OK, almost hate to ask this but . . . . ."What is this for?"

[scdiver]

Working on bringing a boat I picked up back to life and am having a chore getting the engine started . . . . . drained the inboard tank, got out the water and am adding Sea Foam to get the rest. Replaced the fuel lines as well. The marina I got it from said it ran on a test tank . . . . so I am going on that belief before tearing into the carbs.

I tried to get it fired up before all the tank work and my son was "helping" me . . . . . he moved the red knob / lever shown inside the circle in the photo below back and forth as I cranked it (without my knowing) and I am not sure 1) where it should be in terms of position (3 possible settings) and 2) what it is for.

The engine is a 1989 Evinrude 88 Special

Thanks in advance for any assistance on this one . . .

Andy

 

[ADK_Boater]

Re: OK, almost hate to ask this but . . . . ."What is this for?"

That is the manual valve on your primer solenoid.

 

[scdiver]

Re: OK, almost hate to ask this but . . . . ."What is this for?"

Thanks . . . . . what position should I put it back in - there are three "notches" it fits into?

Andy

 

[Daviet]

Re: OK, almost hate to ask this but . . . . ."What is this for?"

It is in the proper position for working electricaly with the key.

 

[ADK_Boater]

Re: OK, almost hate to ask this but . . . . ."What is this for?"

Daviet beat me to it. deleted post.

 

[scdiver]

Re: OK, almost hate to ask this but . . . . ."What is this for?"

Guys, thanks for the super fast responses . . . . . this site is truly a great resource for a "knucklehead" like me that is trying to get a boat back on the water and your expertise is really appreciated!

Andy

 

[AEROCOOK]

Re: OK, almost hate to ask this but . . . . ."What is this for?"

Given that the manual valve is in the correct position and you are having a hard time starting it, what exactly (step by step) is your starting procedure?

 

[scdiver]

Starting issues . . . . .

Starting issues . . . . .

The place I bought the boat said that it ran fine on a test tank which they use on all outboards since they do not know the condition of what is in the tank and based on what I found, I can see why.

I pumped the gas / water out and while there is a little left I could not pump out (there was a 1/4 tank in it), I am hoping the Sea Foam will take care of the rest.

As far as starting, I:

1) Took the throttle out of gear to the outward position and gave it some movement upwards

2) Pressed the key in for choking it a few times and returned to the outward position

3) Cranked it

It coughed and would run for a second or two and then quit. My son moved the red lever around which is why I asked the initial question on its purpose.

This start attempt was done before emptying the tank so I hope I did not create a bigger problem in the carbs.

I will be taking the boat to fill the tank with fresh gas, oil and Sea Foam this morning.

I did not see a fuel filter in-line to replace / inspect.

Any suggestions on actions to take or things to check before trying to crank it up again with the new gas / oil / Sea Foam?

Thanks in advance

Andy

 

[AEROCOOK]

Re: Starting issues . . . . .

Re: Starting issues . . . . .

With fresh gas in the tank you will still need to need to get the bad gas out of the fuel line and the carbs. The carbs have screws in the float boals on both sides, you need to remove one of them on each carb (the one that's easiest to get to) to allow the boals to drain. As for the fuel line, with a suitable tool depress and hold the check ball in the connector on the motor end of the fuel line (Do not point it at yourself!) and have some one work the primer bulb several times till you see fresh gas coming out.
As for your starting procedure, I didnt see mention of the fast idle lever in your post. What position do you have it in? When the motor fires but wants to die a few seconds later, quickly push the key back in for a second or so to give it another prime. You may have to repeat a few times before it will continue to run on it's own. Even if you get it running, it's probably not a bad idea to remove, disassemble and clean the carbs.