Hi
I'm a newbie to all this boating stuff and am having problems starting my
outboard.
First off, its a 140 hp Evinrude, about a 1983. I start off by pumping the
fuel bulb til its is hard (a fellow collegue informed me of this) and then
lift the choke lever all the way up, push in the key and start turning it
over. It cranks for about 3 mins and then I stop to let the starter cool(if
it is hot?) Then I start again and finally it will start about another 3 min
or so.
Question is, should it take this long? I plan on changing the plugs this
weekend. Is there something else I should do? If the battery is low, will
this not help the problem? I had to take it home tonight to give it a charge
as it stopped cranking the motor.

Thanks Dean

In rec.boats dmp wrote:
Hi
I'm a newbie to all this boating stuff and am having problems starting my
outboard.
First off, its a 140 hp Evinrude, about a 1983. I start off by pumping the
fuel bulb til its is hard (a fellow collegue informed me of this) and then
lift the choke lever all the way up, push in the key and start turning it
over. It cranks for about 3 mins and then I stop to let the starter cool(if
it is hot?) Then I start again and finally it will start about another 3 min
or so.

Question is, should it take this long?

No, definitely not. Mine always starts after 3 seconds or so.

I plan on changing the plugs this weekend.

I have the same motor, and REALLY like the NGK BUHXW-1 plugs. Used to get
fouling problems with the Champion equivalent. I'd verify you are getting
spark out of all 4 cylinders, by the way.

Is there something else I should do?

Check if the choke is actually engaging... You should hear it click
when you push the key in, and if you remove the cover from the outboard
you should be able to see the choke levers on both carburetors
move. There should be no resistance if you move the levers by hand,
either.

Next thing to check is if the control box is synchronized to the
carburetor linkage. Pull off the cover of the motor and look at the
throttle linkage. You should see that the throttle cable rotates a
plate with three lines marked on it. A roller on the top carbutetor
linkage moves against the edge of this plate. When you lift the warm-up
lever all the way to the start position, the roller should line up with
the middle line on that plate.

If you've still got the problem, you might want to have a mechanic check
the ignition timing. The timing is advanced with the throttle
position. In fact, at low speeds, the engine is controlled mostly by
advancing and retarding the timing, not by opening and closing the carb.

If the battery is low, will
this not help the problem?

If your battery was able to crank it for 6 minutes before dying, it
sounds OK to me. The overnight charge should do fine.

Dan


--
A casual stroll through a lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove
anything.
-- Friedrich Nietzsche

Try this

Push key in (activating choke) and turn key, as soon as you here the engine
with that single firing, turn key with no choke until starts.
If it doesn't start then, do it again, hold choke in until you hear the
engine fire (it will only fire for one second or two then stall) then turn
key with no choke until engine starts (no more than 20 seconds though)
Turning the key for 3 minutes will really burn out your starter.









"Marshall Banana" wrote in message
...
In rec.boats dmp wrote:
Hi
I'm a newbie to all this boating stuff and am having problems starting
my
outboard.
First off, its a 140 hp Evinrude, about a 1983. I start off by pumping
the
fuel bulb til its is hard (a fellow collegue informed me of this) and
then
lift the choke lever all the way up, push in the key and start turning
it
over. It cranks for about 3 mins and then I stop to let the starter
cool(if
it is hot?) Then I start again and finally it will start about another 3
min
or so.

Question is, should it take this long?

No, definitely not. Mine always starts after 3 seconds or so.

I plan on changing the plugs this weekend.

I have the same motor, and REALLY like the NGK BUHXW-1 plugs. Used to get
fouling problems with the Champion equivalent. I'd verify you are getting
spark out of all 4 cylinders, by the way.

Is there something else I should do?

Check if the choke is actually engaging... You should hear it click
when you push the key in, and if you remove the cover from the outboard
you should be able to see the choke levers on both carburetors
move. There should be no resistance if you move the levers by hand,
either.

Next thing to check is if the control box is synchronized to the
carburetor linkage. Pull off the cover of the motor and look at the
throttle linkage. You should see that the throttle cable rotates a
plate with three lines marked on it. A roller on the top carbutetor
linkage moves against the edge of this plate. When you lift the warm-up
lever all the way to the start position, the roller should line up with
the middle line on that plate.

If you've still got the problem, you might want to have a mechanic check
the ignition timing. The timing is advanced with the throttle
position. In fact, at low speeds, the engine is controlled mostly by
advancing and retarding the timing, not by opening and closing the carb.

If the battery is low, will
this not help the problem?

If your battery was able to crank it for 6 minutes before dying, it
sounds OK to me. The overnight charge should do fine.

Dan


--
A casual stroll through a lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove
anything.
-- Friedrich Nietzsche

Yep.


"Marshall Banana" wrote in message news:3efbe5f1_2@corp-

Check if the choke is actually engaging... You should hear it click
when you push the key in

Well I answered my own question tonight. After being out on someone else's
boat today, I noticed how they started theirs and what I was doing was all
wrong. Trouble was that the person who I bought it off of didn't expain
correctly on how to start it.

After I put the newly recharged battery in, I pumped the "bulb" until it was
hard and then I pushed and turned the key and waited about ten seconds; gave
her a crank and voila, started right up!

The previous owner never told me that the choke was when you push and turn
the key, he told me it was part of the fast idle lever! ****ed me off!
Good news is I saved myself $8 a plug that I can now return back to Canadian
Tire and I now know how to start my boat!!
Dean

"dmp" wrote in message
...
Hi
I'm a newbie to all this boating stuff and am having problems starting my
outboard.
First off, its a 140 hp Evinrude, about a 1983. I start off by pumping the
fuel bulb til its is hard (a fellow collegue informed me of this) and then
lift the choke lever all the way up, push in the key and start turning it
over. It cranks for about 3 mins and then I stop to let the starter
cool(if
it is hot?) Then I start again and finally it will start about another 3
min
or so.
Question is, should it take this long? I plan on changing the plugs this
weekend. Is there something else I should do? If the battery is low, will
this not help the problem? I had to take it home tonight to give it a
charge
as it stopped cranking the motor.

Thanks Dean

Congratulations.

You'll need those plugs eventually. How long since they were last changed,
anyway?

====

Charles T. Low
- remove "UN"
www.boatdocking.com
www.ctlow.ca/Trojan26 - my boat

====

"dmp" wrote in message
...
Well I answered my own question tonight. After being out on someone else's
boat today, I noticed how they started theirs and what I was doing was all
wrong. Trouble was that the person who I bought it off of didn't expain
correctly on how to start it.

After I put the newly recharged battery in, I pumped the "bulb" until it
was
hard and then I pushed and turned the key and waited about ten seconds;
gave
her a crank and voila, started right up!

The previous owner never told me that the choke was when you push and turn
the key, he told me it was part of the fast idle lever! ****ed me off!
Good news is I saved myself $8 a plug that I can now return back to
Canadian
Tire and I now know how to start my boat!!
Dean

If you can't start your boat engine with the same ease as you can your
car.... batteries are the least of your problems.
The engine should fire within 3 seconds with no hesitation anytime anywhere.
Cold or hot weather should not make a big difference.... neither should the
lack of regular use impede it's ability to fire up on command.

All my engines are serviced seasonally and they will start immediately. I
loaned a friend an 8 hp Merc I had stored in the boat shed for 3 years.....
it started on the first pull. The diesel auxiliary on my 30 ft sailboat
starts without hesitation at a push of the button. It's 10 years old and has
470 hours on it.

I learned many years ago the importance of dependability of engines on a
boat since often it is your only means of propulsion.... especially on a
powerboat.

Have a qualified mechanic look at it and get it operating properly.

CM


"Michael Knight" wrote in message
om...
| "dmp" wrote in message
t...
| Hi
| I'm a newbie to all this boating stuff and am having problems starting
my
| outboard.
| First off, its a 140 hp Evinrude, about a 1983. I start off by pumping
the
| fuel bulb til its is hard (a fellow collegue informed me of this) and
then
| lift the choke lever all the way up, push in the key and start turning
it
| over. It cranks for about 3 mins and then I stop to let the starter
cool(if
| it is hot?) Then I start again and finally it will start about another 3
min
| or so.
|
| I have a 1987 Evinrude 225HP. When I first got it, it used to take
| several minutes and several attempts to get it started. The more I
| used it, the better it got. But for sure let the starter cool down
| after a 3min crank attempt...that's a lot of cranking.
|
| Question is, should it take this long? I plan on changing the plugs this
| weekend. Is there something else I should do? If the battery is low,
will
| this not help the problem? I had to take it home tonight to give it a
charge
| as it stopped cranking the motor.
|
| If the battery is low, it definitely makes a difference. I've tried
| cranking on a low battery several times with no luck. Each time I've
| taken it back and left it on the trickle charger all night and tried
| again the next day, or even several days later. Wow! Usually with a
| fresh-off-the-charger battery, it cranks immediately.
|
| Like most cars, boats are the same way...the more often you run them,
| the easier they are to get going. I try to crank mine at least once
| every two weeks.
|
| Incidently, they are cold natured beasts. Trying to get it started
| when the weather has been in the 40's or 30's for a while is a trick.
| I've come close to draining the battery, ready to give up, and give
| it that last college try, and miraculously it suddenly decides to
| start. This after several minutes of trying.
|
| Bottom line, run it as often as you can, it will be easier to start.
|
| Good Luck,
|
| Michael

Actually Capt, the lack of regular use will make initial starting harder on
a great many engines. If a motor hasn't been fired for a couple of weeks,
the fuel in the float bowl will have partially or sometimes completely
evaporated. Under these conditions, it will often take more cranking time
for the fuel pump to refill the bowl before the engine will fire. This only
applies though to many carb engines, normally does not apply to FI engines
as the electric pumps run as soon as the key is turned on (as apposed to
only running while rotating) and there is no float bowl to fill.

This condition seems most common on Merc or OMC that run Chev V8's as the
Rochester Quad's are notorious for this. What makes it worse on these
engines is many people give it the initial 2-3 pumps on the throttle and
don't realize they are not squirting any fuel into the barrels because the
bowl is nearly dry. If you have an engine that does this after a few weeks,
continue to pump the throttle while cranking until the first cough, then 2
shots and it should start fine. Again though, this only applies to the
first time after several weeks of sitting, the rest of the weekend it should
fire right away like normal.

Greg Moore

"Capt. Mooron" wrote in message
...
If you can't start your boat engine with the same ease as you can your
car.... batteries are the least of your problems.
The engine should fire within 3 seconds with no hesitation anytime
anywhere.
Cold or hot weather should not make a big difference.... neither should
the
lack of regular use impede it's ability to fire up on command.

All my engines are serviced seasonally and they will start immediately. I
loaned a friend an 8 hp Merc I had stored in the boat shed for 3
years.....
it started on the first pull. The diesel auxiliary on my 30 ft sailboat
starts without hesitation at a push of the button. It's 10 years old and
has
470 hours on it.

I learned many years ago the importance of dependability of engines on a
boat since often it is your only means of propulsion.... especially on a
powerboat.

Have a qualified mechanic look at it and get it operating properly.

CM


"Michael Knight" wrote in message
om...
| "dmp" wrote in message
t...
| Hi
| I'm a newbie to all this boating stuff and am having problems starting
my
| outboard.
| First off, its a 140 hp Evinrude, about a 1983. I start off by pumping
the
| fuel bulb til its is hard (a fellow collegue informed me of this) and
then
| lift the choke lever all the way up, push in the key and start turning
it
| over. It cranks for about 3 mins and then I stop to let the starter
cool(if
| it is hot?) Then I start again and finally it will start about another
3
min
| or so.
|
| I have a 1987 Evinrude 225HP. When I first got it, it used to take
| several minutes and several attempts to get it started. The more I
| used it, the better it got. But for sure let the starter cool down
| after a 3min crank attempt...that's a lot of cranking.
|
| Question is, should it take this long? I plan on changing the plugs
this
| weekend. Is there something else I should do? If the battery is low,
will
| this not help the problem? I had to take it home tonight to give it a
charge
| as it stopped cranking the motor.
|
| If the battery is low, it definitely makes a difference. I've tried
| cranking on a low battery several times with no luck. Each time I've
| taken it back and left it on the trickle charger all night and tried
| again the next day, or even several days later. Wow! Usually with a
| fresh-off-the-charger battery, it cranks immediately.
|
| Like most cars, boats are the same way...the more often you run them,
| the easier they are to get going. I try to crank mine at least once
| every two weeks.
|
| Incidently, they are cold natured beasts. Trying to get it started
| when the weather has been in the 40's or 30's for a while is a trick.
| I've come close to draining the battery, ready to give up, and give
| it that last college try, and miraculously it suddenly decides to
| start. This after several minutes of trying.
|
| Bottom line, run it as often as you can, it will be easier to start.
|
| Good Luck,
|
| Michael

"Capt. Mooron" wrote in message ...
If you can't start your boat engine with the same ease as you can your
car.... batteries are the least of your problems.
The engine should fire within 3 seconds with no hesitation anytime anywhere.
Cold or hot weather should not make a big difference.... neither should the
lack of regular use impede it's ability to fire up on command.

All my engines are serviced seasonally and they will start immediately. I
loaned a friend an 8 hp Merc I had stored in the boat shed for 3 years.....
it started on the first pull. The diesel auxiliary on my 30 ft sailboat
starts without hesitation at a push of the button. It's 10 years old and has
470 hours on it.


Hmm...I'd like to know what magic you pull to get a motor to crank
first hit after years of sitting...unless you are pulling regular
monthly maintenance on it during storage.

In my experience, be it car, lawnmower, boat, or airplane....any
engine that sits unused for a while takes a little longer to start the
first time. Cars that sit for a couple of months take some prep and
then they start resonably easy, but still take longer than just
hopping in your daily vehicle to go to work.

I have a push mower that usually takes several cranks to get it going
the first use of the season. Ditto my riding lawnmower, and I take
great care to store and prep it....even going so far as to try and
crank/run it bi-weekly during the winter and using fresh gas every
time.

Even light aircraft, with air cooled fuel injected engines take a
little coaxing after a couple of weeks of non-use...and believe
me...those things are expertly maintained. They are visually
inspected prior to each and every use, and go through a full test and
inspection every 100 hours. In an airplane, you can't just throw
anchor and wait for help....the engine quits and you are in a world of
hurt.

So yes...I'd say that if you run and crank your boat motor(s) daily,
or even several times a day, then yes....absolutely you should expect
them to start and run about as reliably as your car.

But as most people tend to use their boat once a month or even less,
then they can expect difficults starts the first couple of times.

Just my .02

-Michael

Can't see it Greg. I expect my marine engine to start with the same ease
that my car starts. The reason an engine won't start with the same ease it
did when it was new is poor maintenance. You can claim any excuse you like
but a properly set up and correctly maintained engine will start up first
time every time without hesitation.

Sorry but that's just the way I view it. I park my truck for months on end
and it starts as easily as my diesel auxiliary which is hardly used.[2.6
hours in 3 weeks]. All my outboards start on the first pull..... okay ...
but definatly on the second pull.

It all comes down to maintenance.... attention...... and proper handling.

CM


"Greg Moore" wrote in message
...
| Actually Capt, the lack of regular use will make initial starting harder
on
| a great many engines. If a motor hasn't been fired for a couple of weeks,
| the fuel in the float bowl will have partially or sometimes completely
| evaporated. Under these conditions, it will often take more cranking time
| for the fuel pump to refill the bowl before the engine will fire. This
only
| applies though to many carb engines, normally does not apply to FI engines
| as the electric pumps run as soon as the key is turned on (as apposed to
| only running while rotating) and there is no float bowl to fill.
|
| This condition seems most common on Merc or OMC that run Chev V8's as the
| Rochester Quad's are notorious for this. What makes it worse on these
| engines is many people give it the initial 2-3 pumps on the throttle and
| don't realize they are not squirting any fuel into the barrels because the
| bowl is nearly dry. If you have an engine that does this after a few
weeks,
| continue to pump the throttle while cranking until the first cough, then 2
| shots and it should start fine. Again though, this only applies to the
| first time after several weeks of sitting, the rest of the weekend it
should
| fire right away like normal.