Hi, just posting this here in the hope there are some people around with knowledge of these outboards...
Sorry it's long winded but a strange fault so giving full history!
I have a 1996 Tohatsu 90hp (M90A 2 stroke). Have been using it for the last few days, been running fine, although I did feel like it could use a set of spark plugs at one point, stalled once or twice ok start up after some low speed work (fairly normal for this engine over the time I have had it).
Today however it had a major issue. After towing one of the kids around on an inflatable (obviously a high load) I shut it down. Went to restart it and the warning buzzer sounded and it wouldnt start. Figured it was low oil, which it was. So I topped it up. Buzzer still going and not starting.
Checked all connections and fuel etc, all ok.
Still no start, so with the wind getting up and 5km from home, made the decision to return home on the auxiliary engine.
Tried to start it again twice on the way with no luck but once we got back to the ramp about an hour later, it started. Hmmm
My initial thoughts was an overheat and damaged pistons etc, but given that it started I figured the compression is ok. Do these engines have a fail safe to prevent them from starting hot? When it started again, it was pumping water out the telltale fine, no intake blockage or anything like that.
So I'm thinking that it either fouled the plugs after the high load run and they dried off on the way back, or potentially something in the ignition system got hot and stopped working and then was ok once it cooled down? I couldn't check it for spark while it was faulting and of course it has spark now! Maybe something on the way out?
Any thoughts on this? Would appreciate any ideas. Nothing worse than a boat with an intermittent fault... hard to trust it.
Cheers
Sorry it's long winded but a strange fault so giving full history!
I have a 1996 Tohatsu 90hp (M90A 2 stroke). Have been using it for the last few days, been running fine, although I did feel like it could use a set of spark plugs at one point, stalled once or twice ok start up after some low speed work (fairly normal for this engine over the time I have had it).
Today however it had a major issue. After towing one of the kids around on an inflatable (obviously a high load) I shut it down. Went to restart it and the warning buzzer sounded and it wouldnt start. Figured it was low oil, which it was. So I topped it up. Buzzer still going and not starting.
Checked all connections and fuel etc, all ok.
Still no start, so with the wind getting up and 5km from home, made the decision to return home on the auxiliary engine.
Tried to start it again twice on the way with no luck but once we got back to the ramp about an hour later, it started. Hmmm
My initial thoughts was an overheat and damaged pistons etc, but given that it started I figured the compression is ok. Do these engines have a fail safe to prevent them from starting hot? When it started again, it was pumping water out the telltale fine, no intake blockage or anything like that.
So I'm thinking that it either fouled the plugs after the high load run and they dried off on the way back, or potentially something in the ignition system got hot and stopped working and then was ok once it cooled down? I couldn't check it for spark while it was faulting and of course it has spark now! Maybe something on the way out?
Any thoughts on this? Would appreciate any ideas. Nothing worse than a boat with an intermittent fault... hard to trust it.
Cheers
