Late 70s 85hp hard start issue..

[heckhole]

I have a mid/late 70s 85hp that's starting hard. The previous owner had the boat for 15 years and said it always started hard and he never looked into it. However it annoys the crap out of me.... This is what happens.... I flip the choke switch, lift idle lever halfway and try to start. It will turn over for about 5 seconds before it pops once. It briefly fires for a split second and immediately dies. It'll do this for 10 minutes before it'll finally start. Once it starts it'll run great and restart easily unless you let it sit for 30 min or longer. I replaced all the coils and plugs and wires this year. Also has fresh gas. Any ideas would be great.

 

[racerone]

Does the timer base under the flywheel rotate slightly to open the throttle when you advance the warm up lever ?---What do you mean by " flip the switch " for choke ?---Choke switch must be held on while cranking untill motor starts.--Then choke switch should be operated as needed to keep motor running till it warms a bit.

 

[emdsapmgr]

To Racerone's comment. That engine likely has choke plates ahead of the carb butterflys. These choke plates only close when the key switch is pushed in, or when the choke switch is lifted up (depending on how old the control box is.) If the choke plates are not closing during choking it is a bear to start when cold. Make sure the choke solenoid is activating and visually check to see that the choke plates are fully closing.

 

[heckhole]

Sorry guys, I didn't mean to be so vague. I was posting on my cell phone.

It's a 1975 Evinrude 85hp. I'm going to revamp my post.

My cold start procedure is as follows:

Prime fuel bulb until hard (Usually 4-5 squeeze)
Lift lever to halfway
Lift choke switch
Turn key.

Motor generally turns over and will 'pop' a puff of smoke and starter disengages. Will repeat this several times. More often than not, I return the lever to its lowest position, lift the choke switch and turn key, it will turn over and I'll let go of choke switch and it'll start up. Once the engine is warm, I generally don't need the lever or choke switch to start the engine.

When I hit the choke switch, I hear the solenoid clack, and I can kill the engine when it's running by holding the switch up, but it takes about 5-10 seconds to die down and shut off. I will pull off the air cover and see if it's functioning properly.

Aside from that, on my King Finger fiberglass bass boat, it does 39mph @ 4900rpms on GPS. It seems to run great once it is started. This year I inspected the coils and found 2 cracked. I replaced those and also installed new plugs, mix fuel/oil at 50:1. Until it warms up from cold start, it does seem to have a misfire/stutter . Usually cleans up after about 10/15 seconds of idling when cold. Doesn't do it on warm starts.

 

[Chris1956]

OK, pump primer until firm, cold start lever all the way up, hold choke button (of flip switch), and crank her until she starts. After she starts, feather the choke until she is warm.

 

[Chris1956]

Sorry, my comments were for a 1975 Merc 85HP motor. I was distracted.

 

[ronward]

Still same procedure Chris1956

 

[heckhole]

Update: Checked choke and it is fully functional. Also used high idle lever and saw no improvement. What worked best for today's cold start was pump bulb 5 times till firm. High idle lever, choke and turned over until it popped once. Then repeated a few more times. Finally I kept the idle lever high but turned the motor over for a few seconds without choke, then activated the choke and it started. Any tips from here?

 

[F_R]

You say "lift lever half way". Why half way? Lift that sucker. Most cold start problems are caused by choke not closing or not closing tight enough. The choke solenoid on that motor is a two-stage affair. Make sure you have voltage on BOTH solenoid wires when you operate the switch. Also make sure the manual choke isn't interfering with the electric one closing completely.

 

[relocyo]

I had an 85 hp mid 70s johnson with the same problem... I got rid of the solenoid and only used the manual choke as it closed more completely... still started a little rough but after warm ran like a champ... good luck

 

[racerone]

There is no reason for that motor to be hard to start !----Is the body of the choke solenoid adjusted properly ? ----Have you tried adjusting it to put more tension on choke plates ?

 

[heckhole]

I've activated the switch, and pushed on the choke plates by hand and they are fully closed.

 

[heckhole]

You say "lift lever half way". Why half way? Lift that sucker. Most cold start problems are caused by choke not closing or not closing tight enough. The choke solenoid on that motor is a two-stage affair. Make sure you have voltage on BOTH solenoid wires when you operate the switch. Also make sure the manual choke isn't interfering with the electric one closing completely.

If I lift the idle lever all the way, it'll take twice as many attempts to start. I know it sounds like I'm fighting everyone LOL but I'm trying every suggestion. I'm just relaying what I had to do again to get it running.

I will see if I can add more tension to the choke plates. Appreciate all the suggestions!

 

[canuckmark]

I left a reply on this thread ( http://forums.iboats.com/forum/engin...85hp-wont-kick ) about this same issue for another member. After a lot of bad words and headaches that is my long winded reply on how i have learned to start my 1977 85hp.

People here have told me to lift all the way, but in my case this does not work either. I end up flooding it. Take a look at the starboard side of the motor - you want the cam that rests against the carbs connector plate to line up with the "START" line stamped on that plate. With mine that is with the start lever about 2/3 or 3/4 up. With the arm all the way up it does not line up.

In the garage I pulled up the start lever up until that cam lined up with the START notch, then marker that position on the start lever back at the command center. This has made a huge difference.

 

[heckhole]

People here have told me to lift all the way, but in my case this does not work either. I end up flooding it. Take a look at the starboard side of the motor - you want the cam that rests against the carbs connector plate to line up with the "START" line stamped on that plate. With mine that is with the start lever about 2/3 or 3/4 up. With the arm all the way up it does not line up.

In the garage I pulled up the start lever up until that cam lined up with the START notch, then marker that position on the start lever back at the command center. This has made a huge difference.

I noticed this stamp yesterday. I was wondering what it was about. I will look it this!!

 

[canuckmark]

If there's one thing I've learned about the 70s Johnsons, many people have issues getting them to start when cold and most have their own unique way of making that happen. It took me a whole season to get there with the help of the fine folks here. My primary issues were flooding (don't overchoke), clean plugs and the correct (for my motor) position of the start lever.

 

[heckhole]

I had a look and everything seems lined up. Although I treated the gas last winter, I decided to drain the tank today. Got fresh 93, mixed 50:1 and the boat started immediately and ran flawlessly. Might have gotten lucky, because I also had fresh gad last year with these same problems, but didn't know the coils were cracked and plugs were ancient.

 

[canuckmark]

You may something with the gas. I decided to stick with non-ethanol premium this year and the starts have been damn near flawless so far. We went out last night and it started on the first try...that was a welcomed first!