Hard Starting Merc 30HP

[bigpat]

Hi guys,

Bought my new chariot last week.

Stacer 399 Proline, fitted with 30HP Merc 2 stroke.

Boat had never touched the water, so naturally I put the muffs and started it on land to start the run in process.

Was a DohDohDohDohDoh to start, even with choke out, and throttle to recommended position. Twice had to pull the plugs, and clean them, as they had fouled.

After 30-40 pulls it fired, and ran. Starting when hot is instantaneous.

Yesterdays maiden voyage got off to painful start, as again. it took maybe 20-25 pulls to fire.

When home, I flushed it and it took a good 5-6 pulls to fire.

My question is that are they always a DohDohDohDohDoh to start, or only when new? I know running at 25:1 pre-mix doesn't make it easier, but geez......

Can I expect it to get better, or should I carry spark plug spanners, and brake cleaner on board as a precaution?

Cheers,

Pat

Originally Posted by bigpat

I know running at 25:1 pre-mix doesn't make it easier, but geez......

Hey mate, is that the recomended oil to fuel ratio by the manufacture, if its not look it up and use that, or ask a same one at a boating shop for some advice, they may know whats the go (my little yammy 05 model says 75;1 raito but i was told by my dads mate ty from jetty boating to use 100:1 starts 1st time every time now hot/cold dusnt matter) id keep on taking yuor tools with you too, never know what u might need em for,

[Mandurah Marine]

New, under warranty, you know what you need to do!
BTW excessive running without load (muffs) will result in plenty of unburnt fuel collecting in the cylinders and on the plugs. Speak you your mechanic and get the rundown on the best way to run your motor in. This is the most important part of your motors life. No load when running in is the worst thing for it, apart from revving the dohdohs out of it (hot or cold) with no load.

This motor should be starting 1st or second pull, no matter how cold it is!!

Can you confirm that the motor was pre delivered correctly? Is there paint missing off the head bolts as though a spanner has been on them?

[bigpat]

Hi guys, answers are:

Oil is the recommended Quicksilver 2 stroke blend.

Can't confirm if the donk was pre-delivered. The name of the original dealer ( I didn't buy the boat from them) is on the boat.

Looking at the boat, the height of the leg as been correctly set etc, and the fuel filter had fuel in it when I bought it, so I assume it has been started.

As for the head bolts, no there isn't any paint missing, or signs of respray, so I assume they haven't been undone.

I don't know what pre-delivery involves, so I wouldn't know if its been done correctly or not......

As for running in, I only ran it for 10mins or so to get all the assembly grease out of the engine, and gives the rings a basic bedding in. Yesterday I spent a good 1/2 hour trolling along at 5 knots, and giving it a little more revs on occasion to continue the running in process.

I've tinkered with 2 stroke engines before, so I was thinking of checking spark plug gaps, or seeing if in need to tweak the carbie ( leaning it a touch I think, it smells rich when running). Or do you think that I shouldn't go near it?

I know that I can take it back to the original dealer, but they are over 1.5 hours drive away. Can any Mercury dealer check it under warranty?


Thanks for helping,

Pat

[Danmaso]

Originally Posted by Jacob59

i was told by my dads mate ty from jetty boating to use 100:1 starts 1st time every time now hot/cold dusnt matter) id keep on taking yuor tools with you too, never know what u might need em for,

A: I wouldnt run it at 100 to 1 that wouldnt do you any favours when the motor is new, and steer clear of any advice you come across from someones dads mate, especially when talking about new engines that are expensive. 'dusnt' nice word
B: I have the 25hp and have found the easiest way to start it (small mercs seem to be a bit tempremental) is to pump the bulb in the fuel line till it is firm, pull out the choke and set the throttle to half way, should start in 1-2 pulls
C: if it doesnt fire then turn the choke off and back of the throttle and give it a few pulls to try and clear the fuel that will have built up in the cylinders, then retry the process
D: to run in the motor run it @ 25:1 for a full tank or 2 and then run standard on 50:1 you will notice a considerable difference.

If this doesnt work for you take it back and get them to check it...

and pat i wouldnt go mucking round with the carby as they are a bit finicky and the dealer may tell you that this has voided the warranty just easier to stay away from it IMO
cheers

read and check your owners manual will have all the details you need to know there.i would not be listening to what your mates dad said.it should have a few pages on the run in period of your motor.if failing to run your motor in by the book it may void your motors warranty

[phil jagger]

Do you have the breather on the fuel tank un-wound?


Phil

[bigpat]

Yep, I've done everything as per the manual to cover my backside. Yes, the book does state a 25:1 premix ratio for the 10 hour run in period, then 50:1 beyond that.

I'll keep running and servicing the engine by the book to avoid problems, although I don't doubt other peoples' personal experiences and observations....

Dan, I noticed that I too had to crank out the excess fuel with no throttle or choke before it tried to kick again. Just as you mentioned that they can be tempremental, apparently they are prone to flooding. My model is an "international" or Japanese model, that is built by Tohatsu for Mercury. Should I take that as a positive, seeng that Tohatsu's get favourable reports?

Yeah Phil, I made sure the breather was unwound, I made that mistake the first time, wasn't keen on repeating it!!!!!

By the look of it, DIY isn't a smart option, maybe just handball it to the dealer. I assume that I shouldn't have to pay for the tuning, being under warranty, correct?

if you take it back to the dealer you should not have to pay anything as it should of all been pre checked before it was leaving the dealership.The joys of owning a boat

Bring Out Another Thousand

[Mandurah Marine]

The head bolts should not have been undone, rather the tensions checked at pre-delivery.
You can take your engine to your nearest Mercury dealer uder warranty as long as your warranty is in place and your warranty book is up to date.

[Danmaso]

yeah pat mine is the same, tohatsu motor. they are a fine, a lot lighter than the merc built motor and the quality must be great to if mercury are putting their name on it...

once you get the combination right wether it be more or less throttle when starting put a mark on the tiller so you can line iup the throttle with the mark and get it right every time, your motor will loosen up after the run in stage and starting will become considerably easier...

another way to get rid off built up fuel is jsut unclip the fuel line and pull it a few times to clear the excess this way no fuel will be entering the engine

put up some pics of the new tub mate would be interested to see....

cheers

[bigpat]

I haven't noticed any witness marks from spanners on the headbolts.......

Carragant, I will mark the tiller when its run in, and sorted out. Good tip.

Interestingly I spoke to dealer on the phone regarding the smoky nature at low revs, and whether a switch to a synthetic oil will be better for smoke and engine cleanliness/ longevity.

He mentioned that the recommended Quicksilver oil is pretty good as far as mineral oils are, and synthetics won't benefit me.

However a change to the premium quicksilver oil ($5 more for 5 ltrs) does reduce the smoke a fair bit, even at 50:1 ratio. I'll stick to the book, as if I'm stuck with a dead motor in the middle of nowhere, I have an avenue of action, as I've adhered to Merc's instructions.

I believe that synthetic oils are of MOST benefit in high load, high stress applications, where the oil won't break down, like I currently use in racecars. Saying that, some engines still prefer a mineral oil. I know one prominent V8 Supercar engine builder that demands a certain mineral oil to be used in all instances...

I think I'll switch to 98 octane fuel though, not for power (not enough compression to use it I think), but that it burns cleaner than regular fuel.

Also of interest was my request to purchase a rectifier kit to charge my leccy battery. For genuine Mercury, I was quoted $170-$190. Then I found out that the Yamaha 30 is the same engine, so a Yammie rectifier fits. Cost... $115!!!! You certainly pay for the Mercury name......

Yep, I'll post some picks of the boat soon.

Originally Posted by CARRAGANT

A: I wouldnt run it at 100 to 1 that wouldnt do you any favours when the motor is new, and steer clear of any advice you come across from someones dads mate, especially when talking about new engines that are expensive. 'dusnt' nice word
B: I have the 25hp and have found the easiest way to start it (small mercs seem to be a bit tempremental) is to pump the bulb in the fuel line till it is firm, pull out the choke and set the throttle to half way, should start in 1-2 pulls
C: if it doesnt fire then turn the choke off and back of the throttle and give it a few pulls to try and clear the fuel that will have built up in the cylinders, then retry the process
D: to run in the motor run it @ 25:1 for a full tank or 2 and then run standard on 50:1 you will notice a considerable difference.

If this doesnt work for you take it back and get them to check it...

and pat i wouldnt go mucking round with the carby as they are a bit finicky and the dealer may tell you that this has voided the warranty just easier to stay away from it IMO
cheers

ahh hes mechanice for jetty boating dude, think he knows what hes talking about...... dohdohdohdohdoh different motors too was just an example dohdohdohdoh......

[projoe]

I owned a few years back a yammaha 30hpcv 2 cylinder (cv stands for customer value)
this motor was a DohDohDohDohDoh to start, 13 to 18 pulls cold, 2-3 warm I got the mechanic out with me on the water he played around with the mixture & other settings but to no avail, all his answer was these are agricultral type motors & when you get one like this there's not alot you can do about it.
now 3 people i spoke to who had the 3cyl 30hp never had a problem, apparantley these motor were more refined with better ignition parts & being 3 cylinder were a better motor, now I believe mercury also sell a customer value style motor could it be the same situation, if its a new motor you need to tell them to fix it or change it.

[Danmaso]

Originally Posted by Jacob59

ahh hes mechanice for jetty boating dude, think he knows what hes talking about...... dohdohdohdohdoh different motors too was just an example dohdohdohdoh......

yeh im sure he is, but i wouldnt post sill stuff like that eg 100:1 fuel mix for a brand new motor because if someone takes that advice they will stuff their motor and you wont be very popular, i know it was an example but probably a bad one, this forum is for helpful information not crap