Only starts with outboard cover off

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cjmike

Cadet
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
15
Hi everyone, my 1985, 85hp Force motor only starts with the cover off, but as soon as i put it on it die's when its cold, once it runs for a while i can put it back on and it runs good and idles good. Do I need to adjust my carbs maybe? It also seems to be using alot of gas, i have a 6 gal tank which lasts only bout an hour and a half at half throttle. any advice would be greatly appreciated, ty.
 
B

byacey

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 20, 2005
Messages
443
Re: Only starts with outboard cover off

Fuel consumption is about normal. A loose, general rule of thumb is Engine horsepower divided by 10 equals gallons per hour at full throttle. Look for where the air normally enters inside the cowl, there must be an opening somewhere and it's probably restricted.
 
M

MWBROWN

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Feb 7, 2006
Messages
231
Re: Only starts with outboard cover off

Hi,

Is the foam in the inside collapsing. Mine did, so I took it all out. There is a guy who makes replacement foam kits. franzmarine@aol dot com.

Also, the air comes in from the top rear of the cowling. Make sure it is not blocked. There should be almost no difference with cowl on or off, except for the NOISE.

Hope this helps,

Mike
 
QuadManiac

QuadManiac

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 2, 2007
Messages
391
Re: Only starts with outboard cover off

Check carefully to see if there is any exhaust leaking into the space under the cowl... a misaligned or breached bellows and/or a leaky or missing seal in the lower to leg can force exhaust into the area.

Good luck!
 
Mark42

Mark42

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Oct 8, 2003
Messages
9,334
Re: Only starts with outboard cover off

Check where the fuel line enters the cowl and make sure it is not being pinched closed.

Check that no wires are being pinched when the cover is latched. Will it run with the cover on, but not latched?

Spark plug wires OK? If they are missing boots, or cracked and broken, they might be shorting out to something if the the cover is pressing them closer to the motor.

I think the cover itsself is fiberglass, the lower half is aluminum.

Does it sound like its starving for air or fuel, or does it die like it was turned off (like loss of ignition)?
 
C

cjmike

Cadet
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
15
Re: Only starts with outboard cover off

QuadManiac said:
Check carefully to see if there is any exhaust leaking into the space under the cowl... a misaligned or breached bellows and/or a leaky or missing seal in the lower to leg can force exhaust into the area.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thank you everyone for your replies:). I believe that i have an exhaust problem, it seems to be leaking into/under the cover. When i run the motor without it, i can see exhaust coming up from the lower leg. What would be the best way to tackle this problem? When i look down the lower leg with the cover off i don't see anything obviously wrong, so i'm thinking it must be a gasket. any help in repairing this prob would be greatly appreciated. thanks
 
QuadManiac

QuadManiac

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 2, 2007
Messages
391
Re: Only starts with outboard cover off

Happened to two other ppl here just recently. It was a seal between the lower and the leg, but I don't know which one.

Anybody help here?
 
E

ElCapitan

Recruit
Joined
Aug 3, 2007
Messages
3
Re: Only starts with outboard cover off

Take a look at a "Thread" of messages posted under the title of "93 Force 120 Idle Problem". My 1995 Force 150 hp had that same problem as discussed there and it turned out to be an "exhaust seal" in the lower unit. Yes, the lower unit. This seal keeps exhaust from traveling up the gear linkage. Don't know if it applies to your earlier model engine, but it was a miracle for me. You can find the Thread by doing a search for "Exhaust Problem" in this forum. good luck.
 
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