1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

[bay area liner]

i have a 50hp force and i have starting problems with it. cold starts are the hardest. when i try to start the motor it takes about 30 cranks to start. i just replace the battary due to cranking so much it killed it. when i went out boating after it starts and maybe fish for an hour then i try to start it again. it starts then dies. then after 20 cranks it starts and runs fine. the last time i took a napkin and wipe down the fuel in the carb and it started right up.

so what i want to hopefully fix is to get the motor to start 1st time or in 5 cranks. i dont want to get stuck in the water if i keep cranking and the battery runs out. what is minor things i can do to improve the starting of the motor? wipe down the carb when too much gas is in it?, change out the spark plugs? what other tips can you guys recommend me to start it next time in the cold or in the water?

the other thing is that since i have the other battery which i think is still fine. should i daisy chain it to the other battery so i have to battery hooked up just in case?

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

First thing, when you bought the engine did anyone describe to you the proper cold starting procedure? On some of these engines it is imperative to put the control handle in fast idle/warm-up position. There will either be a button in the center of the control handle which you push in while you advance the handle as far as it will go. OR, you will need to pull out the whole handle about 1/4 inch and advance it as far as it will go. Either disables the shift and allow the timing to advance and the throttle to open a bit for cold starts.

 

[bay area liner]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

yes that is what i do. lift the throttle out 1/2 inch and pull it straight forward (all the way) then i start the engine. i leave it that way until the engine start. after 20-30 cranks then i back off the gas a bit and let it run for 1-2 mins before i take off.

thanks frank for the reply.

 

[dorelse]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

Over time, the primer bulb will let the fuel line drain back into the tank. If you don't go and pump the bulb back up, it will take forever for the motor to pull the fuel back into the bulb and up the line.

Sounds exactly like what my 90HP Force did, until someone taught me the correct cold starting procedure.

Now, I make sure the bulb is firm before I even attempt to start it.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

Well then, if you are wiping excess fuel out of the carb, you need to check the inlet needle and the float level. If your engine has an enrichment valve rather than a choke, check it to be sure it is not leaking. Check the plugs to be sure they are not fouled.

 

[bay area liner]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

so pump the gas blub til its firm then start the motor? seems like gas is in teh carb already. sometimes it seems like too much gas is in there. last time i wipe down the gas in the carb and it started right up. but if you think it need gas then i might try it next time. but i dont think its the a gas line problem.

 

[bay area liner]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

well frank everytime i crank the motor gas spills out of the carb. maybe about 5-8 drips of gas comes out. everything that you just said i didnt understand how to do...i might just have to take it to an outboard motor shop.

 

[dorelse]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

Missed the part about wiping out the excess gas...definitely not the issue I encountered...mine wasn't getting enough.

Frank's the man, he can help. I would also concur that something is causing the excess fuel in your carbs, if you're not comfortable working on carbs, might be time for a mechanic to look at it.

 

[bay area liner]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

if anyone else got idea let me know thanks

 

[bay area liner]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

thanks to all that reply. more inputs would be great too. thanks.

 

[evinice66]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

my 98 40 hp force is a little slow on the cold starts and will die at least once, but im under 30 degrees when that happens, one time i almost killed the battery becuase it wouldnt start, then i remembered- push in the key to choke it! do you have that set-up? have someone look at the carb to make sure its getting choked when you try to cold start it..... it maybe sticking? how deos it start in the summer? mine starts right up with no choke... so thats why i sometimes forget to choke in winter... maybe run premium?

 

[bay area liner]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

thanks for the advice. mines does have the choke when you push the key in...but i tired that and never knew if it made any different. anyways i will try it tomorrow and let you know. great tip thanks.

 

[roscoe]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

Open fuel tank vent

Check the kill switch, place in "run" position

Squeeze fuel primer bulb till firm.

Advance the throttle 3/4 way, without putting it in gear. -- This is done by either pushing a button in the center of the controls, or pulling the shift handle toward the driver, or raising the fast idle lever, all depending on what control unit you have.

Activate the choke (fuel enrichment valve) by pushing in on the key. The valve is only open while the key is being pushed in.

Turn the key to start while continuing to hold the key in.

Release the key and choke when it starts.

3-5 seconds of "choke", is usually enough.

Be ready to pull the throttle back toward the idle/neutral position, when the engine starts and the revs increase.

Continue to pull the throttle back as the engine warms up.

You should not have to use the choke much, if at all, once the engine has warmed up.

Engine should start within 10 seconds of turning the key.

 

[MikDee]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

Do all as roscoe says, but hold the choke on when cold, until the engine kicks, or fires once, then choke off till it starts.

 

[bay area liner]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

let me get this right.

press the choke (while pressing in) then turn the key. once the engine turns over keep pressing on the choke? (5 seconds)

I dont think i been choking the engine so that might fix the problem starting the engine.

when i get the engine started and take off for fishing...next time on start up i should pump the bulb again til its firm?

also my kill switch is just hanging there. i dont think its working so the kill switch is never engage.

thanks roscoe..great post

 

[evinice66]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

yeah, choke it for a second or 2 and that should do the trick, that has to be the problem. be really careful when you advance the throttle though, i heard a guy spun a bearing becuase he red-lined it for too long in the cold- i push in my button to advance the throttle and pump it all the way forward and back a couple times and then leave it about half way, even a little on the shy side can be better. fine tune your technique untill you dont hear it maxing out the revs on intial start up..when you choke it itll still die untill its warmed up here and there, just keep your hand on the throttle though! sometimes if you have too much throttle for the first start itll kinda flood a little bit and then when it deos start itll rev way up then come back down, remember the engine deosnt have a load on it and itll rev out of controll easily..easy deos it. the more you get the feel for it the easyer you can be on the motor. if all the connections on your fuel lines are tight you shouldnt really have to re-prime, do it once and then youll know if you need to put on a extra hose clamp in certain spots. listening helps that out. let me know how ya do!

 

[bay area liner]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

i will try on sunday and i'll post back. thanks for the great tip ^^

 

[bay area liner]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

took it out today and followed everyones tip on here to make sure the blub is firm, choke the engine for 5 seconds, put trottle to 3/4 the way and it works. did everything mention on here and motor starts on the first crank. well in the cold it took about 3-5 cranks. but thanks to all that help.

 

[roscoe]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

You may need to choke for a bit longer.
But don't over do it, or you will flood the engine.

Happy boating.

 

[RRitt]

Re: 1990 force 50hp starting after 20-30 cranks

One of my engines did similar thing. It took a zillion cranks to cold start. It probably would have killed a battery but I made a habit of starting the other engine first. Replacing fuel pump diaphram, bulb, and cleaning the small screen filter didn't help. This went on for a couple years then during a spring maintenance i noticed fluid overflow from carb bowls.

I bought a carb kit but never needed it. The problem was dried gas. As the gas evaporated it left residue and over the years the residue had built up. A thorough cleaning of carberator and jetways fixed all my problems. It was time consuming to remove carbs and clean them but it did not require any parts other than a new pair of gaskets. When finished it started on first crank.