Yesterday, I was "that guy "

[theteacher]

Yep, I was "that guy" that couldn't get his motor started !!! Drove an hour to the lake, paid the $6.00 ramp fee, got everything ready, splashed the RIB and pulled the rope to start my 2009 Mercury 9.9 for an hour !!! The motor has always ran pefect for me, ( the 2 other times I had it out and the previous owner only used it 5 or 6 times he said ), the motor looks brand new and ran perfect.....'till today. I loaded everything back up, brought it home, took the plugs out dried them off and still couldn't get it to start. It didn't even try to fire. And yes, the run switch was up, fuel hose attached, primed it, nothing. I gave up, I'll try again tomorrow, maybe.
Just venting !


I posted this yesterday on the Merc board, but a guy there said to post here , there's a guru on here that knows these engines.

 

[pvanv]

Re: Yesterday, I was "that guy "

Could be "almost anything". If the plugs were wet, either you were over-choked, or there wasn't any ignition.

 

[JB]

Re: Yesterday, I was "that guy "

The "guru" also has access to the Mercury Forum where this belongs. Going back there.

 

[bigtrout1949]

Re: Yesterday, I was "that guy "

Sounds like a spark issue. Always check the obvious. Spark, Fuel, Switches. If your plugs were wet, was it fuel or water? Have experienced what you did on multiple occasions. Runs perfect in the tank at home and won't run at the lake. If you are getting spark, it must be fuel. Place a sample of your fuel in a glass jar. If it has water in it the fuel and water will separate. Check your fuel hose. Make sure the carbs are getting fuel. Good luck

 

[theteacher]

Re: Yesterday, I was "that guy "

Runs perfect in the tank at home and won't run at the lake. Good luck

Have spark, have wet stuff, but don't know if the wet stuff is gas, water ?
Dumped the tank and bought Shell gas instead of the Marathon that was in it, tho' it was fresh the day all this started.
I'll try starting it this evening. I really hate to take a 3 year old motor with just 7 hours or so to the dealer and get raped by them.
You start your motor at home in the tank, then it won't start at the lake that day? I'd have sold the motor after the 2nd or 3rd time it did that to me, probably after the 2nd time. I don't have time to try keeping any motor running or taking a chance on being 5 or 10 miles up the ICW and the motor not start to get me back to the dock. It would be GONE !!!

 

[theteacher]

Re: Yesterday, I was "that guy "

Got it running, used starting fluid, pulled the rope many times. Cleaned the brand new plugs of any liquid 3 times, kept pulling, some times with choke on , some times choke off and throttle only to full throttle, which is when it started. Let it run for 10 minutes, then unplugged gas line and let it idle out the rest of the gas, which took another 7 or 8 minutes I would guess.
I will try to start it again in a little while.
I'm really really hoping this can be worked out and that it was a fluke. I will NOT have an engine I can't trust to start every time I want it to start !!! If it's going to be a problem, it will be sold and replaced quickly.
The little RIB is a blast, and with gas climbing so high I'll use the RIB more than the 22' Stingray the rest of this year. I still plan to sell the Stingray and buy a bigger RIB, maybe a 16 - 18 footer with a 75 - 150 hp motor.

 

[waflyboy]

Re: Yesterday, I was "that guy "

I was "that guy" today! Killed a battery trying to start my 1976 50hp Mercury. She started right up last week! Instead of fishing, I'll be working on her this afternoon.

 

[Star]

Re: Yesterday, I was "that guy "

I have a 15hp 4 stroke for 4 years (same motor). No problem starting ever. sounds alot like a slug of water but if it was you have to remove the drain plug on the bottom of the carb and pump the new fuel through the fuel bowl because running it dry doesn't really empty the bowl so a small amount of water could in the bowl,

 

[pvanv]

Re: Yesterday, I was "that guy "

Teacher,

Clearly the motor was drowning in liquid. Opening the throttle all the way allows enough air to balance that off, and eventually fire. It may have been as simple a problem as not running the carb out, laying the motor down, and the fuel in it flooding the intake. For that matter, over-choking could cause the problem as well. Usually, flooding is caused by a start technique that's a bit off the mark... But, a stuck float, making the carb flood could also cause that condition. Regardless of the cause, the cure is to purge the extra fuel. If the plugs were completely wet, you can pull them, cycle the motor a few times, install dry plugs, and go. Unless, of course, the carb itself is flooding due to a stuck needle. In that case, you would probably see fuel dripping from the carb, and that indicates that the carb needs to come apart.

Since it's working now, you should be OK. Just be mindful of your start technique. When the motor's warm, you should not need any choke. Likewise, if the weather is hot, you will need very little, if any, choke, even for a cold start.

Stay away from ether starting fluid, as it can easily crack a ring.

Star: FWIW, the current Merc 9.9 is actually a Tohatsu 9.8A3, which is a completely different motor from the Tohatsu 15/20C.