Crank but no Start problem

C

chrisrub

Member
I need all the brains on this board to figure this one out.

I've got an '85 OMC Sea Drive on my v20 that has been running like a champ. I put a lot of money into maintenance and other things this year, and she's been running good. The other day I went out to start her up and she would crank and crank but not start. I checked for fuel getting to the carbs, I checked for spark on all 4 cylinders and everything seemed good. I couldn't understand why it wouldn't start. So I squirted a little fuel in one of the cylinders and she immediately fired over and kept running after a few tries. Once started though, she was coughing and sputtering and puffing. It eventually cleared itself out and I resolved to thinking somehow it just got extremely flooded and I wouldn't run into the problem again. She ran most of the day just perfectly, but when I took a break for lunch at a nearby beach and let it sit for about 1 hour it wouldn't start again. Same issue, crank no start. I was able to get it back started by squirting some fuel in the cylinder again and got home just fine.

Everytime I check the plugs, they are soaking wet. This situation repeats itself every time the boat sits for an extended period. I'm kind of thinking the worst.. that there may be some water getting in from somewhere that fouls everything up. What are your thoughts? I appreciate any input!
 
chrisrub said:
I need all the brains on this board to figure this one out.

. So I squirted a little fuel in one of the cylinders and she immediately fired over and kept running after a few tries.

Everytime I check the plugs, they are soaking wet. This situation repeats itself every time the boat sits for an extended period. I'm kind of thinking the worst.. that there may be some water getting in from somewhere that fouls everything up. What are your thoughts? I appreciate any input!
Click to expand...

If you have spark and no start its a fuel problem if you have wet plugs and no start its a ignition problem. What you described are two things that seem to be two differnt problems. I have seen this happen before, choke primer could be bad, pack could be on its way out or weak, or the carbs need rebuilding.
 
Start with a compression check and also clean your carburetors.
If your engine have the the plastic carbs remove the orifices and clean it with compress air , you can remove the high speed jet also and clean it all without removing the carbs !
 
what does the ball do when you pump it? does it get hard when you pump it up?
Fuel filter on motor when was it cleaned or replaced last??

Is the ball still hard after a hour? Might have a bad o ring or something and gas draining back after a while?

Clean carbs as stated, all else fails try running on a portable tank and see what happens
 
My guess is its getting flooded.. and that something is letting fuel past the carbs. I don't know too much about carbs though. I stopped by a reputable shop and he suggested bringing him the carbs to rebuild. I've got fuel getting through all the filters (which were changed for this season), as well as into the carbs. I removed the screws on the bowl of the carbs and fuel is coming out when I pump the ball. It trickles out, but its coming out.

The ball gets hard when you pump it, i haven't checked to see if it stays hard though.

How much could a rebuild run me on both carbs? I'd hate to have it done and that not be the issue. They already got me for a VRO pump which was the initial diagnosis.
 
sounds like you need to sync and link the carbs. Meaning go back and set all the throttle linkages up, insureing the butterflys are closed all the way with teh throttle closed
 
Since it cranks right up when you squirt in fuel, maybe you've eliminated the ignition system. What could be keeping the carb's from delivering fuel when cranking? It could be anything from compression (not as likely) to fuel pump, carb's or filter. Having said that, I've seen 2 motors that would not start cold without a squirt of fuel or starter spray after they were getting well worn. Remember that a hot motor doesn't require as much fuel to fire up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top