Cold natured..Hard starting Johnson 50

[Wickerbill]

I'm a real rookie when it comes to boat motors so I'll explain as best I can. I have a 96 Johnson J50TLEDS, 50 HP, 2 cylinder, 2 cycle. At first start in the morning I pump the bulb to hard, set the fast idle on the control, push the primer on the ignition for about 5 seconds and hit the key. The motor doesn't even seem to hit at all. The solenoid will click intermittently so I always ensure that I have heard it click before hitting the starter motor. I usually have to crank for about 5 ? 10 minutes before it will finally hit and die. It goes through this about 4 ? 5 5imes and then will start. Then when I pull out of the slip it seems to be running half speed or on one cylinder. If I idle down it dies. When I restart from this condition it will usually finally run correctly and is okay for the rest of the day. Next morning same thing. I?ve put a new set of plugs in it with the same results. Do I have a weak coil? Am I doing something wrong on my starting procedure? Is my primer switch bad on the ignition switch? Sure is frustrating. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[HybridMX6]

Re: Cold natured..Hard starting Johnson 50

Sounds like a possibly dirty carb/carbs that need some rebuilding with new carb kits. Try this:
Next time you get a chance, put some premix fuel/oil in a spray bottle. When going to start the motor the 1st time of the day, spray some directly into the carbs, then try to start it. If it starts right up, I'd suspect the carbs need to be rebuilt.
It also could be bad spark, so if you have a tester, check it out, if not, you can grab an adjustable one at an auto parts store for like $10, then test it out.
How were the old plugs when you pulled them out? Were they dry looking or were they soaked with fuel?

 

[Wickerbill]

Re: Cold natured..Hard starting Johnson 50

Thanks for the input...plugs looked normal to me. Nice tan color and not wet.

 

[HybridMX6]

Re: Cold natured..Hard starting Johnson 50

If you had been trying to turn it over and it wasn't starting, the plugs should be soaked with fuel. If not, something is up with the carbs/fuel system and the fuel isn't getting to the crankcase.
I'd have to advise you to be careful about how long you do that, no fuel also means no oil/lubrication, and could cause problems with the cylinders and rings or bearings in the future. I'd at least pull the plugs and spray some oil into each cylinder.
Try the premix thing with the spray bottle and let us know what happens. I just finished rebuilding a '93 60hp, and couldn't get it to start up the 1st time after rebuild. Sprayed some premix into each carb and she started right up, but died as soon as it burnt up the fuel. I adjusted the throttle linkage and idle screws on the carbs and it's been fine ever since.