Very hard to start

[parrilladk]

I own a '00 Johnson 115hp ocean runner (2 stroke). I have owned it for 3 years now. It is VERY hard to get started in the spring. I mean it takes about a good 10 minutes of stop and go cranking before it shows life, and then another 10 minutes to get it started. After it starts for the first 10 times it shuts off quickly, smokes like HELL. After it finally starts the smoke does not stop for a good 5 minutes. This happens every spring, after this it runs great all summer. Any ideas? Thanks

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Very hard to start

Sounds like the carbs are getting full of oil rather than a mix of gas & oil.

 

[CatTwentyTwo]

Re: Very hard to start

Dhadley, I have the same problem with a 94 175 motor. Do you consider this normal after sitting for a long time or would you suspect the oil side of the VRO pump?

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Very hard to start

It's not supposed to do that but can for several reasons. It happens sometimes on boats (especially pontoon or deck boats) where the oil tank is mounted higher than the oil pump / carbs. If the oil side of the pump is leaking it can happen too.

 

[parrilladk]

Re: Very hard to start

Would a carb rebuild help??

 

[leatherneck514]

Re: Very hard to start

It sounds like while it is sitting for the winter the oil build up in hardening or thickening. When you fire it back up it really needs to warm up to get that all out. Like Dhadley said maybe disconnect the oil pump before putting it up.

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Very hard to start

A carb rebuild is probably never a bad idea when having starting issues. However, it probably won't fix the cause of the oil displacing the fuel.

 

[parrilladk]

Re: Very hard to start

Probably time to call the mechanic for the oil problem...I did notice last season it was using a lot of oil too.

 

[parrilladk]

Re: Very hard to start

Can the VRO pump be rebuilt or fixed?

 

[Dhadley]

Re: Very hard to start

You don't have a VRO pump. Don't call it that when talking to your service guy. He may just get "VRO" in his head and you'll end up with incorrect parts & information. It's actually an OMS pump which puts out a (basically) steady 50:1 mix rather than a variable mix.

Yes, some repair parts are available.