115 hp yamaha- why hard starting?

Hello to the group and good day.

I have a 115 hp Yamaha 2 stroke V4 using premix. I've always found it hard to start when cold. I've learned to start the motor while on the trailer hooked into the garden hose by pulling 1 spark plug and putting gas into the cylinder before I head to the beach. The motor fires immediately. Once I've done this and the motor runs for a few minutes, the motor works well. It's just something that I've learned to do. The carbs have been cleaned to within an inch of their lives on several occasions. I've checked everything I can think of to get the engine to start when cold.

This thread has been extensively explored by other posters. The most common reply is that the carbs are dirty or the jets clogged.

One thing I've never understood is if 1 carb has clogged jets, is that enough to cause the motor to not fire? Would 3 carbs (or 2) working be enough to allow the motor to fire? Do ALL of the carbs have to have clogged jets at the same time? Once the engine fires, the jets would still be clogged and the engine will run. Why?

Any thoughts?

Clogged jets will not stop it from starting. Clogged jets will usually cause a rough or no idle condition.

Assuming your choke solenoid is working, Pull the carb cover off and try to start the engine when cold. Make sure the choke is closing all the way. The rubber gasket between the carb cover and the carb body will swell up over time and interfere with the choke butterfly not allowing it to close completely.


If all looks good with the choke, Do a compression test and a leak down test.