cold starting a merc

[M1dtom]

hi all whats the best way to cold start a 87 115 hp mercury staight six 2 stroke ?
i know lower motor and pump bulb till hard but what about the enricher? do you hold it in while cranking ? or i heard hold it in for 10 seconds and then try starting? fast idle lever to half ?
thanks tom

[Rich_V174SS]

You pretty much got it. They like to start wet.

[Hyperacme]

After pumping bulb, advance fast idle lever, hold in choke (enricher) button, turn key.
My fast idle will rev motor to 3500 rpm's (give or take a few) so I back off lever to about 1500 rpm's and let off the choke button, pressing it again after a few seconds to keep motor running.  Might have to press it again if motor rev's drop down.
Check that you have water coming out of your tal tail (pee hole), by that time you can back off the fast idle lever and should idle down to 900 rpm's.
Every motor has it's own "Best way to start" routine ...
After you do it a few times, you'll get a feel for it.

[Hot Rod Roy]

The gasoline available today has a reduced volatility, in the interest of reducing pollution.  That makes engines harder to start.   My Mercury likes a little shot of starting fluid when it's cold.  Mine starts best with just a little choke (enricher) while it's cranking, and no advance of the "fast idle" lever.

[Plugcheck]

Our procedure, me and makinwaves:. Set high idle, hold choke crank, let off starter after 10 seconds.  Grab either, shoot into bcarbs, crank, cuss, sputter.   Tear off housing, spray ether in all three carbs, crank, fire, goes to 5000 rpm and fills marina with smoke.  Mash starting lever down, cough, sputter, and die.  Crank again, nothing, spray ether, crank, sputter.  Crank untill battery can no longer turn engine over.  Cuss at everything in your way while sweat burns your eyes and all your friends have left in their boats.  Return to dock with spare battery, jump start, more ether, then back to a 5000 rpm blast, at which time you try to fanagle the fast idle and shifter to allow it in gear with some semblance of rpm left.  More cough and sputter, but in reverse and leaving dock.  Pulling away from dock, back to nuetral and working the fast idle to shift into forward. 

[Jason]

Our procedure, me and makinwaves:. Set high idle, hold choke crank, let off starter after 10 seconds.  Grab either, shoot into bcarbs, crank, cuss, sputter.   Tear off housing, spray ether in all three carbs, crank, fire, goes to 5000 rpm and fills marina with smoke.  Mash starting lever down, cough, sputter, and die.  Crank again, nothing, spray ether, crank, sputter.  Crank untill battery can no longer turn engine over.  Cuss at everything in your way while sweat burns your eyes and all your friends have left in their boats.  Return to dock with spare battery, jump start, more ether, then back to a 5000 rpm blast, at which time you try to fanagle the fast idle and shifter to allow it in gear with some semblance of rpm left.  More cough and sputter, but in reverse and leaving dock.  Pulling away from dock, back to nuetral and working the fast idle to shift into forward. 

LOL That's about it!
Next step would be paddle to middle of lake, unbolt motor from transom. Say last good bye cus words. Paddle back to shore. Start thinking about buying an I/O.

[Hyperacme]

Guess I'll never understand why you guys prefer the clean running, reliable car motor over the loud, stinky, fuel dripping, smoking, unreliable, temperamental, expensive outboards ...     

[thedeuceman]

Guess I'll never understand why you guys prefer the clean running, reliable car motor over the loud, stinky, fuel dripping, smoking, unreliable, temperamental, expensive outboards ...     

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Oldfishguy]

And then, once in a lifetime one gets lucky, and stumbles upon a beaut that starts and runs like new.

https://youtu.be/t1q85sEUxjs

[Diamond Chad]

Guess I'll never understand why you guys prefer the clean running, reliable car motor over the loud, stinky, fuel dripping, smoking, unreliable, temperamental, expensive outboards ...     

Got one of each, and like them both very much.  2 stokes take more finesse and you have to learn their personality. ever since my first 2 stoke go cart engine to first dirt bike, the smell of 2 stoke has been the smell of something fun's gonna happen.

[Hot Rod Roy]

Our procedure, me and makinwaves:. Set high idle, hold choke crank, let off starter after 10 seconds.  Grab either, shoot into bcarbs, crank, cuss, sputter.   Tear off housing, spray ether in all three carbs, crank, fire, goes to 5000 rpm and fills marina with smoke.  Mash starting lever down, cough, sputter, and die.  Crank again, nothing, spray ether, crank, sputter.  Crank until battery can no longer turn engine over.  Cuss at everything in your way while sweat burns your eyes and all your friends have left in their boats.  Return to dock with spare battery, jump start, more ether, then back to a 5000 rpm blast, at which time you try to fanagle the fast idle and shifter to allow it in gear with some semblance of rpm left.  More cough and sputter, but in reverse and leaving dock.  Pulling away from dock, back to neutral and working the fast idle to shift into forward.

Is this sarcasm or sick humor?   I can't tell!   If you're having even half these problems, you need a good tune-up!!!   My Merc is a reliable runner, even at 7,200 ft. elevation, once it gets its shot of ether to wake it up in the morning!   It's a 1975 model, and it runs like a scalded cat!  (Can I say that?)

 

[Hyperacme]

" Is this sarcasm or sick humor? "

Mike is a motor guy ... V8's.   By his own admission not a outboard guy.
Like Chad, I've owned dirt bike from a young age, so know a little bit about them.

Mike's problem is he's using the wrong cuss words !
I found that after using a string of cuss words that would make a drunken sailor blush, you need to sweet talk your motor ...
Maybe even lie to it ...

" (Can I say that?) "
Yes ... As long as no kitty's were harmed.

[Plugcheck]

We actually experience worse problems, and the more we work on it, the more odd things happen to it.  We have redone the entire fuel system including rebuilding the carbs.  Ran compression tests and checked the reeds.  Performed a link and sync several times.  Tim sent it to Trent who now tells us cylinder 2 got water in it and it is destroyed.  Trying to see if his 90 TOP is functional enough to use.  On my old rude 115, I've dumped money into all new ignition system to make it happy, it rewards me by destroying a brand new impeller.  It's all back together now, but shoots water out of like every vent hole and space it can find.  Had supply and return tubes off several times, and still cannot locate a leak, yet it still pressurizes the lower half with water.  Doesn't overheat, so I plan to run it till the next misadventure.  Sad thing, my old toon had a new, 2 years old, merc 90 that was flawless, never did a thing but add oil and fog it in the fall.  So over the last ten years, I've found the old OB's to be rather problematic at best.  Maybe if we just fully rebuilt one, then ran it...