Outboard Question

[NHfroggin]

i have a older johnson 4 horse and it doesnt seem to want to start until about the 20th pull. i thought it was just because it was cold but after about ten min with it running i shut it off and tried to start it back up and again and it took another 20 or so pulls. just wondering if you guys had any ideas why it takes so much or is it just normal. any input would be great

thanks

       Basssmaster6

[TopDog]

Same thing happened with my powerwasher >....it was bad gas.  Are you using old gas maybe?  Did you check the spark plug for fouling?

[NHfroggin]

the gas is about two days old so it prob isnt that. i havnt checked the plugs either is there a way to check them or am i better off just getting new ones?

thanks

        Bassmaster6

[TopDog]

Take it out and see if its Black and filled with crud. If it is, that could be the culprit.  There only a couple of bucks, but make sure you get the correct one.

[NHfroggin]

ok ill take them  out and see how they look thanks Alphawolf

bassmaster6

[dickenscpa]

If the spark plugs look good or new ones are no help, you may want to see what kind of spark you're getting. Could be a bad coil. A spark tester is very cheap at just about any auto parts store. If you go for new plugs, it wouldn't hurt to pick one up, you'll probably use it at some point.

They're very simple, just make sure you run a little ground. You should get a good blue spark at about 7/16".

[kybassangler]

It's wise to keep an extra set of plugs and a wrench to change where you can get to it. Its easy to get the plugs wet and they don't want to start. Check the plugs if they are wet thats the problem. If that helps keep the old ones for spare if they look good. Go with the cheapest first then look at the big money problems if cheap fails to fix.

Wet plugs will dry and are still useable. Find the sweet spot on the throttle to start it on my evinrude 4.5 it is a little past run. Does your motor have an internal fuel tank? If it has an internal tank it should have a vented cap. If you forget to unscrew it your gas won't hit the carb right.

[dickenscpa]

Does your motor have an internal fuel tank? If it has an internal tank it should have a vented cap. If you forget to unscrew it your gas won't hit the carb right.

True. My boat has the 6 gal portable type tank and I didn't realize when I first got my boat to unscrew that little vent in the cap. It collapsed my tank and cracked it.