When I tried to fire up this outboard for the first time this year, it
wouldn't start. The carburetor was disassembled and found to be
clean. All the orifices were checked and were clean. There was no
debris in the bowl at all. The choke was checked and the butterfly
was clean and worked properly. The spark was checked. Compression
seemed fine. A new plug was inserted.
After reassembly the engine was cranked and started immediately.
It ran perfectly, but was run only for a couple of minutes. After a
few hours. it was started again. All fine. A couple of hours later,
started again. All fine.
The next morning, it was cranked and wouldn't start. It has'nt
started since.
This pattern was observed once before another year.
What is happening????
(Help much appreciated!)
Frank

Actually before we had diassembled the engine, we had tried this, but
oddly it still wouldn't fire. This is when we checked for spark and
found it to be OK.
I still think you are right- that choke is an issue, but then what
would cause no firing with gas in the cylinder- except no spark?
Couldn't be anything else could it.





On Sun, 02 Jul 2006 19:56:23 GMT, Gene Kearns
wrote:

On Sun, 02 Jul 2006 19:45:08 GMT, frank1492 penned the following well
considered thoughts to the readers of rec.boats:

When I tried to fire up this outboard for the first time this year, it
wouldn't start. The carburetor was disassembled and found to be
clean. All the orifices were checked and were clean. There was no
debris in the bowl at all. The choke was checked and the butterfly
was clean and worked properly. The spark was checked. Compression
seemed fine. A new plug was inserted.
After reassembly the engine was cranked and started immediately.
It ran perfectly, but was run only for a couple of minutes. After a
few hours. it was started again. All fine. A couple of hours later,
started again. All fine.
The next morning, it was cranked and wouldn't start. It has'nt
started since.
This pattern was observed once before another year.
What is happening????
(Help much appreciated!)
Frank

If you are still getting fire, I would squirt a little gas in and try
again.... I'm guessing that it is a choke issue....

"Gene Kearns" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 02 Jul 2006 19:45:08 GMT, frank1492 penned the following well
considered thoughts to the readers of rec.boats:

When I tried to fire up this outboard for the first time this year, it
wouldn't start. The carburetor was disassembled and found to be
clean. All the orifices were checked and were clean. There was no
debris in the bowl at all. The choke was checked and the butterfly
was clean and worked properly. The spark was checked. Compression
seemed fine. A new plug was inserted.
After reassembly the engine was cranked and started immediately.
It ran perfectly, but was run only for a couple of minutes. After a
few hours. it was started again. All fine. A couple of hours later,
started again. All fine.
The next morning, it was cranked and wouldn't start. It has'nt
started since.
This pattern was observed once before another year.
What is happening????
(Help much appreciated!)
Frank

If you are still getting fire, I would squirt a little gas in and try
again.... I'm guessing that it is a choke issue....


I have no idea what a Johnson Colt is, what size or if it has a built in gas
tank. In the event it has an external tank with lines, you might want to
check them and make sure the tank is venting. Come to think of it, even the
built in tanks need to vent, otherwise you won't get fuel after a few
minutes of running.

Eisboch

Harry Krause wrote:
Eisboch wrote:

"Gene Kearns" wrote in message
...

On Sun, 02 Jul 2006 19:45:08 GMT, frank1492 penned the following well
considered thoughts to the readers of rec.boats:

When I tried to fire up this outboard for the first time this year, it
wouldn't start. The carburetor was disassembled and found to be
clean. All the orifices were checked and were clean. There was no
debris in the bowl at all. The choke was checked and the butterfly
was clean and worked properly. The spark was checked. Compression
seemed fine. A new plug was inserted.
After reassembly the engine was cranked and started immediately.
It ran perfectly, but was run only for a couple of minutes. After a
few hours. it was started again. All fine. A couple of hours later,
started again. All fine.
The next morning, it was cranked and wouldn't start. It has'nt
started since.
This pattern was observed once before another year.
What is happening????
(Help much appreciated!)
Frank

If you are still getting fire, I would squirt a little gas in and try
again.... I'm guessing that it is a choke issue....


I have no idea what a Johnson Colt is, what size or if it has a built
in gas tank. In the event it has an external tank with lines, you
might want to check them and make sure the tank is venting. Come to
think of it, even the built in tanks need to vent, otherwise you won't
get fuel after a few minutes of running.

Eisboch


It's a small, 2 or 3 hp, outboard with a built in tank. The tank cap
should have an air vent on it. The air vent must be screwed open for the
engine to run.

My British Seagull tank is like that. Filler cap must be backed off when
running.

"Harry Krause" wrote in message
. ..


It's a small, 2 or 3 hp, outboard with a built in tank. The tank cap
should have an air vent on it. The air vent must be screwed open for the
engine to run.


That was my "maneuver" as a 14 year old taking a girl I was all googly-eyed
about for a boat ride around the small lake we lived on during the summer.

12 foot Sears aluminum boat with a 2-1/2 hp Montgomery Ward outboard.
We'd get underway, round the bend and the engine would die in the middle of
the lake, out of sight of anybody back at the cottage. Of course, I knew
exactly where to shut the vent down tight so the boat would die where I
wanted it to. I used to tell her the engine just need to cool down for a
while.

Eisboch

Yep the Colt is a 2hp outboard. I will check again but I am sure at
some point I unscrewed the tank completely just to make sure it was
venting properly.





On Sun, 2 Jul 2006 18:31:58 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"Harry Krause" wrote in message
...


It's a small, 2 or 3 hp, outboard with a built in tank. The tank cap
should have an air vent on it. The air vent must be screwed open for the
engine to run.


That was my "maneuver" as a 14 year old taking a girl I was all googly-eyed
about for a boat ride around the small lake we lived on during the summer.

12 foot Sears aluminum boat with a 2-1/2 hp Montgomery Ward outboard.
We'd get underway, round the bend and the engine would die in the middle of
the lake, out of sight of anybody back at the cottage. Of course, I knew
exactly where to shut the vent down tight so the boat would die where I
wanted it to. I used to tell her the engine just need to cool down for a
while.

Eisboch

Whoops I meant tank CAP.




On Mon, 03 Jul 2006 13:29:27 GMT, frank1492
wrote:

Yep the Colt is a 2hp outboard. I will check again but I am sure at
some point I unscrewed the tank completely just to make sure it was
venting properly.





On Sun, 2 Jul 2006 18:31:58 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"Harry Krause" wrote in message
m...


It's a small, 2 or 3 hp, outboard with a built in tank. The tank cap
should have an air vent on it. The air vent must be screwed open for the
engine to run.


That was my "maneuver" as a 14 year old taking a girl I was all googly-eyed
about for a boat ride around the small lake we lived on during the summer.

12 foot Sears aluminum boat with a 2-1/2 hp Montgomery Ward outboard.
We'd get underway, round the bend and the engine would die in the middle of
the lake, out of sight of anybody back at the cottage. Of course, I knew
exactly where to shut the vent down tight so the boat would die where I
wanted it to. I used to tell her the engine just need to cool down for a
while.

Eisboch

Assuming a flooding problem (again), I tried closing both high and low
speed jets fully. The engine started immediately, then of course died.
I then opened both valves about a quarter of a turn (much less than
manu. recommended) and everything ran fine. (Started with manual
choke on full, then backed off to one half.)
I will follow this procedure in the future and hope nothing
changes. Thank you all for your ideas and help. I guess there
wasn't much else it could have been.
Frank





On Mon, 03 Jul 2006 13:29:27 GMT, frank1492
wrote:

Yep the Colt is a 2hp outboard. I will check again but I am sure at
some point I unscrewed the tank completely just to make sure it was
venting properly.





On Sun, 2 Jul 2006 18:31:58 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"Harry Krause" wrote in message
m...


It's a small, 2 or 3 hp, outboard with a built in tank. The tank cap
should have an air vent on it. The air vent must be screwed open for the
engine to run.


That was my "maneuver" as a 14 year old taking a girl I was all googly-eyed
about for a boat ride around the small lake we lived on during the summer.

12 foot Sears aluminum boat with a 2-1/2 hp Montgomery Ward outboard.
We'd get underway, round the bend and the engine would die in the middle of
the lake, out of sight of anybody back at the cottage. Of course, I knew
exactly where to shut the vent down tight so the boat would die where I
wanted it to. I used to tell her the engine just need to cool down for a
while.

Eisboch