When I bought this boat (used) the previous owner told me to pump the
throttle 30 times. I have had the boat since about 1997 and have never
had problems with this procedure. Even now, I can always get the
engine started, though it takes a little finessing.
As for the electric choke, how can I tell if this engine (Chevy V6
1988 4.3L, conventional ignition) has one and where to look for it if
it does?
As for the spark plug wires, I agree that's not a likely cause of
the problem, but the engine sometimes starts to miss occasionally at
the end of the season, moisture may be an issue and I think I may
want to replace the wires anyway.
As for the carb rebuild, I think that was done not more than once
during the time I've owned the boat. But if there were carb problems,
owing to dirt/sludge etc. why would the engine idle so perfectly and
run at high speed so perfectly once the initial starting problem is
over? It seems to be purely a cold engine issue.
Sorry if my doubts aren't savvy- you guys know a lot more than I
do.
Thanks very much to all of you for helping me get to the bottom of
this! Will look for your next posts.
Frank








On Mon, 06 Aug 2007 10:52:43 -0700, jamesgangnc
wrote:

On Aug 6, 2:33 am, "Calif Bill" wrote:
"frank1492" wrote in message

...

The engine dies a few seconds after it catches. It can always be
restarted, though with some difficulty.
Any ideas? I just changed the plugs. The wires haven't been
changed in awhile. New water separator. New fuel filter (ceramic)
a couple of years back.
Once the engine starts the second time (need to run at fairly
high RPM for awhile) the engine runs fine. When shut down hot, it will
always restart right away.
Thanks for your help in advance!
Frank

Choke is not working.

Maybe you're flooding it. 20 times is lot. Without a choke normally
a couple strokes is enough to start most engines.