Starting up

[cem]

i have a minor problem with our boat..... starts and runs fine great in fact but not if left for a while a week or two and i really have to give it some revs to get any form of starting, sounds like the engine is solid then all of a sudden springs to life, i can start in idle for the rest of the day and even the next day with no issues??? plenty of oil and everything else looks fine (to my untrained eye) engine was serviced in march just before we bought the boat


suggestions on a post card or in a forum post if preferred

engine is mercruiser 5l V8 on an alpha drive

 

[omega2]

Starting?

check your battery connections and the connections on the starter motor, they should be good and tight, if you see any candy floss on the terminals they need to be cleaned, boiling water will shift it. When redoing a smear of vaseline will help keep them clean. Set choke to full and power lever to halfway, she should hit off easily.

 

[rbcoomer]

Have you checked engine oil for discolouration? I had a similar issue with a Range Rover a good few years back and was due to a leaking head gasket - water seeping into cylinder which makes engine hard to turn over (doesn't compress very well). Once cleared ran fine and also started if left overnight, but 24 hours or more would be hard to start. Small about of water lost which you wouldn't notice if raw water cooled. Eventually tell-tale yellowing of the oil... I hope it isn't that as it would be a pain to fix - and costly I suspect... You might also be able to tell from plugs - when I did the gaskets, the one cylinder was steam cleaned.

 

[landlockedpirate]

Its perfectly normal, engine has a carb. Check the ownners manual for starting procedure (available on line from Mercruiser), when its not been used for a while you need to prime the fuel pump and give it a few revs.

Once its warm it will start with no priming or revs.

 

[markcw]

I have a volov penta I/B v6 your have two more cyclinders your lucky thing. this is what i do every 1-2 mounths

I would say do a full check of the ignition system and make sure ,
plugs & plug gap are set right,
check and reseat all ht leads to plugs and distributor
clean inside the dist cap and clean arm, if you have a electronic spark module in side your disributor they also have an air gap to set between the sensor and spinning shaft. get this wrong and you will have a week spark.

Do some voltages checks will cranking up the engine and when engine is running, a week or poor condition battery will give you slugish cranking but once running the alternator will supply your 13.2 ish volts and its not untill the engine is stopped that the battery will drop low again.

Clean and check all earth connections on engine block, if need be take a black jump lead from the negative of the battery and place it on a newly cleaned earth point on the engine

 

[markcw]

you said the engine sounds solid

you will need a lot of amps from your battery when cold cranking, if the starter motor and armature in side is dirty especially around the brush contacts this can degrease amps to motor and cause an intial sticking, or what a would call a lumpy start and then it frees up.

 

[cem]

thanks guys, a few things to look at then next time i am down, the oil is clear as it could ever be, infact as clear as i have ever seen so don't think it is water in there, most likely dirty something or just the fact i need to get more days on the water

 

[crofty1984]

i need to get more days on the water

This is always the correct answer. Regardless of the question.

 

[Warpa]

I had similar issues on a mercruiser 3L, turned out to be the slave solenoid.

 

[AndieMac]

If the engine has a carb., fit an inline primer bulb between the filter and the carb., a couple of pumps prior to start, after long periods of not being used, will help the process.