I have a 120 HP Mercruiser I/O Stern drive. There is a couple of things
I wanted to put out here to hear your expert opinion on it Please
advise, and if possible give me some detailed unstructions where to
check and what to do. I am a newbie when it comes to this kind of
stuff. Thanks a lot in advance!

1)
I am having a really hard time to start the engine. It generally takes
me 7 or 8 tries to get it going. I have tried adjusting the idle RPM,
but this didn't help much. I have tried to pump the lever as a choke,
but that didn't work either.

2)
When I finally get it started, it has a hard time 'catching gears'.
When I shift it to Forward it usually does OK (could be better), but
shifting to Reverse from neutral takes a while, and you'll hear this
clicking noise. It sounds like it is trying to catch gears.

3)
The last time I went out on the boat it suddenly started stalling
around 3000 RPM. Any effort to increase the throttle would result in
the engine stuttering and almost shutting down. My assumption is that
there is a clog somewhere in the fuel line or somewhere else.

Again, any help would be greatly appreciated. If possible give me some
pointers as to where to look and what to do.

Thanks a lot!

The first thing you should look for is a mechanic to diagnose your problems.
All of your problems MIGHT stem from lower shift cable/interrupter
adjustments or malfunctions. Or you might have multiple problems. Mercruiser
had a lot of problems with shifting and stalling, evidenced by the number of
service bulletins on the subject.
JIMin FL

"T39" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a 120 HP Mercruiser I/O Stern drive. There is a couple of things
I wanted to put out here to hear your expert opinion on it Please
advise, and if possible give me some detailed unstructions where to
check and what to do. I am a newbie when it comes to this kind of
stuff. Thanks a lot in advance!

1)
I am having a really hard time to start the engine. It generally takes
me 7 or 8 tries to get it going. I have tried adjusting the idle RPM,
but this didn't help much. I have tried to pump the lever as a choke,
but that didn't work either.

2)
When I finally get it started, it has a hard time 'catching gears'.
When I shift it to Forward it usually does OK (could be better), but
shifting to Reverse from neutral takes a while, and you'll hear this
clicking noise. It sounds like it is trying to catch gears.

3)
The last time I went out on the boat it suddenly started stalling
around 3000 RPM. Any effort to increase the throttle would result in
the engine stuttering and almost shutting down. My assumption is that
there is a clog somewhere in the fuel line or somewhere else.

Again, any help would be greatly appreciated. If possible give me some
pointers as to where to look and what to do.

Thanks a lot!

1. Pump the throttle 3 times to wide open. Set throttle to about 1/2
throttle and try to crank. Keep working the throttle back and forth until
it cranks. If this does not work I wonder if your choke is set properly or
working at all.

2. You probably need a new shift cable as this one has stretched over time.
You might be able to adjust it but at that age - you probably need a new
one. Don't continue to run as you will tear up the clutch dog (if you have
not already) and that will be very expensive to have replaced.

3. Could be a fuel starvation problem or the carb needing to be
rebuilt/replaced or a coil breaking down or plug wires or any number of
things.

I would recommend you pull the plugs and see what they look like. If wet
then you probably have an ignition problem. If the plugs and wires and coil
have not been changed in a long time then this would be a good thing to do
anyway. Then start w/ the carb.

Or just take it to a local mechanic and have him fix it. Your looking at
about $500 by time he fixes everything though chances are.

--
Tony
my boats and cars at http://t.thomas.home.mchsi.com

-
"T39" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a 120 HP Mercruiser I/O Stern drive. There is a couple of things
I wanted to put out here to hear your expert opinion on it Please
advise, and if possible give me some detailed unstructions where to
check and what to do. I am a newbie when it comes to this kind of
stuff. Thanks a lot in advance!

1)
I am having a really hard time to start the engine. It generally takes
me 7 or 8 tries to get it going. I have tried adjusting the idle RPM,
but this didn't help much. I have tried to pump the lever as a choke,
but that didn't work either.

2)
When I finally get it started, it has a hard time 'catching gears'.
When I shift it to Forward it usually does OK (could be better), but
shifting to Reverse from neutral takes a while, and you'll hear this
clicking noise. It sounds like it is trying to catch gears.

3)
The last time I went out on the boat it suddenly started stalling
around 3000 RPM. Any effort to increase the throttle would result in
the engine stuttering and almost shutting down. My assumption is that
there is a clog somewhere in the fuel line or somewhere else.

Again, any help would be greatly appreciated. If possible give me some
pointers as to where to look and what to do.

Thanks a lot!