tkite16 Posted February 28, 2008 Posted February 28, 2008 I see alot of people at the ramp starting there boat before putting it in the water. Does it hurt to just make sure it starts before launching??? Quote
Super User Sam Posted February 28, 2008 Super User Posted February 28, 2008 I always start the motor at home before I head out. I usually do this the day before, late in the afternoonor evening. Never had trouble with motor but one time when I tested trolling motor (yes, you test your trolling motor before venturing out) it failed. Seems one of the wires was cut at BPS when they worked on the boat. Missed one tournament due to the trolling motor failure. A word to the wise....always, always start your motor before you leave home and check your trolllng motor and batteries. Second word to the wise.....turn off the ignition and take key with you after you have tested the motor!!! Quote
Super User cart7t Posted February 28, 2008 Super User Posted February 28, 2008 I'm with Sam. Why would I drag the boat all the way to the lake and then wait to see if it'll turn over? Quote
Ballistik Posted February 28, 2008 Posted February 28, 2008 I dont know if this is what your getting at but never dry start it. Always use ear muffs or have it in watter. There is a rubber impeller that is in the lower unit and the water actuall lubricates it. If you do dry starts it will prematurely ware it out and could cause over heating. So yes if you start it at a ramp before you put your boat in that is wrong and could cause damage even smoke and engine eventually. Quote
tkite16 Posted February 28, 2008 Author Posted February 28, 2008 I dont know if this is what your getting at but never dry start it. Always use ear muffs or have it in watter. There is a rubber impeller that is in the lower unit and the water actuall lubricates it. If you do dry starts it will prematurely ware it out and could cause over heating. So yes if you start it at a ramp before you put your boat in that is wrong and could cause damage even smoke and engine eventually. Thats what I was getting at. I didnt know if maybe just making sure it runs for a few seconds was bad or not. Quote
Super User Way2slow Posted February 28, 2008 Super User Posted February 28, 2008 I hope they are leaving out one step in starting their motor before going to the lake and that's hooking a water hose to it so there's water going through it. Personally, I never start mine before I go to the lake or before I launch it. I take care of my batteries and boat, and over 40 years of doing this I've never had a problem with one not starting after I launched it. I've seen people have problems because the did start it the day before and forget to turn off the power switch and have a dead battery when they got to the lake. If you do feel you need to run it before hand, NEVER, EVER start a motor without having water going through it. Yes, you will see people do this all the time at the ramp but all the idiots are doing is frying hell out of their water pumps. Spinning at 1,000 - 1,500 rpm with no water, it only takes a couple of seconds for the thing to get extremely hot. Just a couple of seconds causes the impeller to start hardening and loosing it flex, causing reduced pressure and volume. Any more than a coule of seconds, it starts burning the tips off the impeller or even melting the housing. Quote
Super User Long Mike Posted February 28, 2008 Super User Posted February 28, 2008 For the second time this evening, I completely agree with Way2slow. Don't even think about starting your motor without water going into it. It only takes a couple of seconds to damage the motor. Quote
fooman Posted February 28, 2008 Posted February 28, 2008 I start mine the night before with the muffs on and also do a run down on everything..I dont like surprises at the ramp.. The only reason I do this is because I have been stuck in line at the ramp watching people crank their motors over only to discover it wont start,then it never fails they pull off the cowl and start wrenching on it there at the end of the ramp. The bottom of the ramp IS NOT the place to trouble shoot your motor when theres a line at the ramp nor is the place to start loading your boat with your gear Quote
crazy larry Posted February 28, 2008 Posted February 28, 2008 I always run mine for a few minutes before going to the lake, with water. The only time i didn't do this, was the only time my motor failed to start. Had water in my fuel.... Hate to be on the ramp with something that won't start. I figure I'd rather have that happen at the house. Quote
Ballistik Posted February 28, 2008 Posted February 28, 2008 Starting it with ear muffs is fine. Its the Dry starts that will kill the water impeller and eventually could smoke the motor. Quote
Team_Dougherty Posted February 28, 2008 Posted February 28, 2008 I have seen many yahoos at the local ramp do many of the same things. I saw one guy starting and running his motor for 15 ~ 20 seconds at a time for three or 4 times with out water. I offered my advice about the water pump. He went on to say he does it all the time without problems. I want to be there when he does. Quote
Super User Tin Posted February 28, 2008 Super User Posted February 28, 2008 Bad idea. Just a bad bad idea imo. Quote
NBR Posted February 28, 2008 Posted February 28, 2008 I start mine with muffs at the begining of the year and then if I haven't gone for a while. At the lake we back down until I can get the lower unit in the water then start the motor before backing in the rest of the way. While it has never happened for it to not start some day it will and if the boat is not off the trailer it is easier to pull out and free up the ramp. Quote
HPBB Posted February 28, 2008 Posted February 28, 2008 with out muffs or being in the water it a big NO!!!, it doesn't take long to burn a motor up. Quote
Branuss04 Posted February 28, 2008 Posted February 28, 2008 with out muffs or being in the water it a big NO!!!, it doesn't take long to burn a motor up. Gotta agree with everyone else, i've been told by two marine mechanics and they both said that it is harmful to the engine to do so. I don't know about you guys, buy I trust my mechanics. Quote
Low_Budget_Hooker Posted February 28, 2008 Posted February 28, 2008 I NEVER run mine out of the water,....NEVER!!!!! in fact, I don't even hook the clips up to the battery till I get to the lake ;D Quote
Tpayneful Posted February 28, 2008 Posted February 28, 2008 I only start the motor out of the water with muffs and a hose if I am troubleshooting the motor at home. Other than that I wouldn't do it. My Evinrude repair manual has a note that you "SHOULD NEVER REV THE ENGINE" when you are running it with muffs on. A runaway condition can occur and destroy your motor. I keep my engine tuned up and use it way to often to have to check and see if it worked in the yard. From the end of March until November 1st my boat will be on the water once, twice or three times a week. With this activitiy level I usually don't have starting issues. If I did, I would use the trolling motor and fish before I went home. Quote
littlefisher Posted February 28, 2008 Posted February 28, 2008 No. NEVER start or run your outboard without water circulating through the cooling water intake in the gear case. Cooling water prevents damage to the water pump (running dry) and overheating of the engine. Quote
NAILER Posted March 1, 2008 Posted March 1, 2008 Right on Tpayneful, i agree. If you use it enough you won't have any problems. Keep the motor tuned and batteries charged and it should run. Quote
ctbassmaster2008 Posted March 1, 2008 Posted March 1, 2008 sorry for the newb ? but what do you guys mean by using ear muffs ????? Quote
Tpayneful Posted March 2, 2008 Posted March 2, 2008 Any question is a good question. Muffs is slang for a outboard motor flush device. One is shown in the picture below. You put connect this to a water hose, put it over the water inlets on the lower unit of your outboard and turn on the water before you start the motor. This will ensure that water is circulating through the water pump and the engine to keep it cool. This is acceptable for idle speeds only. DO NOT rev the engine because the muffs cannot provide enough water under higher RPMs. You can buy one of these at Walmart for less than $10. Quote
trailboss502 Posted March 2, 2008 Posted March 2, 2008 you "SHOULD NEVER REV THE ENGINE" when you are running it with muffs on.quote]i dont necessarily believe that one, cuz how do you think boat shops make sure everything is fine on your boat if they dont rev it up on earmuffs...i mean i could understand if your holding the throttle down, but reving it up to see if everything is okay and running adequately wont hurt your motor. Quote
Tpayneful Posted March 2, 2008 Posted March 2, 2008 trailboss503, I own a SELOC repair manual number 1308 for Evinrude and Johnson outboard motors. It states "NEVER operate the engine over 1000 RPM with a flush device attached, because the engine may "RUNAWAY" due to the no load condition on the propellor." It also states "To test the water pump , the lower unit MUST be moved into a body of water." An outboard repair shop backs the trailer and boat into a water filled pit or uses a barrel full of water to test your engine. This will keep the propellor from spinning too fast and also ensure that the engine has a adequate supply of water to cool the engine. They shouldn't rev the engine with a flush device. If they do, you need a new outboard mechanic. Do you believe me now? Quote
trailboss502 Posted March 3, 2008 Posted March 3, 2008 number 1 i am my outboard mechanic, & # 2 i never said i didnt believe you, i was just stating my OPINION tight lines Quote
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