15hp outboard stalls then won't start

imported_Warren

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 7, 2003
Messages
261
Went to the lake the other day and my 87 15hp Evinrude outboard started bogging, then stalled. If I wait a few minutes it starts up and runs fine for 30 seconds then stalls again. If I try to start it immediately it won't start. The water is coming out of the tell-tail very good like it always had but the water coming out felt warmer than the lake water for some reason. The guy at the dealer I went to said that was my imagination and that it the motor was overheating I couldn't tell because the hot water comes out of the prop, the water pump was replaced a year and a half ago. I don't have the money to take it in $80 an hour, but did get the Seloc manual yesterday. Anyone have any suggestions where I should start. I can work on a car engine but don't really know where to start on an outboard....Thanks in advance....Warren
 

imported_Warren

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 7, 2003
Messages
261
Re: 15hp outboard stalls then won't start

Just talked to the dealer and they said I need something called a thermamelt stick? anyone ever heard of such a contraption? and if so do they sell them here? How much? and is it a throw away or re-usable?....Thanks
 

wayne h

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Apr 29, 2003
Messages
862
Re: 15hp outboard stalls then won't start

thermamelt stick is a crayon like stick that melts at a certain temp. it will tell you if the engine is over heating. yaa they are reuseable untill you runout of stick.a fast way to tell if you are over heating is touch the head if you cant hold your hand on it while running for about 5-6 seconds without getting burned i would say u have an overheating problem.i would check the thermostat or the waterpump you said it was replaced a year and a half ago. they tell you to change them every season even know no 1 ever does.how long does it run when the engine is cold ? is it hard to start then ?
 

imported_Warren

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 7, 2003
Messages
261
Re: 15hp outboard stalls then won't start

The problem is that it just started doing this. I didn't even know I had a problem with it until it started stalling on me. I need to get a thermostat. does anyone know where I can get one for a good deal. Also is this something I should attempt myself? I do have the book but if there is any special tools that I need I would like to know now, before I have to take a bucket of parts to the shop and pay them to put it back for me. Another question, can I get the motor to overheat or run at normal operating temps in a trash can? I am not close to a lake so its kind of a pain for me to get the motor warmed up at home, and don't know if a trash can is good enough to check on overheating....thanks for the help....
 

wayne h

Master Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Apr 29, 2003
Messages
862
Re: 15hp outboard stalls then won't start

yes use a trash can. thats what i use. the thermostat should be easy 3 bolts at the top of the head. you have a manual look it up its not hard at all.also they are pretty cheap about 10-15 bucks i would start there.also the water pump is a pretty easy job also and around 15 bucks also.its pretty straight forward.you said you have a manual but if you are wanting to do your own work from now on you might want to check ebay and get a shop manual for just that engine.they tell you more in detail.if you have any mechanical skills you should be fine
 

NathanY

Commander
Joined
Mar 16, 2002
Messages
2,408
Re: 15hp outboard stalls then won't start

When it stalls, do you have to pump the primer to get it started again? If that is the case, then it would be due to fuel starvation. I dont know of any motor that will overheat in 30 seconds.<br /><br />If water is coming out of the telltale, then the thermostat is opening. The water out of the telltale will be warmer than the lake water because it just circulated through the motor. If you can hold your hand under the telltale, then the motor is not overheating.
 

imported_Warren

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 7, 2003
Messages
261
Re: 15hp outboard stalls then won't start

Nathan, thanks for your response, no I don't have to pump the primer bulb when it stalls, but I did try to pull the choke and it started one time. The water that is coming out of the tell tale is a little warmer than the lake water but not much. I have no idea what this could be or where to start. I have been reading the manual that I got a couple of days ago but am still clueless. If it is a fuel problem what are my options? I have no idea where to start....Thanks.....
 

pseank

Cadet
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Messages
7
Re: 15hp outboard stalls then won't start

I have had bad coils cause this problem only after hot. Worth a shot
 

Tinkerer

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Mar 15, 2003
Messages
760
Re: 15hp outboard stalls then won't start

If it's a simple problem, it'll probably be a fuel problem. Not familiar with your engine, but if it's a conventional carby it could be that it's running on what's in the carby for 30 secs until not enough left and then refills slowly and can be restarted.<br /><br />First step is to check that good stream of fuel comes out of outlet side of fuel pump when engine cranked. If not, the problem is there.<br /><br />If fuel pump OK, there is probably a blockage somewhere in the hoses or the carby or float level too low or needle sticking in needle and seat. <br /><br />Remove the hose between the pump and carby and blow through it to check if clear. <br /><br />If hoses clear, clean carby. Don't waste time or money spraying carb cleaner through the air inlet because it can't reach anywhere that the problem is likely to be. You could try a fuel additive cleaner that is safe for your motor, but it's not going to do anything in 30 seconds. <br /><br />Best way is to dismantle the carby and clean all the passages with carby cleaner spray. If absolutely necessary, you can poke fine soft wires through blocked passages IF they're smaller diameter than the passage. Do NOT use drill bits, pins etc. Expand the wrong hole just a tiny bit and the carby won't work. Good source of fine soft wire is electrical cable made up of lots of fine copper wires twisted together. Blow through passages with a bit of plastic tube in your mouth - to avoid contact with nasties in fuel - to check passages are clear. Also check float level and that needle is operating properly to let fuel in. Replace needle and seat if defective. As you have manual you should have enough info to do all this OK.<br /><br />Make sure you note where all the bits are as you dismantle it and that they go back together the right way. Best way is just to remove one part e.g. idle needle at a time and clean that part and passage and put it back before doing the next one.
 

imported_Warren

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 7, 2003
Messages
261
Re: 15hp outboard stalls then won't start

Fellas, thanks so much for the help, i'm on my way to go work on it now. Did a search on this site for parts and couldn't find what I need. Does anyone here know of a place or person that I can pick up a package deal from? I would like to get Fuel pump, water pump, thermostat, and anything else that I need in one place. The dealer by my house charges full retail for everything and I was hardly able to afford the Manual $38....Thanks again, i'm really hurtin here don't want to break down again but the fishing has been phenomenal around here and i'm grounded with a broken outboard. Can't even go out on buddys boats because all I can think about is my own, sitting in the driveway......Warren
 
Top