1980 115 hp T.O.P.

[bently]

I have read all of the post about how to properly start the older tower of power Mercs. some days it works and some days I almost run my battery dead.

What do you think of this?

I was going to test out adding a primmer to the front plate of my engine. Once I squeeze the bulb untill it is hard then give the primer a squirt. It should get the motor started more consistantly right?

Let me know if my thought process is missing something, thanks.

 

[dlplost]

Re: 1980 115 hp T.O.P.

I HATE those motors.....PITA to get started untill you figure the exact procedure "IT" wants. I ended up burning up the starter before I figured it out.
Had one about 15 years ago, you litteraly had to flood it to get it to start cold...Yes fuel dripping out the front of the carbs. once warmed up it restarted and ran just like it should, till you let it sit long enough to cool down.
check that the chokes are working properly. I've seen one that only the bottom carb had the choke working.
Pay close attencion to your starting sequence, when it does start try to remember the exact things you did.
Dont know if your idea will work, but i used to say it took more gas to get it started than it burned in an hour of running...

 

[79Merc80]

Re: 1980 115 hp T.O.P.

What has always worked for me was this. And I have been running these inline 6's since 1969. They are GREAT engines. dlplost, the bottom carb doesn't have a choke plate. Just the 2 top carbs.

Procedure.

1. Pump bulb till firm and then a little more.
2. Lift cold start lever ALL the way up.
3. Push choke and hold while cranking.
4. When she fires, let go of the key and choke.
5. Lower warm up lever till RPM's are around 1200.

Craig

 

[bently]

Re: 1980 115 hp T.O.P.

My concern is:

I do not have the cold start lever, I can only disenguage the shift linkage and operate the throttle with the button. This gives me the full throttle range, and am worried about over revving the engine possible cold scoring the cylinder(s).

My choke flaps work well and fully open and close, carbs were rebuit last year. I don't know if I need to rebuild my fuel pump, she starts right up after getting started and warmed-up.

I do love my TOP, the engine runs smooth and strong. I run a 17 pitch prop with rpms at about 5,400 with a mph at 45 ish. I heard I maybe able to hit 50ish mph with a 19 pitch prop.

 

[jimmbo]

Re: 1980 115 hp T.O.P.

I run a 17 pitch prop with rpms at about 5,400 with a mph at 45 ish. I heard I maybe able to hit 50ish mph with a 19 pitch prop.

Odds are you will run about 45mph at about 5000 rpm and the hole shot will be poorer

 

[79Merc80]

Re: 1980 115 hp T.O.P.

All the "Cold Start" lever did was advance the timming. You can do the same thing be advancing the throttle (With button engaged) about 1/4 - 1/3 of total travel.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 1980 115 hp T.O.P.

No, The cold start lever advances the throttle, not just the timing.

Your throttle-only setting is equivalent to the cold start lever. Advance the throttle 1/2 inch to 1" and prepare to pull it back if the motor starts to rev above 1500RPM. I have never heard of cold scoring a 2 cycle motor, as the lubrication increases with choking.

Your fuel pump sounds fine.

 

[bently]

Re: 1980 115 hp T.O.P.

I can put a mark on the throttle lever to give me a refference for a optimal throttle advance when starting. That will help me to lessen the chance of over reving the engine.

 

[Miss Alaska]

Re: 1980 115 hp T.O.P.

I just got mine last week. It started after about 3 key turns before I bought it. I took it to a lake and it ran great until I let it sit for a while then couldn't get it started again. Brought it home and couldn't get any thing to fire. I will try some of the recommendations listed here although most is what I have already been doing. I pulled all the plugs last night. Fine. Will check the carbs tonight.

One other thing, when I prime the bulb, it gets hard after a few squeezes, then goes soft again on the next squeeze. Bad one-way valve? I'll check that too tonight. thanks for any help.

 

[Miss Alaska]

Re: 1980 115 hp T.O.P.

Good news! It started! I squeezed until fuel was coming out of the middle carb. Set the throttle lever as I had been shown by the guy I bought it from and the same as mentioned here and it started. I think I had not pumped it hard enough before. Now here's another issue. After cranking several 5 second cranks without starting, the starter just keep going with the key turned off. I had to pull the plug from the side of the engine to get it to stop. If i plugged it back in it would start cranking again. After a few minutes I could plug it in and it wasn't cranking, the key would crank it over normally. It has a new solenoid. Could it be bad? I'm waiting for my service manual to arrive so don't have the testing instructs yet. How to test the solenoid?

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 1980 115 hp T.O.P.

If the solenoid is new, perhaps the ign key is the bad component. Disconnect the yellow wire on the solenoid. Put a voltmenter on it to ground. Now turn the key to start and hold it a few seconds. Now let it go and see if the voltage vanishes. If not, the wiring is bad or most likely the keyswitch is bad.