Trouble Starting In The Morning... 2025
Catch and Grease reply :
My outboard always has trouble starting in the morning, I'll put her in the water pump the bulb till its tight and choke it and then turn the key and it'll just spin and spin but never start but then like 10-20 minutes later you turn the key and it starts up right away. If you try starting it In the afternoon even if its been sitting all day this doesn't happen it will just start up with no problem, once you get it started once in the morning it runs perfect the rest of the day starting up whenever you want it to. What could be some possible causes for this?
Glenn reply :
Is it a Yamaha HDPI, by chance?
Catch and Grease reply :
On 8/6/2015 at 1:06 AM, Glenn said:Is it a Yamaha HDPI, by chance?
No it is a mercury.
Way2slow reply :
Try just pumping the bulb until it starts to get full but not really firm, still a little sponge, don't squeeze it any more after that.
Then try starting it without choking it. If it does not start within 10-15 seconds, wait about 15 seconds and try it again, still not ever choking it. If it doesn't start the second time try bumping the choke for just a second or so, while cranking it and then stop cranking. Wait about 10 seconds and try cranking it again, without chocking it again.
The purpose of all this, it's sounds like you are flooding it with what you are doing now, so we want to try it with out giving it much extra gas to start with.
If it still doesn't want to start doing what I've suggested, my next step would be to see if it's getting enough gas. Now, you want to take a spray bottle with some premixed gas in it and give a couple squirts directly in the carburetor and see if it start then.
I have a 1982 25hp Merc, and it started getting hard to start. After some trouble shooting, I replaced the intake and reed block gaskets, they were leaking and that cured the problem, it's starts the first pull or two now. However, this is not something you would probably be able to do.
The next thing that can cause one to be hard to start for the first time is low compression. Have you had it checked. I think it should be around 125psi, but can't say for sure, it's been years since I've check mine or even looked to see what those motors should have.
junyer357 reply :
Over pumping/priming bulb perhaps? We usually just pump ours a few times ti l its not empty feeling not til it is tight
cbass12 reply :
On 8/6/2015 at 2:58 AM, Way2slow said:Try just pumping the bulb until it starts to get full but not really firm, still a little sponge, don't squeeze it any more after that.
Then try starting it without choking it. If it does not start within 10-15 seconds, wait about 15 seconds and try it again, still not ever choking it. If it doesn't start the second time try bumping the choke for just a second or so, while cranking it and then stop cranking. Wait about 10 seconds and try cranking it again, without chocking it again.
My first thought was to say don't choke it.
Smokinal reply :
On 8/6/2015 at 2:58 AM, Way2slow said:Try just pumping the bulb until it starts to get full but not really firm, still a little sponge, don't squeeze it any more after that.
Then try starting it without choking it. If it does not start within 10-15 seconds, wait about 15 seconds and try it again, still not ever choking it. If it doesn't start the second time try bumping the choke for just a second or so, while cranking it and then stop cranking. Wait about 10 seconds and try cranking it again, without chocking it again.
The purpose of all this, it's sounds like you are flooding it with what you are doing now, so we want to try it with out giving it much extra gas to start with.
If it still doesn't want to start doing what I've suggested, my next step would be to see if it's getting enough gas. Now, you want to take a spray bottle with some premixed gas in it and give a couple squirts directly in the carburetor and see if it start then.
I have a 1982 25hp Merc, and it started getting hard to start. After some trouble shooting, I replaced the intake and reed block gaskets, they were leaking and that cured the problem, it's starts the first pull or two now. However, this is not something you would probably be able to do.
The next thing that can cause one to be hard to start for the first time is low compression. Have you had it checked. I think it should be around 125psi, but can't say for sure, it's been years since I've check mine or even looked to see what those motors should have.
This is the way to start the diag.
WIGuide reply :
On 8/6/2015 at 1:23 AM, Catch and Grease said:No it is a mercury.
^^^ The problem has been found!!! Haha sorry I just had to. W2S gives great advice, you should follow it. I do have to ask though, when you choke it in the morning are you doing it while you're trying to start it or are you trying to choke it and then start it. If you aren't turning it over while you're choking it has no effect whatsoever.
Catch and Grease reply :
On 8/7/2015 at 2:26 AM, WIGuide said:^^^ The problem has been found!!! Haha sorry I just had to. W2S gives great advice, you should follow it. I do have to ask though, when you choke it in the morning are you doing it while you're trying to start it or are you trying to choke it and then start it. If you aren't turning it over while you're choking it has no effect whatsoever.
My electric choke stopped working so I use the manual choke by twisting a knob on the engine, then I go to turn the key and when it starts I go back and turn the choke off on the engine. I followed what W2S said and it started better but I still think I may have pumped the bulb to much so I'm gonna do it less next time.
thomas15 reply :
When you start the motor, do you have it in neutral but have the throttle at more than idle?
Does anyone know if that motor has a butterfly choke or an enricher?
Catch and Grease reply :
I just have the engine in neutral when I start it with no throttle...
And does a butterfly choke make the butterfly valve flip open? Because that's not what my choke does, my choke just pushes a button in on top of the carburetor when you twist it I believe...
Catch and Grease reply :
Should I have the throttle open a little when trying to start my engine for the first time in the morning?
Long Mike reply :
If that motor is anything like me, it needs a good, strong cup of coffee in the morning.
Way2slow reply :
If your remote control has a little black lever for cold start, it should be raised all the way up.
If it has a tiller handle, it should be turned all the way to the start position.
These should be some source for setting a fast idle for cold starts, As for having the throttle open, the neutral throttle stop in the engine should not let you open throttle beyond it, but yes, you should have some way to set a fast idle and should be using it. If it has a fast idle, and it does not seem to make a difference, then it may need adjusting.
Catch and Grease reply :
On 8/7/2015 at 8:15 PM, Way2slow said:If your remote control has a little black lever for cold start, it should be raised all the way up.
If it has a tiller handle, it should be turned all the way to the start position.
These should be some source for setting a fast idle for cold starts, As for having the throttle open, the neutral throttle stop in the engine should not let you open throttle beyond it, but yes, you should have some way to set a fast idle and should be using it. If it has a fast idle, and it does not seem to make a difference, then it may need adjusting.
Okay thank you, your a huge help...
Catch and Grease reply :
Its still really hard to start this engine in the morning there has got to be something wrong...
Way2slow reply :
Well, I've give you about all the info I know that you should be able to try. There's a number of things I would check but, it's starts getting more technical and I probably know a little more about them than you, and I ain't driving the 160 miles to Valdosta.
Maybe somebody else has a magic bullet they can shoot your way.
Catch and Grease reply :
You sound a little agitated... I was just saying that I followed the procedure you gave me and its still hard to start, I would troubleshoot myself but I'm just gonna wait and let another family member look at it. Sorry for my whining...
slonezp reply :
Carbed Mercury's are known for having morning sickness. Are you positive there is no fuel delivery issue? Fuel filter good? Fuel lines and primer bulb good?
Catch and Grease reply :
The primer is really beat up and I think it should be replaced I picked one up today but haven't put it in yet. No I'm not positive there isn't a fuel delivery problem...
Way2slow reply :
No, I'm not agitated, sorry if it cams across that way. It's just to go beyond the basic procedures I explained to see if flooding or not getting enough fuel on the initial startup, you start getting into technical side, of the troubl shooting, and let's face it, you are not exactly that sharp on the technical aspect. Plus I don't no that motor well enough to step you through trouble shooting it. As I mentioned, I have an 82, 25 Merc and the few times I've had to work on it has been several years ago. I just don't work mess with the Mercs much.
thomas15 reply :
I think you said that your boat has a console. Could you post two or three pics of the throttle at the console at different angles?
There should be some way to give the motor some extra RPM at start up.
Catch and Grease reply :
I'm pretty sure to give it some extra RPM at start up you push in the "throttle only" button then push the handle forward, that gives it some extra throttle while staying in neutral.
I put a new primer bulb on and after I was finished I just took the top off the outboard to look and figured out one of the (what I believe is called) recirculation hose slipped off and came undone. That would explain why the engine sneezed one or two times while I was leaving the lake today...
thomas15 reply :
On 8/9/2015 at 9:15 AM, Catch and Grease said:
I'm pretty sure to give it some extra RPM at start up you push in the "throttle only" button then push the handle forward, that gives it some extra throttle while staying in neutral.
I put a new primer bulb on and after I was finished I just took the top off the outboard to look and figured out one of the (what I believe is called) recirculation hose slipped off and came undone. That would explain why the engine sneezed one or two times while I was leaving the lake today...
That is correct. When the motor starts it should then be at high idle, sat 2500-3000 RPM. You don't want to keep it there for long, just long enough to get the motor running, about 5 seconds then back down to about 1500 RPM for a short while, to get it warmed up.
Catch and Grease reply :
Yeah I tried that a few hours ago at around 12, pumped the bulb, choked it, pushed the throttle up a bit and it started great with one turn of the key!
Hopefully it'll start that good during the morning time as well.
the reel ess reply :
I have a vintage 1986 Mercury Black Max 135. It's the same in the morning. It seems some direct sunlight or heat source really helps if atomize fuel. I don't use it much but when I did, I would take it over to the lake, launch, run it long enough to get it to operating temp, then dock it or beach it till the morning, when I wanted to fish. It would crank on the first turn of the key. I'm certain a little fine tuning of the carb(s) by an expert in the field would help a lot.
The trick with mine when it was cold was to choke it until it fired the first time. It usually didn't catch and run then. Then I would turn off the choke and crank until running and use the fast idle a full minute or two. It was like an old carbed car. There was a combination to cranking it and anything else would usually end up flooding it.
Catch and Grease reply :
Mines a 1980 mercury 25hp and ya it definitely starts better if its hot and sunny outside and not morning time...
The carb should be tuned right because we just got it back from a expert recently.
thomas15 reply :
On 8/10/2015 at 3:19 AM, Catch and Grease said:Yeah I tried that a few hours ago at around 12, pumped the bulb, choked it, pushed the throttle up a bit and it started great with one turn of the key!
Hopefully it'll start that good during the morning time as well.
I hope so too my friend.
I've also noticed that my Mercury doesn't care for 87 octane fuel, 89 or higher is needed.
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