Super User iceintheveins Posted March 12, 2017 Super User Posted March 12, 2017 I started an outboard I bought tonight for the first time myself (guy started it for me the first time and it fired up great but was pretty smoky owing to him putting a lot of fogger in it as he said). It fired right up just fine, had the hose cranked on full blast and plenty of water was shooting through the hole in the engine where it comes out (so I know lack of water wasn't an issue). However the start up tonight was smoky enough to leave a bit of a smoke cloud all over the neighborhood. Only ran the engine for about 1.5 minutes, and just worried about it being so smoky, seemingly considerably more so than last time (enough to give me a slight headache). Other than that, everything was fine. I know old two strokes like a Johnson Faststrike 1997 175 hp smoke a lot in general and fogging oil causes a LOT of smoke. Am I just panicking? Quote
Super User fishnkamp Posted March 12, 2017 Super User Posted March 12, 2017 Take it out on the water and give it a run . Stay close enough to get back to the ramp though just in case. It may be just burning everything out from his winterizing. 1 Quote
Super User iceintheveins Posted March 12, 2017 Author Super User Posted March 12, 2017 1 minute ago, fishnkamp said: Take it out on the water and give it a run . Stay close enough to get back to the ramp though just in case. It may be just burning everything out from his winterizing. That's what I was thinking. Since the smoke was light colored I wonder if some of it was steam. Quote
Super User fishnkamp Posted March 12, 2017 Super User Posted March 12, 2017 I hope not. Since you said something about old Fast Strikes but never mentioned what this motor is I am assuming it is some type of carbed motor. You are going to have to get fresh fuel into those carbs. If he winterized it and ran something in the fuel to stabilize the fuel in the carbs, it might take a bit to replace that fuel. I have seen that before. Also if this is an old carbed engine I would try this. Unhook your fuel line coming from the fuel tank to the primer bulb. I would them run it from a portable gas can filled with new fuel, oil if not injected, and a can of Sea Foam. If you mix a part of a can of that it will tend to smoke but clean the system out. If you run a couple of gallons of that through the engine you know all the old fuel is gone 1 Quote
Super User iceintheveins Posted March 12, 2017 Author Super User Posted March 12, 2017 4 minutes ago, fishnkamp said: I hope not. Since you said something about old Fast Strikes but never mentioned what this motor is I am assuming it is some type of carbed motor. You are going to have to get fresh fuel into those carbs. If he winterized it and ran something in the fuel to stabilize the fuel in the carbs, it might take a bit to replace that fuel. I have seen that before. Also if this is an old carbed engine I would try this. Unhook your fuel line coming from the fuel tank to the primer bulb. I would them run it from a portable gas can filled with new fuel, oil if not injected, and a can of Sea Foam. If you mix a part of a can of that it will tend to smoke but clean the system out. If you run a couple of gallons of that through the engine you know all the old fuel is gone It's a Johnson Fast Strike 175, 1997. I've been researching on the net and it just seems most people are saying these two strokes smoke A LOT on start up in the spring, especially when lots of fogger has been used. Quote
Super User iabass8 Posted March 12, 2017 Super User Posted March 12, 2017 If it was winterized properly and it hasn't been run WOT or really at all since last winter, take it out and run it. Check the plugs too as their probably going to be caked. I changed them every spring after the first run anyway for that reason. Plugs are cheap. The only time my old 175 fast strike smoked a lot was right after the first start up in the spring from the fogging oil...and it smoked ALOT..but I usually went to town /w fogging oil in the fall. I did run XD100 in the VRO, seafoam and startron, and ethenol free gas in every tank. Carbs were spotless and never had fuel issues with this routine.Hardly any smoke after the first couple trips all year. Guy that has it now does the same thing w/o issues. Quote
Super User iceintheveins Posted March 12, 2017 Author Super User Posted March 12, 2017 2 minutes ago, iabass8 said: If it was winterized properly and it hasn't been run WOT or really at all since last winter, take it out and run it. Check the plugs too as their probably going to be caked. I changed them every spring after the first run anyway for that reason. Plugs are cheap. The only time my old 175 fast strike smoked a lot was right after the first start up in the spring from the fogging oil...and it smoked ALOT..but I usually went to town /w fogging oil in the fall. I did run XD100 in the VRO, seafoam and startron, and ethenol free gas in every tank. Carbs were spotless and never had fuel issues with this routine.Hardly any smoke after the first couple trips all year. Guy that has it now does the same thing w/o issues. I think that's all it is, this is the first time I've started it and only second time it's been started in months, and the previous guy used lots of fogger. Am I probably right? Quote
Super User iabass8 Posted March 12, 2017 Super User Posted March 12, 2017 10 minutes ago, iceintheveins said: I think that's all it is, this is the first time I've started it and only second time it's been started in months, and the previous guy used lots of fogger. Am I probably right? Assuming the motor has no issues and it was winterized properly, then yes, it's most likely the fogging oil. Mine too would smoke almost an embarrassingly amount after sitting for 5 months (iowa winters suck) in the driveway on the first startup. My winter "cocktail" was Seafoam/startron/stabil marine run for 45 minutes to get it in the gas lines and then fog the engine to no tomorrow. Smoked like crazy. I took it to the river to run it and it went away after 1-2 trips depending on how far I went the first time. Most years I would just idle for 5-10 minutes and take it easy on the RPMS for a couple miles and then just run it for 15-20 miles round trip. Put some fresh gas and a can of seafoam in the tank before you go out and then just go to town and run all the fogging oil/gas out of it. You should be fine. It is a 2 stroke so some smoke is going to happen. Mine hardly ever smoked after that all year with XD100 and seafoam/startron in every tank. 1 Quote
Super User iceintheveins Posted March 12, 2017 Author Super User Posted March 12, 2017 19 minutes ago, iabass8 said: Assuming the motor has no issues and it was winterized properly, then yes, it's most likely the fogging oil. Mine too would smoke almost an embarrassingly amount after sitting for 5 months (iowa winters suck) in the driveway on the first startup. My winter "cocktail" was Seafoam/startron/stabil marine run for 45 minutes to get it in the gas lines and then fog the engine to no tomorrow. Smoked like crazy. I took it to the river to run it and it went away after 1-2 trips depending on how far I went the first time. Most years I would just idle for 5-10 minutes and take it easy on the RPMS for a couple miles and then just run it for 15-20 miles round trip. Put some fresh gas and a can of seafoam in the tank before you go out and then just go to town and run all the fogging oil/gas out of it. You should be fine. It is a 2 stroke so some smoke is going to happen. Mine hardly ever smoked after that all year with XD100 and seafoam/startron in every tank. Yeah from searching on the net and what you've sad I'm 90% sure this is the case. Quote
Ski213 Posted March 12, 2017 Posted March 12, 2017 I wouldn't worry too much till you actually run it as fishnkamp and iabass8 said. Just keep an eye on temp and such. Youre description was a smoke cloud. That sounds like oil smoke rather than steam to me. I would think the steam would dissipate fairly fast. I have a 97 venom and it's like a smoke fog in the field when I start it on the muffs if there isn't much wind, especially if it has been sitting or has been only idled prior. Quote
Super User iceintheveins Posted March 12, 2017 Author Super User Posted March 12, 2017 4 minutes ago, Ski213 said: I wouldn't worry too much till you actually run it as fishnkamp and iabass8 said. Just keep an eye on temp and such. Youre description was a smoke cloud. That sounds like oil smoke rather than steam to me. I would think the steam would dissipate fairly fast. I have a 97 venom and it's like a smoke fog in the field when I start it on the muffs if there isn't much wind, especially if it has been sitting or has been only idled prior. And that's exactly what happened, land start with muffs and I am surrounded by a couple fields. Quote
Ski213 Posted March 12, 2017 Posted March 12, 2017 She needs some lake time. Assuming all is good (fuel, etc) take it to the water and let her rip. See how it does. Just don't give into the temptation to "blow it out" on the muffs. That can end poorly. Quote
Super User iceintheveins Posted March 12, 2017 Author Super User Posted March 12, 2017 1 minute ago, Ski213 said: She needs some lake time. Assuming all is good (fuel, etc) take it to the water and let her rip. See how it does. Just don't give into the temptation to "blow it out" on the muffs. That can end poorly. Thanks. I hadn't planned on starting again it till this Friday at the ramp. 1 Quote
Super User slonezp Posted March 12, 2017 Super User Posted March 12, 2017 If the fuel oil ratio is off it will smoke Quote
Super User iceintheveins Posted March 18, 2017 Author Super User Posted March 18, 2017 Took her out today for the first time, motor works great, no excess amount of smoke and no problems at all. Obviously was just the fogging oil. 2 Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.