Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

[jerseyboy1983]

Does anyone know what the simptoms are of a fuel primer solenoid going bad? And Also what the red switch does? besides make the enging rev up or stall out? Its on a 1985 150 hp evinrude if anyone needs to know. Also what are the signs of the power packs going bad as well? Im just trying to narrow down a problem im having and im being told it could be either part. Thats why im asking what the simptoms are and not telling you what its doing. lol

 

[Daviet]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

Primer solenoid going bad, it either works or it don't, haven't seen any problems with them leaking fuel into the system. Have seen the plastic end cap crack and leak fuel externally when the solenoid is activated.
The red lever is to switch the primer to a manual position if you have to manually start the engine.

 

[boobie]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

Need more info ! LOL.

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

That red lever on the fuel primer solenoid can be in two positions. The normal "run" position: the length of the red lever must be parallel to/with the length of the primer solenoid. It's won't run in the wrong positon. To test this solenoid: prime the fuel hose bulb. Remove the tiny fuel primer hose from the top of the top carb. Turn the key to "on". Push in on the key. You should see small amounts of fuel pulsing out of that hose. If the power packs are going bad, you will lose spark to some cyls. esp once the engine warms up. Check for spark with an inductive timing light or do a cyl drop test.

 

[jerseyboy1983]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

First, thank you all for offering you advice. well now that i heard all that emdsapmgr im leaning torwards the power pack. So i guess ill go ahead and tell you what its doiing. when the engine is cold ill prime it and it usually fires right up but imidiately after it fires up it idles fine for a sec then it sounds like its missfiring. It will just rev down the up and then down again. It will do that for a min or two then all the sudden or when it warms up it will just snap to it and run great. This is all hooked up to a hose by the way. But when you put in in the water thats when it really does bad. It will be hard to start and will have to crank it a few times befor it starts and when i give it full throttle i will max out at 25-30 mph which is bad bc ive had it up to 48 mph. And when i got it back to the dock it stalled at idle and was hell getting it to start again untill it got out of the water and it fired right up again. It seems my engine hates water. lol I also think the timing is off too. And as another FYI, i just changed out the VRO pump and had the carbs cleaned and rebuilt bc it was boggin out at high rpm's. After i did that the engine ran better than ever for a half a day then it started doing this. im getting very frustrated.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

Old fuel, water in fuel, restricted fuel, check spark with a spark tester when the problem occurs. What do the plugs look like?

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

It's normal for the rpm's to vary somewhat when just started. That engine must be repeatedly choked for upwards of 30-45 seconds to keep enough extra fuel going to the engine when cold. (periodically keep pushing in on the key switch.) As long as you push in on the key, it will choke the engine. As the engine warms up, it will eventually not need the extra choke. Hard to tell just what the additional problem is when you have it running on the water. It may not be firing on all 6 cyls. Keep in mind that the engine will seem to run fine on the trailer. That engine will seem to run just fine on 3 or 4 cyls while on the trailer. It's another thing when you dunk the boat in the water and the exhaust is 24" underwater. At that point you need all 6 cyls firing. Check for spark with an inductive timing light or do a cyl drop test. Weak ignition components tend to fail once the engine heats to normal operating temps, so make sure you do any spark testing after the engine is fully warmed up.

 

[jerseyboy1983]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

The plugs are brand new. I just replaced them.

 

[jerseyboy1983]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

Emdsapmgr- That's some good thoughts. What exactly is a CYL Drop test and how do you do it? And Can i just pull a plug out, fire it up and look at the end of the plug for spark?

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

All firing cyls contribute to running the engine. If one is not firing, the engine rpm's will be lower. So, start the engine on the driveway. Warm it up. Check the tach for rpm's. Get a pair of insulated pliers and pull one of the spark plug leads from one of the spark plugs. If that plug's firing-the rpms should drop noticeably. Reconnect that wire, and pull the next spark plug wire off. Etc. You get the idea. If you pull a plugwire off while running and there is no accompanying drop in rpm's, it likely is not firing. Likely an ignition problem.

 

[jerseyboy1983]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

Oh nice, But there is just one problem, my tach doesnt work. lol can i do it by sound? And can i get your name by any chance so i can call you something but emdsapmgr?

 

[jerseyboy1983]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

And would that ignition problem if one or two or even more of the cylds wasnt be a coil rather than a power pack? Because im about to go buy new power packs thinking that was the problem.

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

You should be able to hear an rpm difference by ear. Should be that noticeable. Coils are usually reliable. In addition to the power packs, there are two other expensive ignition components, the stator and the timer base-any of which can cause ignition problems. And they all are expensive-so it is worth your time to do a good diagnosis before making a purchase.

 

[jerseyboy1983]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

Ok good. Im gona go over and mess with it today. Im hoping its not going to be either of those 2 because they look very difficult to replace so im hoping its the power packs. But thank you again. I will let you know later what i found out after i go and do those tests.

 

[jerseyboy1983]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

Well, I have good news and i have bad news. The good news is after fighting with it for an hour i finally got it started. It ran worse than ever but it started. I pulled of one wire at a time and i think the left side power pack is bad because i didnt hear a difference. The bad part is after i shut it off i couldnt get it started for the rest of the day. i tried for over 2 hours to get it running again but no go. I figured it would still start even with one side out. Now for the Primer silonoid, It will only start if its in the full clockwise position. meaning the tip is facing the back of the boat. But it will only prime it and release feul if its turned torwards the front of the boat. I dont know anymore. This is all too much for me. Ive never had to turn the red switch one way to prime it and then turn it to start it. But that doesnt matter i guess since it wont start in the first place.

 

[Haffiman]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

The primer solenoid is just an electric pressure release valve and not a pump itself.
Pump up pressure with the primer bulb, activate the solenoid either electric or manual by turning the lever 90 degrees, and it will release the pressure between bulb and carbs through the primer intakes (small hoses). Turning the lever more than 90 degrees may ruin/destroy the plunger!!
When cranking the engine or when engine is running, pressure created by the fuel pump will then keep the fuel flowing. However with a VRO system/pump, the engine will have to do several turns between each pump stroke. The non-VRO pumps gives pulses at every turn.

 

[jerseyboy1983]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

ok, but it wont start unless its turned all the way clockwise (facing the rear of the engine). But in that position no fuel will come out of the small top hose that goes into the top carb. If i turn it the 90 degrees the other way (facing the front of the boat) i can hear it release and fuel come out the hose. But again, it never starts in that position. So i hope i didnt confuse you. lol

Also, i went back over there today and tried again and i primed it in the position that releases the pressure, then turned the switch back the other way to start it and it fired up and ran for like 2-4 sec befor stalling. It will do that over and over but never run for longer than 2-4 seconds. Like its burning whats in the carbs or cyls and then it doesnt get any more fuel. Could it be the solenoid not giving it the gas it needs to start up and run? Meaning its bad after all?

 

[3899]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

I've been going through this same thing with mine...'86 150 hp. With the valve pointed to the solenoid body, (rear) that is choke mode. Try running 12 vlts to it while blowing into a hose connected to the inlet nip. With the power to it you should hear it click and be able to blow through it. If you can't blow through it but it is clicking, maybe the pintle is broken or sticking. I disassembled mine and got it working again.

 

[emdsapmgr]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

After running for 2-4 seconds, remove a couple of bowl drain screws on two of the carbs. Fuel should run out of the carbs...does it?
There is no need to be constantly fiddling with the fuel primer lever. Leave it parallel to the length of the solenoid and move on to something else. Do you get a different start/run outcome when you constantly prime the fuel hose bulb? Have you taken a fuel sample to test for water in the fuel? Do you know if you have spark on all 6 cyls when you crank the engine? When checking for spark, you can swap the identical power packs-does that make a difference on which spark plugs fire? If you have a bad pack, it should.

 

[jerseyboy1983]

Re: Anyone know about fuel primer solenoid's?

sweet, i will try it. You said you had the same problems im having with it not running or running right? If so did this fix the problem?