be maladjusted and should
be fixed. hope this helps, good luck.