Starting Procedure for Mercury 25hp 2 stroke Tiller late 90's early 2000 model

Motor was running great when I put the boat away in October. I think I just forgot the priming, choking and general starting procedure. Motor cranks fast, fuel tank bulb pumped up hard but it doesn't seem to fire or kick or even try to turn over. It's almost like the kill switch is off but it isn't. Please help. I think i just need the number of prime pumps, throttle and choke positions.

Thanks

Tiller or remote control? Either way- (and i presume it's electric start?)- for a cold start- Prime the fuel system with the ball until the ball is full. Raise the fast idle lever about 1/2 way, or advance the throttle on the tiller to the "start" position. Your outboard does not have a choke, it has an enricher, so either push the key switch in twice, or hit the "choke" button twice. Crank the engine. If it begins to die, give the enricher another shot. Once the outboard has a stable idle, lower the fast idle lever, or return the tiller throttle control to low idle, put it in gear, and away you go.

Ok... I did start it and run it but now it will only idle for about 45 seconds. The choke or enricher seems to have 4 positions.

All the way in.
1 click out.
2 clicks out
Spring loaded all the way out so long as you keep pulling it

The knob also rotates a turn or two.

The only way it starts is when the enricher is all the way out in the spring loaded position.

I cleaned the plugs and dumped the old gas an put 3 gallons of fresh gas and oil in the tank.

It idles ok for a little while and then it will start to die and I have to pull the choke/primer all the way out to the spring loaded position and then it will slowly start to stall again. When I took the hood off and revved the engine by hand from underneath it starts making a suckiung sound like fuel starvation and doesn't revv cleanly and sometimes pops.

I ordered new spark plugs but it seems like a fuel issue. It sat outside for 6 months through the intensely cold Winter here in the Northeast.

No I didn't run it out of gas. Is that what I should have done ? Anything else ? Funny thing is that I can't get the hose disconnected on the tank side only from the engine side. What do you think it would cost to just drop it off somewhere ? I suppose there's a wait this time of year. This is my first power boat in over 25 years so I need to come up to speed on this stuff.

kimcrwbr1 said:

Did you run the engine out of gas before you put it up for the winter? It sounds like the carb is all gummeg up inside. You can try the seafoam trick. Get it running and pull the fuel line off of the tank and let it run out of gas. Put the fuel line in a can of seafoam and pump the carb full of seafoam until the bulb gets hard. Let it sit overnight and the next day start it and run it around 2000 rpms until the smoke clears out. If that works you may be OK just check the plugs are a nice toasty brown. If the plugs come out a powdery white it is running lean and the carb needs a good rebuild. Running too lean will cook the pistons and bearings.

Click to expand...

..."No I didn't run it out of gas.

Uh-oh! Sounds like a 100 buck mistake to me (the cost of a rebuilding kit for those).

Jeff

What about fuel additives or gum out type carb sprays ?

Does rotating that "pull to prime" knob do anything ?

Yes--if properly adjusted. It raises the idle speed.

Jeff

So I changed out the plugs and added some carb cleaner additive to the new fuel and sprayed a bunch of gum out in the carb while running. It seems to be running much better and goes much longer between stalls at idle but it still stalls and it also stalls sometimes when I put it into gear and sounds fuel starved.

Would it be worth trying to put sea foam directly into the carb where the fuel line goes in ?

I called around a little today and no one can even look at it until mid to late June.

Worth a try--considering the outrageous cost of a rebuild kit.

Jeff