Evinrude 79' 85 HP (85999R) won't start

[projectboatetc]

I took the boat out about 2 months ago. Before I put it in storage, I unplugged the fuel and left the engine run until it uses up all the gas in the line. I pulled the boat out yesterday and the engine won't start. Last time I was on the lake, it was started to have some small difficulty starting, but now it won't start at all.

I thought it was a gas issue, so I drained out all the gas from tank and put in new gas (50:1 mix). It still won't start with hi-idle lever full up. When I crank the key, the starter will pop up to turn the flywheel, but the flywheel will turned but nothing else would happen.

This is what I've checked so far. The battery is fully charged (I tried 2 batteries, they are at >90%). The neg terminal of the battery gets a bit hot (after I cranked it for like 10-15 sec), but I suspect it may not be related to the problem because it was like this before.

I pulled all 4 spark plugs and they have proper gapping and I clean them up while I was at it (looks a bit brown, may be because it is burning oil/gas mix). I checked the fuel and I can see the fuel is going through the filter to the bottom of the intake/carburetor.

What should be the next step to diagnose the problem?


The story of the boat is that I bot this from a guy about 2 months ago. Have re-done all the wiring cos' it was wried with left-over wires (non-marine grade).

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Evinrude 79' 85 HP (85999R) won't start

your hot neg post leads me to this: 90% of starter problems are bad connections. remove and clean both ends of the battery cables, so that they are shiney, also the cable from the solenoid to starter. check for nicks in the cables. and make sure the connectors are on the wire good. the cable tend to corrode from the inside out, if nicked, corroded wires, and connections, heat up and cause resistance to the follow of electricity, thus the starter doesn't get enough. you can also take jumper cable pos battery post to large post on starter. with a good connection, the engine should spin. then if the starter is good clean everything and retest. then trouble shoot solenoid. starters can be rebuit at a starter/alternator shop, much cheaper than a new one.

also check the spark, should just 7/16 inch. compression should be above 100 and within 10% of each other. being equal is more important than being high.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Evinrude 79' 85 HP (85999R) won't start

cold start, motor needs to be choked - hold key in (push-to-choke) while cranking - hi-idle lever full up is correct.

 

[projectboatetc]

Re: Evinrude 79' 85 HP (85999R) won't start

I tried it one more time this morning with the key push it. The starter/solenoid won't turn, so I suspect it is bad connection somewhere. I'm going to test the connection out this weekend. will post the result.