Problems starting a 1997 Mercury Mariner 150

[tgcasey]

I recently replaced an older Johnson 150 with a 1997 Mariner and I seem to be having trouble starting it. I had the carbs rebuild and the Marina said that it runs fine but every time I try to start it I have problems and at this point I think it is the way I am starting it. What the sequence I should follow when starting?

Engine cold:
- pump bulb
- give it some throttle
- choke
- Start

It seems when i do this it floods and because it is oil injected it take a while to start and when I do get it to start I smoke out the area...

Am I doing something wrong or is there an issue with the motor?

Thanks in advance

 

[BIGFLAT]

Re: Problems starting a 1997 Mercury Mariner 150

I have a '95 and this is my starting procedure. (I prime, or squeeze the bulb before I leave home, ride to landing 20 min). The engine is tilted down until it gets into the trim area. I turn on the key and press in and count to 5 slowly. I bump the key so the engine makes a few revolutions. I then press the key for 5 more seconds. I raise the idle lever and start the engine. Works every time for me. In the winter in South Louisiana I have to increase the count time to 8 or 9 seconds.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Problems starting a 1997 Mercury Mariner 150

Sounds like you got the right advice. I have a different engine but have a fuel enrichment valve as you that activates when the key is pushed and since my engine sat for a month between outings I thought I had to stay on it for like 30 seconds at a time. Wrongggggg. I was flooding the engine. I now do as you have been directed and have much better progress. Sometimes it takes 3 or 4 ea. 5 second squirts with about 15 seconds of cranking each before it lights off. Having some smoke when it does light off is normal. The whole time you were cranking the cylinders were sucking up fuel and oil but not combusting it. When it lights off it has to sweep this "residue" out off the chamber.....additionally, after you motor out of the no wake zone and punch out for the first time you will have excessive smoke then for the same reason. But after that it should be clean running and hole shot.

Mark

 

[tgcasey]

Re: Problems starting a 1997 Mercury Mariner 150

Thanks for the quick responses...

So when i push the key in is it choking the engine or activating the fuel enrichment valve or both? I have been cranking it with the key pushed in constantly thinking that I was just choking the engine.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Problems starting a 1997 Mercury Mariner 150

You may have a vapor separator on that motor. If so, you cannot prime the carbs directly, and the fuel pump needs to do that.
Activitating the enrichener allows fuel from the top carb to gravity feed into the two lower carb throats. Obviously the vapor separator motor needs to be well primed in order to feed the fuel pump. The enrichener is simply a solenoid that opens a valve allowing the fuel to drain into the lower carbs. Fuel will flow as long as the key is pushed in and there is fuel to flow...

 

[tgcasey]

Re: Problems starting a 1997 Mercury Mariner 150

Well I tried the approach suggested as well as going back to the shop that did the carbs and asked for their suggestion on starting procedure and still have a hard time starting. I dropped it off back at the mechanic to see if there is some other issue or if it is user error

 

[tgcasey]

Re: Problems starting a 1997 Mercury Mariner 150

Well they found the problem....

Apparently there are valves in the oil injection line that prevent the oil from leaking back into the gas, mine needed to be replaced. The oil leaked all the way back to the filter which made it very had to start after it set for a while because there was so much oil in the fuel. This makes sense now that I think of it because the last time I changed the water separator filter it had oil and gas mixed. I had thought that it was because the previous motor was not oil injected but I have run about 40 gal of gas through so it should have been basically clear...