Starting An Outboard After Winter

[Bleeding Green]

Just wondering what everyone does to get their outboard started quickly after it has been sitting unused for a couple of months?

I have a carby 2 stroke oil injected yammie (key start). If it's only been sitting for a couple of weeks it starts first go every go. But if it's been a while, like over winter, I give the fuel line a pump or two, then try starting it up. I'll crank it for about 3 or 4 seconds, then stop for 5 seconds or so before having another go. It will start after about 5 or 6 goes. It's no big deal, but is there something in particular that causes it, such as stale fuel, and is there a sure fire (excuse the pun) to get it fired sooner?

Edited August 9, 2010 by Bleeding Green

[Catchin Jack]

Could be caused by old fuel and also your plugs may be dirty, I always make sure I have fresh fuel and give plugs a clean after motor has not been used in a while.

Cheers,

Leo

[ray henry]

Just wondering what everyone does to get their outboard started quickly after it has been sitting unused for a couple of months?

I have a carby 2 stroke oil injected yammie (key start). If it's only been sitting for a couple of weeks it starts first go every go. But if it's been a while, like over winter, I give the fuel line a pump or two, then try starting it up. I'll crank it for about 3 or 4 seconds, then stop for 5 seconds or so before having another go. It will start after about 5 or 6 goes. It's no big deal, but is there something in particular that causes it, such as stale fuel, and is there a sure fire (excuse the pun) to get it fired sooner?

i found the secret is never let it sit for longer than 2 to 3 weeks without giving it a ru n on the flusher [winter or summer] this will prevent the fuel going off in the carbies . a 10 to 15 min run will do the job good luck the bull.

[Bleeding Green]

Is it worth running it dry by installing a fuel tap and turning it off so there is no fuel left in the carbys? I do this with my lawn mower and the kids dirt bikes and have never had any issues. Would it cause any harm to an outboard?

[tumra]

I was told that it is not good to run your engine dry as oil will still be injected onto the sparkplugs as it is oil injected and this will congeal after a while stuffing up your plugs. You are better off turing it off at the ignition and allow to run your engine at the most every 4 weeks of a couple of minutes. 2 stroke engines dont like not being run for a while.

[oz_brett]

I was told that it is not good to run your engine dry as oil will still be injected onto the sparkplugs as it is oil injected and this will congeal after a while stuffing up your plugs. You are better off turing it off at the ignition and allow to run your engine at the most every 4 weeks of a couple of minutes. 2 stroke engines dont like not being run for a while.

I agree with Tumra running the excess fuel out will leave the oil that gets injected in the system.

Ive always run my engines every 2-3 weeks (even now with a 4 stroke)

Most engines have a removable fuel line that unclips from the motor, the clip has a ball bearing like seal wich prevents the fuel running out when its disconected also prevents air getting in to your line. Disconnecting the fuel line with this clip will prevent the fuel in the line avaporating & also stops air getting in meaning the fuel cant run back down the line. when its re-connected the fuel is already primed to the motor saving you priming it al the way from the tank.

Brett

[a boat]

Hi Guys, as for running out of fuel, the engine will not be affected in any way and in fact it is best to remove the fuel connector and run dry so no fuel is in the carbies to gum up if not used for a while. As for 2-Stroke not liking to be left unused that is wrong and if no fuel in the carbies, then years later you can put fresh fuel in them and they start very easily and once the impeller and a few things are done they are fine, 4-Strokes with the possibility of stuck valves etc are another story all together. Oil in a carby 2-Stroke is not injected onto the spark plugs and it is burnt in the normal combustion operation and the modern DI 2-Strokes can even easily be winterised so that they introduce more oil to lube the crankshaft and bearings so that the engine can sit for years without worry of damage.

As for the orignial question, if fuel is over 6 months old, I would get rid of it, run with fresh fuel and if the impeller is over 2 years old, maybe best to do a water pump service before you start using regularly again.

Cheers,

Huey.

[Geoff]

Just wondering what everyone does to get their outboard started quickly after it has been sitting unused for a couple of months?

I have a carby 2 stroke oil injected yammie (key start). If it's only been sitting for a couple of weeks it starts first go every go. But if it's been a while, like over winter, I give the fuel line a pump or two, then try starting it up. I'll crank it for about 3 or 4 seconds, then stop for 5 seconds or so before having another go. It will start after about 5 or 6 goes. It's no big deal, but is there something in particular that causes it, such as stale fuel, and is there a sure fire (excuse the pun) to get it fired sooner?

I also have a 2s O.I. Yammie & it does the same thing when cold. After a short run I turn the motor off it will restart instantally.

I think the problem comes from oil residue on the plugs when standing for a period of time & it takes several cranks to burn off the oil film.

The way to test this is prior to the next outing , remove the plugs & give the gaps a clean.

The other thought , & I will stand corrected here , pumping the primer bulb only moves the fuel to the carbies , not into the cylinder head & it takes a few cranks to get the fuel from the carbie into the cylinders.

Perhaps it's a combination of both

The type of oil can also play a part. I used Valvoline in a Tohatsu & it worked great. Put it into the Yammie & starting was very difficult.

Went back to Yammilube & there was signifient inprovement.

It's possible the XD synthic oils would be a further inprovment.

As for long term storage , I have never run an engine dry & left the internals unprotected.

As others have suggested , it easier to connect the flusher & give the motor a run every 2 or 3 months.

If there is a need to store the motor for long period , ie 1 - 2 years then drain the fuel from the carbies

Geoff

[Bleeding Green]

Hi Guys, as for running out of fuel, the engine will not be affected in any way and in fact it is best to remove the fuel connector and run dry so no fuel is in the carbies to gum up if not used for a while. As for 2-Stroke not liking to be left unused that is wrong and if no fuel in the carbies, then years later you can put fresh fuel in them and they start very easily and once the impeller and a few things are done they are fine, 4-Strokes with the possibility of stuck valves etc are another story all together. Oil in a carby 2-Stroke is not injected onto the spark plugs and it is burnt in the normal combustion operation and the modern DI 2-Strokes can even easily be winterised so that they introduce more oil to lube the crankshaft and bearings so that the engine can sit for years without worry of damage.

As for the orignial question, if fuel is over 6 months old, I would get rid of it, run with fresh fuel and if the impeller is over 2 years old, maybe best to do a water pump service before you start using regularly again.

Cheers,

Huey.

Thanks to all for your input. Just to clear up on my point in particular, I hope my boat never has to sit for as long as 6 months (unless I'm doing a once in a lifetime trip OS). I'm probably looking at 2 or 3 months max. If it's only been a couple of weeks since it's been used I have no problem. And it's not like it gives me issues after long periods, just that it takes a few goes. Running it on flusher every couple of weeks is a bit of a hassle, because my boat's locked up right at the back of the garage. I'd have to hitch it up and drag it out (do I sound lazy?).

Huey, where and how do I disconnect the fuel line. I like the idea of not having fuel sitting in the carbys going stale. I might give it a go next time and see if it takes any less time to start.

[BWV]

When you run your engines dry before storage it leaves no oil or fuel inside them for lubrication when starting up next time which does cause damage. Inlet or exhaust valves will be open as a result of how far though the cycle the engine is allowing moisture to enter the interals of the engine, this will also cause some damage. If I was storing my engine for an extended period I would stall the engine by using the choke which changes the mixture of the fuel/air. This will leave more oil on the interal parts of the engine and give them better protection for storage and starting up next time. At the end of the day what will give you a bigger head ache, a fouled plug, a dirty carbie or a rebuild? While it will not be the major cause for a rebiuld but it will be a contribiting factor.

I have herd of guys that are leaving the engines for a extened period with out use squirt out board oil directly into the carbies until it stalls the engine so all the internals have a decent protective coating. If this was the case I'd say you would definetly need to clean the plugs before starting.

[Bleeding Green]

When you run your engines dry before storage it leaves no oil or fuel inside them for lubrication when starting up next time which does cause damage. Inlet or exhaust valves will be open as a result of how far though the cycle the engine is allowing moisture to enter the interals of the engine, this will also cause some damage. If I was storing my engine for an extended period I would stall the engine by using the choke which changes the mixture of the fuel/air. This will leave more oil on the interal parts of the engine and give them better protection for storage and starting up next time. At the end of the day what will give you a bigger head ache, a fouled plug, a dirty carbie or a rebuild? While it will not be the major cause for a rebiuld but it will be a contribiting factor.

I have herd of guys that are leaving the engines for a extened period with out use squirt out board oil directly into the carbies until it stalls the engine so all the internals have a decent protective coating. If this was the case I'd say you would definetly need to clean the plugs before starting.

Hi Whaler, thanks for your input. It makes it quite hard to know whats best when I get a few responses similar to yours and then Huey comes out and says pretty much the opposite. I cam probably more confused now then before I opened the thread.

As I said a couple of times, I'm not storing for a 'long' time. I just get lazy over winter and prefer to be on the water on warm sunny days.

[BWV]

Hi Whaler, thanks for your input. It makes it quite hard to know whats best when I get a few responses similar to yours and then Huey comes out and says pretty much the opposite. I cam probably more confused now then before I opened the thread.

As I said a couple of times, I'm not storing for a 'long' time. I just get lazy over winter and prefer to be on the water on warm sunny days.

Yeah I know how you feel. I do hold marine engineering qualifications so I am not a "backyard mechanic". Huey is no fool either and he would have advice for his out board mechanics. At the end of the day be best thing to do is not to get lazy(easier said than done) and start it every few weeks or take it for a run for 30 min on a quite sunday and that would do it the world of good and you wont have to worry about a thing.