You guys rock! No more hard to start

[JoeW]

From Claims Canino<br /><br />

You gotta practically FLOOD those to start them. Pump the ball till it's hard, and then a little more to force some gas past the float needles.<br /><br />Slightly advance the idle throttle lever and hold the choke ON while cranking. Once it touches off -bump the choke a little till it catches fully.<br />

From Ed Mc<br />

Another thing that helps is to have the motor tilted back such that any fuel in the carb throats runs "downhill" into the motor, instead of running out the front. When you do as Clams described, pumping the bulb hard and blowing it past the needles, you're effectively "priming" the motor, just like later models without choke shutters and a primer.<br />

I took your advice above left on another thread. My 1988 100 hp Merc started on the first crank this morning. It's never done that on a cold engine before. <br /><br />Thanks guys!

 

[Hooty]

Re: You guys rock! No more hard to start

That's good news. Thanks for checkin' back in and lettin' us know. I'm sure that Clams an' Ed Mc will appreciate the feedback.<br /><br />g'luck & c/6<br />Hooty

 

[ragu]

mercury 115 starting procedures ????

mercury 115 starting procedures ????

Hi i have a merc 115 1970 she is very hard to start. The only way i can get her going is to give her just a quick hit of ether in the bottom carb. I know you are not supposed to do that, although it does say it has cyclinder lube in it. Once she fires up she runs great purrs like a kitten till i turn her off. If i hit the key within 5 minutes after i shut down it fires right up almost instantly but if i let her sit for 10-20 min or longer i have to tinker with the choke till she catches anyone have any ideas do you think i am losing prime or do the carbs need rebuilt? I only recently acquired the boat and have bought a seloc book on the motor. The motor looks clean and unbutchered wich is a good thing. Any help would be much apprectiated . I have tried pumping the ball till hard and tilting the motor back also. Think she might be an ether baby !

 

[Plainsman]

Re: You guys rock! No more hard to start

Do you use the high idle lever when you start it?

Here is what I do:
Prime bulb
HIgh idle lever all the way up
Push in choke
turn the key, once it starts, I let off the choke and move the high idle lever half way down for about 20 seconds, then all the way down with the lever.

If i sit for awhile I usually have to go through the all the steps again.

I'm sure someone with more knowledge will come along.

And Welcome to iboats!!

 

[ricksrster]

Re: You guys rock! No more hard to start

Mine is the same as Plainsman's. The motor seems to cool off fast.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: You guys rock! No more hard to start

Hey Ragu. Welcome to iboats.

Instead of using ether, go to an autoparts store (Autozone, NAPA, etc.) and get some "Deep Creep" spray. If they only have "Sea Foam" in a pint can get that and pour it into a misting squirt bottle. Then do your misting. Cans are white with red labeling.

Deep Creep/Sea Foam was made for outboards and is an excellent starting fluid.................contains a lubricating oil for the 2 cycles.

Mark

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: You guys rock! No more hard to start

ether is the worst enemy of a 2 cycle, no oil, and burns way to hot. can easily burn a hole in a piston.

 

[ragu]

Re: You guys rock! No more hard to start

Thanks for the info guys. So i take it that the 115's are hard to start and i'm not the only one with this problem. I thought maybe my fuel pump needed rebuilt but she is smooth once shes running. Also i know why they call them towers of power ! Come on summer !!! I recently bought a whole other motor from ebay it is locked up but the lower unit and starter and carbs are in very good shape !! Anybody need any misc. parts

 

[Plainsman]

Re: You guys rock! No more hard to start

Did you know it didn't work? How much did you pay for it?

 

[emckelvy]

Re: You guys rock! No more hard to start

Sounds like the motor's too lean, that's why it's so hard to restart after sitting for a while.

Try richening up on each carb's idle mixture adjustment needle. It's the slotted-screw adjuster on the right side of the carb.

Go 1/8 turn CCW (In the rich direction) on each carb initially, then see how she runs. If you notice an improvement, you're probably looking at the cause of your trouble.

At that point I'd recommend tweaking it further to ensure all (3) carbs are adjusted the same.

Warm the motor up to full operating temp and idle around in gear. Adjusting one carb at a time, verrrrry slowly turn the idle mixture screw CW (lean). You'll probably hear the motor speed up. If you continue to go in the lean direction, eventually idle speed will drop which means too lean. Note the position of the idle screw at the "too lean" point.

Then, verrrry slowly go CCW (rich). Speed will pick back up, and as you go further in the rich direction rpm will again slow down, and you'll hear the 'blubbering' sound of rich mixture on that carb. Note the position of the idle screw at the "too rich" point.

Theoretically, about halfway in between "too lean" and "too rich" is the ideal adjustment, but these Mercs just want more fuel than that!

If you adjust for smoothest, cleanest idle you're probably going to find it's hard to start and won't respond to throttle out of the hole.

So, what you need to do is go to the "rich" side of the mixture adjustment range; as rich as the motor will tolerate and still idle acceptably smooth and stable.

Sounds more complicated than it really is, once you're on the water it'll make more sense.

Repeat as necessary to get it dialed-in; what you want is the cleanest idle you can get and still have a good hole-shot.

Something else to check that hasn't been discussed is the choke mechanism on the carbs. Make sure the shutters close completely. Each outer choke 'screen' must have its fastening screw tight, with a spring between the screw head and the 'screen'. As the choke shutter goes completely shut, it wedges itself against the 'screen' to ensure that it sucks-up fully to the throat of the carb.

And if the shutter is warped, it won't seal to the carb, or choke properly.

HTH.............ed

 

[Plainsman]

Re: You guys rock! No more hard to start

Will running rich have an effect on the plugs?

 

[ragu]

Re: You guys rock! No more hard to start

i paid 27.00 for the 115 i did know that is was locked up. but i figured for the price there had to be some good parts on it. There was i removed the starter and it works great also the lower unit housing is nice no cracks or nicks in it. plus the carbs are there to only thing wrong was the motor is locked up. Back to the starting problem i dont have any trouble getting a hole shot if i floor it the motor takes right off its just that getting started and starting after i turn it off for a good 15-20 min i will surely try all the above ideas as soon as spring gets here Thanks alot for all the help and ideas

 

[Texasmark]

Re: You guys rock! No more hard to start

I think it is a fuel drainback problem with the tower being so tall and the fact that there was no thermostatin in it.

I put an electric fuel pump on mine for a time thinking that I would solve the problem being discussed. Even at a couple of # of pressure it was too much and flooded the engine.

I then rerouted my fuel line where there were no dips and kinks in it and it did a lot better.

But that was a small price to pay for what I got for performance and smoothness. I used to just sit by it and listen to it run (in F at idle).....course at 6000 rpm's I'd listen to her sing too, and sing she did.

Mark

 

[timmathis]

Re: You guys rock! No more hard to start

WARNING Keep on using starting fluid And it will not last long. like said above you must have a fuel supply problem or just in need of a good tune up. If the pump -r - til -she drools method don't work.
Hello All it has been a while But i'm Back, Tim

 

[Plainsman]

Re: You guys rock! No more hard to start

Glad to see you back Tim!!8)