Evinrude 115 v4 stalling in gear when cold

[kcm805]

I have a new to me boat with an early 80s evinrude v4 crossflow outboard on it. Had it out 3 times now and the engine runs perfect once its warmed up. When the engine is cold it will start immediately while holding the choke button in for ~5 sec then release and idle just fine but as soon as you put it into gear it seems to bog down and stalls. Restarts and idles just fine after stalling then same thing happens again when i go into gear. If i let it idle for 2-3 min before shifting into gear there is no problem at all and i head out on the lake. fuel bulb is firm. idle rpms are in line with what the manuals calls out, spark plugs are a nice ideal grayish color, good even compression numbers, and no spark misses or vibrations that can feel/notice.

I have tried pressing the choke button while shifting into gear (immediate stall), no choke while shifting (barely runs ~2 sec in gear), quickly put it in gear and give it more throttle (no rpm increase, just bogs down and dies), slowly put it in gear. Doesn’t really make much difference. Usually it was only an issue when i launched so i chalked it up to being a cold, old, carbureted 2 stroke but last night there was a long line to retrieve boats so it sat for ~30min. Kept stalling as soon as i put it into gear trying to load it on the trailer even though the actual engine block was still warm (didn't need to use the choke button to start, it just fired right up). leads me to think its some kind of choke issue. The choke is electric and definitely works as you can hear the clicking/rpm change when starting engine or if i press while engine is running. Is there also a secondary electric or thermally activated component to this like some older cars have? perhaps its not opening quick enough needing adjustment? I didn’t see anything about this in the manual i found.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[flyingscott]

Sounds normal the motor needs to warm up a little bit. What is your compression?

 

[racerone]

Compression test is the first step in trouble shooting a crossflow motor.----Post your numbers.

 

[kcm805]

sorry for the delay. finally got a chance to get out there and recheck compression. Engine was cold at the time. Starboard side130-131 port side 120-119. The engine fires right up first try and runs great after warming up. What surprised last time is that the engine was still warm after sitting for only 30 min yet still kept stalling out in gear.

 

[NHGuy]

My Evinrude 115 had a manual choke override on the lower front of the cowling.
If you have that, it has 3 positions. In is off, center is normal which actuates the choke with the button on your control at the helm, and out is choke on.
As the boat got older and the carb got tired we started using the manual choke just to get it started. I was always afraid to mess with any of the settings because a motorcycle racer friend had set up the jetting and improved it so much. In retrospect, the choke is not the same as the running section of the carbs.
Also I found that the carb linkages could come apart sometimes because the nylon/delrin retainers would come apart. These little link retainers keep some 90 degree elbows in place in the carburetor linkage. I bet they are still available, and they are so small I'd expect them to be cheap.
BTW that boat and engine are still running too. 78 Glastron 17' SSV.

 

[racerone]

Most V-4 models from 1980 and newer had the electric primer.----No choke plates on them.

 

[muc]

Anytime I see that much of a difference in compression numbers between port and starboard. I think about a stuck open thermostat. Might want to check temps side to side while it’s warming up.