starting gas starved motor

[jbehr]

I accidently ran my '95 9.9hp with the fuel hose disconnected from the tank Last year I did the same dumb thing. It took me about a half hour to get it started last year and today I didn't after a good hour of intermitently trying and pumping the bulb every time I could. I use this motor almost every week and it always has started easily and run fine. The first time I ran it out of gas was right after I bought it. Today was the second time. I have the owners manual for a '99 that I downloaded from the Johnson site and it seems pretty close to my '95 on the general things. The only thing I could find in it was that the priming bulb should be pumped with the discharge up. Mine is kind of lashed to the back of the seat the tank is under. Could this make that big a difference? The bulb gets firm pointing down and has good pressure at the motor, it will squirt when disconnected from the motor. Would I be better fo spinning it with the spark plugs pulled till I see some gas/oil spitting out of the cylinders? Or is there something else I should do? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ziggsdna]

Re: starting gas starved motor

i had the same problem with a 4hp what i did was take the spark plugs out and pour a little mixed gas i there put you plugs back in and start it it will start and run momentarly make sure the primer stays hard and repeat the process over untill it start and stays running. or and easyer way is to spray carb and chock cleaner in the the carb or wd 40 dont use starting fluid. But if it where my motor i would use mixed gas as it has the oil in it..

 

[samo_ott]

Re: starting gas starved motor

Weird. It shouldn't be that hard. On most engines it will fire right up again. The method suggested should work by putting premixed fuel right in the cylinder or also spray some pre mix in the carb.

Bear in mind that this is what most folks do at the end of a season to get the fuel out of the carb for storage.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: starting gas starved motor

The primer bulb should be oriented with the flow arrow facing slightly upward to vertical. Squeezing the primer bulb fills the carb float bowl and when full, the bulb should be firm. Pull the choke button, set the throttle to start, and pull the cord. If the engine doesn't start or needs a shot of gas to start, you need to check the choke to make sure it's working properly. You might also check/replace the fuel filter and finally, check/rebuild the fuel pump. You should not need to squirt fuel into the engine to start it. When the engine is stored for long periods, before storage, add fuel stabilizer to the fuel and run the engine to get it in to the fuel system. As a preventive measure currently, add a fuel system additive like SeaFoam or a similar product from any of the engine manufacturers.

 

[wavrider]

Re: starting gas starved motor

You most likely got a carb full of varnish or trash, it does not take much to make the float needle stick.

you can try taking off the fuel inlet line and spray carb cleaner into the carb and trey to free up the needle that way, may get lucky.

best thing to do is remove carb and rebuild after a good soaking.

Even thought you drained the gas there is still a small amount in the bowl and this can cause varnish.

Silvertips advice is dead on, stabalizer in the fuel is the way to go, just a few ounces will prevent varnish in the carbs.

 

[jtexas]

Re: starting gas starved motor

don't spray carb cleaner into the engine, it will compete with engine oil for space on the cylinder walls, and it will win. If you wouldn't run your engine with no oil, don't run it on carb cleaner.

 

[jbehr]

Re: starting gas starved motor

Thank you all for your responses. I will start by redirecting the primer bulb
upwards. It gets a lot firner now so the other disconnect must not have been sealing very well though I never noticed it leaking. But I would hardly ever have to pump it. The motor gets run almost every week so I guess there is still gas in the bowl after a week of sitting. When I got the boat last spring I found a mud dauber nest in the plastic box where there is no air filter. I guess something could be in the carb so a cleaning may be a good idea.