1979 Evinrude 115 hard to start cold

Steam

Cadet
Joined
Sep 27, 2017
Messages
26
I have an older 115 that I got from family after it and the boat sat for many years. Before putting it on the water, recently rebuilt carbs, fuel pump, replaced all fuel lines+filter+bulb, cleaned out fuel tank, changed plugs, verified spark and compression, new tilt and trim solenoid, new lower unit seal kit, and new water pump.
I have run it a few times and each time, it takes forever to get it running. I mean it turns over and acts like it wants to fire just enough to get the starter to kick out, then stalls. The throttle lever is working fine, I use a quarter to half on that. The choke is working, but I have tried to manually choke with the manual level on the other side as well. Eventually after I think I have killed my starter, it will get up and running. As long as I fire it every 20 to 30 minutes, it's starts much easier, but still has to be turned over a lot.
Running... it runs smooth, a little stuttering roughness in the mid-range, but not bad and that's going up onto plane anyway so I never stay at that RPM. From 3500 to 5000 RPM it runs like a scalded dog.
I saw a post from years ago about a starter not turning the motor over fast enough and it sounded like he was having the same issue. His post talked about him taking out a plug and it firing up on 3 cylinders. I haven't tried that. There is a strong possibility that the starter on this motor is, if not original equipment, at least 10 years old because that's how long it sat before I got it.
I am not a big fan of throwing parts at something to figure out the problem, especially when it's coming down to coil packs $40 ea X 4, power packs $92 ea X 2, and starters $215 which are in the pricey area.
Has anyone else seen and fixed this issue before? Any suggestions?
 

oldboat1

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Apr 3, 2002
Messages
9,612
Try opening up the starter and cleaning it with electrical cleaner, maybe replacing brushes. Can also bring it into a shop and have it rebuilt. Mid-range issues are a separate problem, of course, but it sounds like starter repair or replacement would make your trips more fun. (If you bring it to a shop, they could also bench test it for you -- reputable shop would do that first anyway.)
 
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