Hard to start 25hp

[ducknfool]

Up until recently, my 1994 25 horse Merc has always started and ran like a new one. Lately though it has become increasingly harder to start when it is cold out. Today it refused to start , and in an effort to see if the problem was fuel or spark, I gave it a small shot of ether and it fired right up. Today and every time before, once it started, it ran flawlessly and continued to re-start fine the rest of the day.Could there possibly be some sort of cold start injector or something of that nature on this engine? Or what else could I check for?

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Hard to start 25hp

Welcome to iboats.<br /><br />Most outboards start real hard in cold damp weather. I'm not sure if it's out yet, but winter blended gasoline might help. If the gas is even a few months old, get fresh gas and that might help.<br /><br />When you pull the prime button, it shoots a bit of gas in the carb. You might want to pull it out a few times to pump a bit more fuel, say 3 or 4 times. That usually helps too.

 

[outboard tech]

Re: Hard to start 25hp

The diaphragm assembly in your plunger (primer) may be torn, or the linkage (plastic) may be broken. Try priming it after it's warmed up--while it's running; if the motor bogs or dies it's functioning.