50 hp Mercury, no power when cold

Cutbait

Cadet
Joined
Apr 22, 2002
Messages
8
Have '82 model 50 hp Merc, 4 cylinders, on 17 ft aluminum Basstracker.<br /> Bought 3rd of 4th hand about 6 years ago. Use it year round, about 30 - 40 days per year. On first starting, it seems to have no power, like it is only hitting on 2 or 3 cylinders. After about 5 minutes of slightly above no wake speed at WOT, it will "bump" 2 0r 3 times and then come up to full power. No tach, but sounds like rpm's double. Runs great from then on, unless I shut down 2 or 3 hours. Then must repeat the process.<br /><br />Have replaced sparkplugs, good spark to all cylinders, cleaned and new kits in carbs, new fuel line. No change noted. Using fresh 87 octane with Quicksilver oil at 50:1.<br /><br />My thinking is that motor has wear and lacks compression on one or more cylinders when cold. Then when warmed up , the components expand enough to let it run on all 4. If so, then a rebuild is in order. <br /><br />Would rather not sink $$$ in this rig, as I want a newer one. Can I expect to run it a while longer and live with the reduced power? Top speed is not important, as I spend most of my fishing time in an area full of stumps, and slower speeds are required for safety.<br /><br />Would more oil in the fuel be of any benefit? What ratio?<br /><br />Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
 

clanton

Rear Admiral
Joined
Jul 9, 2001
Messages
4,876
Re: 50 hp Mercury, no power when cold

Sound like ignition to me, check compression, then power pack. If power pack, you may be able to find used one.
 

Cutbait

Cadet
Joined
Apr 22, 2002
Messages
8
Re: 50 hp Mercury, no power when cold

Clanton, Thanks for the reply.<br /><br />Checked compression, found all 4 within a needle's width of 125 pounds. So I seem to have eliminated fuel and compression as problems. If memory serves, the remaining piece of the equation would be spark. So your idea on the power pack seems right on. My past experiences with cars has been that the electronics start to break down when hot rather than get better, so that was the last thing on my list. Looks like I have a lot to learn about boats.<br /><br />This is a great forum. Glad I found it.
 

SeaDawg

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Dec 3, 2001
Messages
418
Re: 50 hp Mercury, no power when cold

I had a friend that had a 225 HP Johnson that acted just like your boat. The heat expanded the power pack, and closed a hairline crack in it.<br /><br />A test you could do is get an inductive timing light, and hook it to one of the spark leads (with the motor cold). Moter the boat up to the "engine miss" speed, and see if the light flashes (meaning you are getting spark juice to that plug).<br /><br />Then, swap it to all the leads and see if any don't have juice.
 

Cutbait

Cadet
Joined
Apr 22, 2002
Messages
8
Re: 50 hp Mercury, no power when cold

SeaDawg, <br />Thanks for the idea. Will try it this weekend.<br />Cutbait
 

Kenny Bush

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Mar 24, 2002
Messages
564
Re: 50 hp Mercury, no power when cold

Sounds totally like ignition. I would electrically test power packs, timing, trigger plate, coils...............man this goes on. I have the same problem on my 300 hp merc. I have not located it yet. At first I though floats were sticking, then I thought coils were dropping, and after I replaced everything like you, I am still searching. Be patient and we will find the problem. There will be a lot of techs telling you/me what to test for.
 

Cutbait

Cadet
Joined
Apr 22, 2002
Messages
8
Re: 50 hp Mercury, no power when cold

Did the timing light test. Found 2 cylinders only flashing part of the time. I checked every wire that I could see, cleaned and tightened each connection. Found a few that looked questionable. Replaced a couple of terminal ends. Replaced spark plug wires. When I finished, I seemed to have a steady flash on all 4 plugs. <br /><br />By this time I had been running the engine off and on for some time, so I don't know if I have fixed the problem, or only warmed it up to the point where it normally clears up on its on. I hope to get to the lake this weekend and give it a real test.
 

Cutbait

Cadet
Joined
Apr 22, 2002
Messages
8
Re: 50 hp Mercury, no power when cold

Update. I replaced the switch box (power pack) and now she runs great. Had the boat on the water Saturday and Sunday. Easy starts, smooth idle and comes up to full power with out any hesitation. Thanks to each of you that pointed me in the right direction.<br /><br />Now if the fish would only bite.<br /><br />Cutbait
 
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