1999 Evinrude 90hp FICHT starting issue

[dquack]

I have a 1999 90hp FICHT on my pontoon boat. The outboard runs fine and only has 1 minor issue. While on the lake sometimes the engine will not start right away. It may take 4-5 tries on the ignition to get it to catch. Other times it catches 1st try and no issues. I cannot figure out the rhyme or reason behind it. I pulled the spark plugs and they look good. I installed a new fuel filter about 30 days ago. Not sure what else it could be. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Captain Ollie West]

I am by no means an expert. I had a similar problem with a 1991 150 Faststrike. The motor ran great, but the last couple of times I used it last year it was very hard to start a couple of times. This was not normal for this engine. I was ready to trade for a different boat and took it to the lake for one last run. The darn thing would not start at all. In my case, it turned out to be a powerpack.

You say that yours does not "catch". Do you mean that the starter spins, but does not engage the flywheel? If that is the case then it is likely just your starter. Again, I am not an expert, just a person that does not like other people working on their junk. Good luck!

 

[Captain Ollie West]

... of course always check the simple, cheap things first. Enough gas, safety lanyard in place and working properly (They often fail) etc. Any luck trouble shooting this yet? Hopefully someone more knowledgeable than me responds.