[polar]

I have a 115 Merc 4stroke that puffs a blueish white burst of smoke at startup periodically. After that, no smoke at all. The motor runs perfectly, starts immediately and there are no problems at all with performance. Is this normal? Any advice appreciated

[Silvertip]

Check oil level to see if it's over-full. If so, smell the dipstick. If it smells like fuel, change the oil and filter immediately. Four strokes have been known to "make oil" if they are idled or run at slow speeds for long periods. If the engine is over-full and then tilted very high, the engine can smoke. The key here is to open it up frequently to prevent unburned fuel from contaminating the oil.

[polar]

Thanks for the reply. I have checked the oil and it is not overfull. I also do open it up pretty frequently since I'm on a pretty good sized lake. I will check the smell of the oil this weekend where I have the boat stored. I plan to change the oil this weekend anyway, so it will give me a good opportunity to take a good look(and smell). I don't store the motor tilted up, rather pretty much completely trimmed in. Is there a optimal position to leave the motor in to avoid this sort of thing? Again; thanks for the guidance.