Outboard not turning over

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user 29

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It's been taking several times to get the 9.9 Yammy 4 stroke. This morning got it started, ran 30 minutes to my spot and fished. Heading for the next stop and it won't turn over. Electricked over to a different spot, fished for an hour and tried to start it, it turned over.
Two questions:
1. Could it be new plugs?
2. The outboard had a bad car exhaust smell. Like how the old days, you know how winter mornings were.

Thanks!
 
Start? - Did it crank if eStart? Does it do anything … poop, fart, sneeze or anything? Some of those 4-S models are carb’d models, where if flooded … to ‘clear’ them you put them as fast as you can in neutral and then start it.

If carb’d, they are notorious for having the jets get clogged up due to fuel issues, even when running clean fuel. There are some good YouTube videos on how to remove the carb and clean the jet.

Maybe you will get lucky, but at my boat club, on 1 Club skiff & 1 owned by a member, we eventually replaced the carbs just to get those engines running reliably again. Unbelievable! But yet they ran after the carb replacement, go figure … who knows, maybe there was a bad batch of carbs???

On one of them they tried everything, their Dealer allegedly tried everything, and then I tried my hand at it … and while I got it running, it still wasn’t perfect. I hate to say it, but that 9.9 & 15hp carb’d models were almost the biggest dogs of a motor as I’ve ever worked on, almost rivaling Force motors with their weak/poor power packs.

Smell? - Have never experienced that, as that smell I believe you are referring to came from catalytic converters, but there’s no cats on small OBs, or any that I know of.
 
It's been taking several times to get the 9.9 Yammy 4 stroke. This morning got it started, ran 30 minutes to my spot and fished. Heading for the next stop and it won't turn over. Electricked over to a different spot, fished for an hour and tried to start it, it turned over.
Two questions:
1. Could it be new plugs?
2. The outboard had a bad car exhaust smell. Like how the old days, you know how winter mornings were.

Thanks!

I'll address the second, first. Smelled like old exhaust, obviously not CO but some like an old car, pre-catalytic converter.

The sound was like it was trying to turn over but couldn't. Sometimes like it was trying to turn over but couldn't, other times, a couple of times nothing but no clicks.
I checked all electrical connections, everything was tight.
 
By any chance has it flooded ? Cylinders full of fuel orworse, water? Have you pulled the plugs when it doesnt start to see if they are fouled or gas in cylinder ?? Get yourself a spark gap tool to measure the gap a spark will jump. You need a good strong blue spark, yellow is weak spark. Is your battery full....needs to be at least 12.5 volts on a digital voltmeter.
 
By any chance has it flooded ? Cylinders full of fuel orworse, water? Have you pulled the plugs when it doesnt start to see if they are fouled or gas in cylinder ?? Get yourself a spark gap tool to measure the gap a spark will jump. You need a good strong blue spark, yellow is weak spark. Is your battery full....needs to be at least 12.5 volts on a digital voltmeter.
Don't think it was flooded.

I'll be ordering new plugs tomorrow anyway, probably due.
 
Don't think it was flooded.

I'll be ordering new plugs tomorrow anyway, probably due.
I was thinking mabey a stuck float or something that allowed fuel to continue to flow after shutdown...or a weak spark. These newer electronic ignition systems dont like low batteries...just a reminder...12 volts is a dead battery, 12.6 and above is a full charge, anything below 12.3 is to low for the newer systems
 
AMEN!

A bit too confusing to follow.
Can we get the terminology correct first??
Turning over is the physical turning of the crankshaft/flywheel
Starting is just that.......starting after the engine begins turning over.
In my neck of the woods, if you turn the key and the ignition cascade fails, it did not turn over. Ergo my terminology. Pardon my venacular failure of terminology.
 
So can you turn the motor by hand and that is free? If the electrical stuff doesn't try to turn it, that is a bit of a different scenario. Did you check the voltage on the battery to see where it's at? If it doesn't engage the starter it could be wiring, battery, starter solenoid. If you hear a click, then it's leaning towards battery weak/cables, starter having resistance, motor frozen. Electrical stuff can be a pain, but start with the basics and turn the motor over by hand to make sure that's ok. Check the battery voltage and put it on a charge overnight to top it off.
 
So can you turn the motor by hand and that is free? If the electrical stuff doesn't try to turn it, that is a bit of a different scenario. Did you check the voltage on the battery to see where it's at? If it doesn't engage the starter it could be wiring, battery, starter solenoid. If you hear a click, then it's leaning towards battery weak/cables, starter having resistance, motor frozen. Electrical stuff can be a pain, but start with the basics and turn the motor over by hand to make sure that's ok. Check the battery voltage and put it on a charge overnight to top it off.

I was going to try "the rope" had I not been able to get it started again. I think this outboard is on borrowed time anyhow. I was a fool for buying it used from the dealer but c'est la vie, live and learn. I don't know if I'm going to buy a new outboard or new smaller boat w/outboard.
I talked to someone at Yamaha the other day, there technical people don't think it's just new sparkplugs, it's probably wiring maybe I should "bring it to the dealer". At labor rates being what they are, I'm not about to open a branch gold mine for them.
 
I was going to try "the rope" had I not been able to get it started again. I think this outboard is on borrowed time anyhow. I was a fool for buying it used from the dealer but c'est la vie, live and learn. I don't know if I'm going to buy a new outboard or new smaller boat w/outboard.
I talked to someone at Yamaha the other day, there technical people don't think it's just new sparkplugs, it's probably wiring maybe I should "bring it to the dealer". At labor rates being what they are, I'm not about to open a branch gold mine for them.

I did a bit of research with my posting history with regard to this outboard and this is at least my third post about this outboard in 3 years. It will be the last, as the choice is made for me.
Thanks
 
When my 25hp Suzuki won't turn over on electric start it is always a problem with the motor not being in nuetral or maybe I should say not neutral enough. There is a cutout on the Suzuki that will not let the motor start in gear. Sometimes the remote shifter doesn't get the mechanical toggle/lever ito the proper position that allows the cutout switch to be disabled or maybe enabled (depending on how you look at it. Pull your motor cover and activate whatever shifts your motor into either forward neutral or reverse. Watch where the linkage is contacting the cut out switch. My bet is you have some slop just like I do and the cutout switch isn't being activated/disactivated.
 
Hit the lake last week and the same thing happened. Paid full attention to EVERYTHING. Choke, sputters, false starts, etc. Came home and did a quick search on symptoms and dx was ... something was creating a vacuum in the fuel line. My fuel was low, like was just above "E".
Hitting the lake next week, see what happens.
Thanks for your patience and suggestions.
 
You can disconnect the fuel tank and line completely from the engine once you have pumped the bulb and filled the carburetor bowl. There is ZERO vacuum in the carb bowl as the bowl is vented to the atmosphere so the vacuum in the fuel line theory is just that.....a theory. Another BS story you will read is that the bulb does not stay hard when the engine is running. It is not supposed to stay hard as it is on the suction side of the fuel pump. Only time it is firm is when you pump it and fill the bowl and shut the needle and seat in the carb.
Do yourself a favor and check and see if the choke blade is closing COMPLETELY. If you see an air gap at the top and bottom......it is not and needs to be.
 
You can disconnect the fuel tank and line completely from the engine once you have pumped the bulb and filled the carburetor bowl. There is ZERO vacuum in the carb bowl as the bowl is vented to the atmosphere so the vacuum in the fuel line theory is just that.....a theory. Another BS story you will read is that the bulb does not stay hard when the engine is running. It is not supposed to stay hard as it is on the suction side of the fuel pump. Only time it is firm is when you pump it and fill the bowl and shut the needle and seat in the carb.
Do yourself a favor and check and see if the choke blade is closing COMPLETELY. If you see an air gap at the top and bottom......it is not and needs to be.

I was adjusting the choke on the outboard from pushed all the way in, to pulled all the way out. There was some effect. There was that bad car exhaust smell to varying degrees. I don't remember when it was worse but I would think it was when it was pulled full out.
 
You can disconnect the fuel tank and line completely from the engine once you have pumped the bulb and filled the carburetor bowl. There is ZERO vacuum in the carb bowl as the bowl is vented to the atmosphere so the vacuum in the fuel line theory is just that.....a theory. Another BS story you will read is that the bulb does not stay hard when the engine is running. It is not supposed to stay hard as it is on the suction side of the fuel pump. Only time it is firm is when you pump it and fill the bowl and shut the needle and seat in the carb.
Do yourself a favor and check and see if the choke blade is closing COMPLETELY. If you see an air gap at the top and bottom......it is not and needs to be.
Separately, I thought 4 strokes were fuel injected not carburated.
 
If it were fuel injected then you would not be "adjusting" a choke, would you?
You did not read and do what I asked. I said if you SEE an air gap at the top and bottom (of the choke blade) it is not closed. Sounds like all you did was try the choke pull in several different positions which is not making the check and repairing if needed.
 
1. Outboard started this morning.
2. Ouboard started to move to spot 2.
3. Tried to start outboard, dead.
4. Outboard started than begin to sputter and die.

A - All choke and lines pressed. No Choke!
B - After 3 above, pulled choke out, outboard sputtered.
C - Eventually outboard started.
 
If it were fuel injected then you would not be "adjusting" a choke, would you?
You did not read and do what I asked. I said if you SEE an air gap at the top and bottom (of the choke blade) it is not closed. Sounds like all you did was try the choke pull in several different positions which is not making the check and repairing if needed.

I did exactly what you told me.
There was no change.
Thanks for your suggestion.
 

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