Hard to start the first time

[teslaman]

About 4 months ago, I purchased a fiberglass 15' bass boat with a 1973 V4 115 hp Johnson motor. When I take the boat to the lake and put it in the water, I have always had a tough time starting it the first time. After it starts though, its usually not a problem to get it started for the rest of the day and it runs great at WOT.

Last month I put Champion QL77JC4 plugs gapped at 0.04" instead of the manufacture spec of 0.03". The result: it idles better but has become even more hard to start the first time.

Should I re-gap my plugs to 0.03" or does the problem lie elsewhere. Is there an easy remedy for this? Any help is appreciated.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Hard to start the first time

cold start procedure:
1 - start with a fully charged battery.
2 - pump primer bulb until firm.
3 - high-idle lever full up.
4 - push in and hold the key while turning until engine starts.
5 - back off the hi-idle lever as much as you can without letting her die.

If you're doing that, and the bulb gets firm and stays firm, check to be sure the choke plates are closing fully when engaged.

No other symptoms at all? A battery on its last legs (or a starter motor on its last legs for that matter) can have a harder time generating the cranking rpms on a cold motor.

 

[ezeke]

Re: Hard to start the first time

If you have the control from 1973-1977, the choke switch is a toggle located under the key switch. You need to hold that up while turning the key to the start position instead of pushing the key in.

If you are trolling a lot, use the .040 setting. If you run fast most of the time, the .030 setting is good.

Remove the cover from the carbs and make sure that the choke plates are 100% fully closed at the same time. Do this with the electronic control switch, not the manual lever.

 

[teslaman]

Re: Hard to start the first time

I do exactly the cold start procedure as outlined by jtexas.
-Battery seems to be good
-starter is good

As far as the choke goes, the electric toggle has been inoperative ever since I owned the boat. Therefore I use the manual pull choke located on the motor itself.

I have noticed a rig job on the manual choke when I remove the boat cover. There is a spring that connects the choke to the lmanual ever, I'm not sure that the spring is an original part. Could this be the problem?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Hard to start the first time

All you need to do is check to make sure the choke plates close fully when the choke is activated. If they don't that accounts for the hard cold start. Replace the choke solenoid if its bad and save yourself the frustration.

 

[clint]

Hard to start the first time

Your choke not working properly. All these Evinrudes needs a squeeze of the primer bulb first and definitely choked to draw fuel into carbs. If it doesnt start it is because the choke isn't working. Fix it correctly and avoid being towed in one day from a dead battery. Good Luck!
Clint :%

 

[jtexas]

Re: Hard to start the first time

Yup, you'll have to take off the air silencer cover and visually confirm that the choke plates close fully. You can reuse the gasket if it's not too mangled. It ought to fire right up with just a couple seconds of cranking.

Electric choke might be as simple as a loose wire or bad connection.

 

[DJ]

Re: Hard to start the first time

My experience with older OMC's is that we tend to flood them. THe chokes work pretty dang good. My 1975 50 is a perfect example. Back off the choke after an initial cranking.

Use the warm up lever and give her some ability to start with an advanced spark. DON'T rev it though.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Hard to start the first time

There are 3 positions on the manual lever for the choke. Manual on, automatic and manual off. That lever must be in the middle or "Automatic" position so the plunger can pull the choke plates closed. If it's in the "Manual Off" position, the solenoid will still work and the plunger goes in but the plates won't move. That's why there is a spring on the end of the plunger.

 

[teslaman]

Re: Hard to start the first time

At some point, the swivel or pivot point where the manual choke rod and the valve control rod meet has lost its screw and is hence inoperaable. I've found the two washers and this weird looking metal plate that goes behind the pivot point, but I can't find the screw. (By pivot point I'm referring to a metal plate where rods from the manual choke lever and the butterfly valve are attached)

Looking at the butterfly valve with this condidtion, it only moves about 15 degrees towards the closed position at full choke. This is definitely my problem! However, I don't remember seeing these components being loose before, maybe I didn't pay attention.

Does anyone know the type of screw that fits in there. My friend is a mechanic who has collected many screws over the years. I'm going to get variety of them from him today and try to find one that fits.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Hard to start the first time

Not really sure what you're describing but I think it's the manual part to the choke. There's a plate with an arrow designed in it that lines up with some lines on the air silencer cover. It's held on with a sholder screw. You don't even need that.

Without it you can't choke the motor manually but the electric choke will still work. You also can't put it to "Manual Off" but that doesn't matter.

All these parts should be on the port side of the carb. The solenoid and plunger are on the starboard side. The plunger has a spring on the end and the spring goes around the end of the choke butterfly shaft.

Go to the BRP site and look up the parts catalog for your motor. Tell us the numbers of what you're missing.

 

[ezeke]

Re: Hard to start the first time

I believe that teslaman is referring to part # 304572 - "Screw, arm to shaft". It is shown as # 17 on the carburetor parts diagram.

It holds the choke shaft so that it doesn't slip when activated. I believe that a common, hardened screw will work.

If you are referring to part shown as # 23, that is a different animal. You need to get that one from a dealer - part #307382. It is a shoulder screw and not likely to show up in someone's toolbox.

 

[teslaman]

Re: Hard to start the first time

Ok, I replaced the screw and everything seems to work OK now. Also, it looks like the previous owner had wired the solenoid to the ingnition so that when you turn the key the choke engages automatically. If the manual choke is in the the off position it doesn't the butterfly valves don't close, so I guess its OK. -- The boat was still very hard to start--but let me explain something.

The intial starting has been a problem since I've owned the boat, but I did do dsomething stupid recently that has made it worse. By accident I put too much oil in the mix, causing it to run "rich". I also used regular gas instead of premium. Now I know better than to do these things, but must have went stupid for a little while that day and I though that I had less fuel in the tank than I had. It would seem to me that an excessive amount of oil may exstinguish an arc during start-up, there also would be less % of gas to fire.

I did add some more gas to the mixture to compensate after some feul was used, but I know that I'm still running rich. I though that I might out some octane booster in the tank to make up for the lack of gas and lack of premium gas. Does this sound like a good idea?

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Hard to start the first time

i've always run regular gas with out a problem.

 

[ezeke]

Re: Hard to start the first time

87 or 89 US octane is correct. Alternate between a portable tank with a proper mix and the improper mix. Don't throw more crap into what you have. Do a proper decarb when you have run it out.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Hard to start the first time

Are you saying that the choke plates now close fully but it didn't improve your cold start? I'd get the battery load-tested.

He wired the choke to activate on every start? Don't choke a warm engine. Your control box has the toggle but it doesn't work? You sure maybe the keyswitch isn't defective? Maybe your prior owner replaced it with a push-to-choke switch and wired it wrong? How many terminals on the keyswitch? Is one marked "C"? If so what color wire is on it?

How much too much? It doesn't call for as much precision as, say, baking a cake...figure 1/3 cup oil per gallon of gas - for a 6-gal tank I always just round to the nearest gallon.

And she really won't run any better on higher octane.

 

[cobra 3.0]

Re: Hard to start the first time

When engines are being broken in, most will specify twice the normal 50:1 mix. Unless you put way more, I doubt it has much to do with your problem.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Hard to start the first time

As for the choke -- there was a circuit on that model that allowed for a "partial choke" when cold. There was a bulletin out many years ago to eliminate that circuit. At the top of the block right behind the flywheel there is a heat sensor. Those wires control the "partial choke" circuit. Disconnect that sensor. Now you can leave the choke lever in the "Automatic" position. The choke will now only work when you activate the switch on the control box at the helm.

Always use fresh 87 octane and good oil. Do not use anything higher. Even if you doubled the oil, the motor will run fine. It may smoke some at start up but it'll run fine. Make sure to use only Champion plugs. Only. Not "the same as" or "as good as" or "the equilivent to" but Champions only.