Hard Starting 2002 Merc ury 90horse

[onebohemian]

I've got a 2002 Mercury 90 horse, only been in service one year. Always starts find except the last two times we've been out. When cold, it cranks and cranks but just won't catch. Eventually it'll start and smokes a lot like it may be flooded. Starts fine the rest of the day. Haven't changed my starting procedure, and only pump the bulb until hard. Starting procedure includes a little fast idle and choke. Just put in brand new gas and always run sea-foam. Any thoughts? Would like to have some ideas what to look for before I have to take it to mechanic. This is the first motor I've had with surface gaps plugs and I'm not sure whether they can get fouled or not. <br /><br />Thanks in advance, <br /><br />Mark<br />Minneapolis, MN

 

[Ben Konopacky]

Re: Hard Starting 2002 Merc ury 90horse

Hi one; my thoughts WHY??? would you "ALWAYS" run sea-foam ? maybe thats the problem ,too much of good stuf may be no good. just my opinion

 

[bryanredfish]

Re: Hard Starting 2002 Merc ury 90horse

Yes, I agree. I use the Seafoam as a shock treatment, then Quickleen (Mercury product) to prevent carbon build up. When using a newer motor, I prefer to stick with OEM products. Just my preference. Perhaps you used too much Seafoam this time...?

 

[onebohemian]

Re: Hard Starting 2002 Merc ury 90horse

Thanks for the responses. Don't think it's the seafoam though. It's put in pretty thin. One bottle to a full tank of gas. Use it more as a gas stabilizer than anything since it takes a long time to use the tank of gas up. Boat is used frequently but not on long runs or for extended periods of time at WOT. I'd bet a tank of gas could last almost all summer but we usually top it off once in awhile. I run seafoam in everything I own virtually year round (4-wheeler, motorcycle, lawn mowers, snow blowers, weed trimmer, van, truck, boat). Not to the extent of the decarb process but just as recommended on the can. Helps reduce water in the gas, etc. Never heard of anyone ever having any harm caused by it.<br /><br />Thanks, <br /><br />Mark<br />Minneapolis

 

[weimy]

Re: Hard Starting 2002 Merc ury 90horse

when you put sea foam into the engine is that refered to as fogging the engine?

 

[onebohemian]

Re: Hard Starting 2002 Merc ury 90horse

Fogging would be something you do to winterize whereby you purchase a can of fogging oil that is sprayed into the cylinders.<br /><br />There are two different uses for seafoam. One is to decarbonize your engine by using a highly concentrated mixture of seafoam and gas for a short period of time (like 20 minutes). From the many posts I've reviewed, most guys do this once every other year. It gets rid of built up carbon in the cylinders which can make rings stick, etc. Look in the Engine FAQ forum for a detailed explanation of the process. The second use for seafoam is just as a preventive measure. It acts to stabilize gas and keep carbs and valves cleaner. It's like adding an OEM or other over-the-counter gas additive. Seafoam actually does what it claims to do though, while some of the other products don't seem to result in the same effect. Seafoam is usually cheaper than the OEM products too. It's been around for decades. Good stuff.<br /><br />Mark<br />Minneapolis

 

[snowshoe]

Re: Hard Starting 2002 Merc ury 90horse

My merc 115 got to be "quick start challenged" after 4 seasons on the same plugs. I changed out the old plugs with new ones and --bingo no longer challenged. I also use a 300ml container of STP fuel conditioner at the beginning of the year to bind up any water that may have collected in the tank over the winter. It also worked well to move out some water that got into the fuel one time when filling with jerry cans.<br />I would try a new set of plugs (I prefer NKG rather than Champion)