Mercury Marine 40 HP Won't Start

[jr88fan]

I have a 1998 Tracker Pro Team 175 with a 40 HP Mercury outboard that will not start. The battery is fully charged so it turns over. It appears to be getting gas as I have removed the fuel line at the carb and it's getting fuel up to that point. I'm pretty new to outboards so I'm not really sure where to start with this issue.

SN OE951537 The sticker says 1999 40 ELPT

Note: I purchased the boat about a month ago and it started and was running fine when I went to look at it.

Thanks!

 

[Silvertip]

Kill switch lanyard connected???? Do you have spark on all cylinders??? Just because there is fuel up to the carb, does not mean it is getting "into" the engine. Any small kids turned loose in the boat??? You know what pointy little fingers can do! You are using the choke (push in on the key while cranking) and fast idle lever properly?

 

[jr88fan]

There is no kill switch lanyard, no little kids, haven't checked the spark, not sure what the fast idle lever is and I did not know there was a choke with the key. Maybe I need refresher training for this specific boat! LOL

 

[jr88fan]

I removed the spark plugs, cleaned them and sprayed some starting fluid in there and it will not fire. What are the next steps for troubleshooting the spark issue on this motor?

 

[jr88fan]

Okay got it running but it seems like it's a little sluggish could be bad gas. Tomorrow I'm going to run it for a while and see if it clears up once I get some better gas going through the lines.

 

[jr88fan]

Started up just fine today but after about 5 minutes there was a constant beep near the ignition switch. I shut it off and read a few forums so I let it cool off and started it again and there is a steady stream coming out the back of the motor towards the rear. But after running for a few minutes it started the beep again.

After it cools off I am going to check the oil and see what I can find. Any guidance would be helpful in case I am missing something.

 

[quicktach]

I wouldn't use starter fluid. You may want to run some Seafoam through it too. Is your compression OK?

 

[Silvertip]

The beep may be an overheat indication or an oiling problem with the oil injection system. The fast idle lever is the flat lever right at the top of the control box. You raise that lever 1/2 to 2/3 of its travel which allows the engine to idle a little faster during warm up. So the cold starting process is as follows.
1) Squeeze primer bulb until firm
2) Raise the fast idle lever 1/2 - 2/3
3) Push in the key and turn it to START.
4) When the engine starts release the key.
5) Lower the fast idle lever to a more comfortable idle speed
6) Two strokes tend to need lots of fuel when starting so if the engine begins to stall, be prepared to momentarily push in on the key (don't turn it) to give the engine a little shot of fuel. You may even need to do this a second time. Don't let the engine stall. If it begins to slow, bump the key again.

On warm starts you should not need to use the choke feature again but using the fast idle lever on warm starts can fire the engine quicker.

 

[bank10]

I have a 1998 Tracker Pro Team 175 with a 40 HP Mercury outboard that will not start. The battery is fully charged so it turns over. It appears to be getting gas as I have removed the fuel line at the carb and it's getting fuel up to that point. I'm pretty new to outboards so I'm not really sure where to start with this issue.

SN OE951537 The sticker says 1999 40 ELPT

Note: I purchased the boat about a month ago and it started and was running fine when I went to look at it.

Thanks!

I have somewhat the same issue I bought a tracer 2004 with a mercury 40 hp outboard electric start. I put the key in and turn it a little beep then nothing?

new marine battery, new gas,