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Strange start up problem (4 cyl 50 HP Honda outboard)

kwindfelder

New member
Motor is cold in the morning, I give the gas ball a few pumps, put in the kill switch clip, give it about three short tries (only 3 seconds or so each) and the motor fires right up. Take it out for about a 1/2 hr ride, medium speed, all is fine.

Turn it off to do a little fishing, try to restart after about 1/2 hr or so, and it won't kick over. I'll try about 10 - 15 times (again - 3 to 5 seconds each time), it wont kick over. I pump the ball, nothing, let it sit for 5 or ten minutes, nothing, keep trying. After doing all this for about 1/2 hr it finally starts and runs fine.

This doesn't happen all the time, but about half the time I take it out, a real pain in the neck.

Any thoughts / tips?
 
The first thing folks here will want to know is if it's carbureted or fuel injected. Frame number if you have it and year along with any "back story" you can provide. Like how long you've owned it, when did this start and was it a sudden onset or you noticed it gradually getting worse?

Also, what maintenance has been done to address this, if anything?

Is the cooling good? Good pee stream? Have the thermostat(s) been changed?

Does the green oil light come on while cranking? Does the engine crank at the normal speed when problem occurs or does it seem slower?

Sorry, many questions but any observations that you can provide might be the key to helping you.
 
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Outside of what jgmo suggests, to me what you wrote sounds like an electrical connection issue from the battery to the connection at the motor. cables can corrode over time, connections come loose and cause similar behavior. I would start from the battery and work back to the engine. I recently replaced all my wire from the battery to my perko switch, installed a new Bus Bar and fuse panel. I redid all connections, proper wire gauge and fuses. It made a noticable difference in my engines starting, which before was "lagging" or "dragging" starter scenarios.
 
Thanks for the tip, sounds like this is a good place to start the trouble shooting. Because when i try to start it's like kill switch is not in place. Meaning, I'm getting a lot of turn, but there is no attempt to even try to turn over.
 
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