Hard starting

[Havasu Boater]

I have a 60hp Evinrude motor. After the a couple of hours or when sitting a long time the engine is hard to start unless I use quick start. There is fuel, but in checking the spark at the plug, removing the sparkplug wire you can see very little spark output on all 3 cylinders. What should the the firing spark distance be?. If you have any suggestions what the spark distance should be or what might cause the hard starting problem I would appreciate some help..

 

[ob]

Re: Hard starting

Spark should be strong enough to jump 1/2 inch gap at cranking speed with bright blue spark..Insure your engine ground lugs are clean and tight.Also that battery is fully charged and connections are tight.

 

[Havasu Boater]

Re: Hard starting

Thank you for your help. I am going to give your recommendation a go..

 

[Yepblaze]

Re: Hard starting

Try using the choke when starting. On many outboards it is activated by pressing in on the key while turning it.