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Evinrude 60 engine hard to start when cold (initial start)

C

Cylac

New member
Hi,

I've had this Evinrude 60 motor for about 5+ years now and for the past 2 years or so I've been having such a hard time getting it started. Once I eventually get it started, it's fine for the remainder of the day to start with no hesitation. The next day when I try to start it I'm back at having an extremely hard time starting time.. sometimes I just give up and there's no boating for that day.

When I do get it started (by miracle) I normally have to pump the choke until the engine warms up.
I've replaced the spark plugs and fuel filter. My gas was getting mixed on the fly since I had a separate oil reservoir.. but to eliminate that from being my issue I disconnected it and mixed my own fuel.. alas.. the same issue. I've checked my spark plug cables with an ohms meter and they seem fine.

Some people think it might be the power pack.. however, wouldn't that prevent the engine from ever starting if it was faulty?
I had a guy "check" it last year and he said I wasn't getting any sparks... however I do eventually get it started.. which means it must be getting some sort of spark.. again, can this just stop and start again? (the sparks) The engine works extremely well once it actually starts.

I tried starting it yesterday and never managed to get it started.. so I left it.. I know it's getting gas because I can smell it.. which leads me to believe it's flooded by that 5th attempt to start it.. I'm really hoping to fix it by the end of the week so I can bring my kids tubing on the lake!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Here's a link to some photos of the engine itself. I tried to upload them on this site, however, it kept on failing.

https://imgur.com/a/w5N0ikX

Thanks
 
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I think the first place I would start in your case is to use a spark tester or pull the plugs and ground them against the block next time you try to start it. This will tell you if you have spark or not. Have you pulled spark plugs to inspect them?
 
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Do you pump on the primer bulb while priming the carbs? Im guessing the fuel pump is getting weak maybe priming it with the bulb while cranking will give you that extra shot of fuel on A cold start? You can always ditch the vro and install a standard pulse pump seeing you premix anyways?
 
Jay1234 said:
I think the first place I would start in your case is to use a spark tester or pull the plugs and ground them against the block next time you try to start it. This will tell you if you have spark or not. Have you pulled spark plugs to inspect them?
Click to expand...
I will go buy myself a spark tester to confirm this. If I were to replace the cables, do I have to buy specific ones? I don't think my local store here carries marine cables, however they do have other types I'm sure.

kimcrwbr1 said:
Do you pump on the primer bulb while priming the carbs? I'm guessing the fuel pump is getting weak maybe priming it with the bulb while cranking will give you that extra shot of fuel on A cold start? You can always ditch the vro and install a standard pulse pump seeing you premix anyways?
Click to expand...
I do prime it prior to starting it.. I ensure the bulb is firm.. however I did notice that sometimes the fuel filter (which is clear) doesn't always fill up to %100. Could that be an issue? I've replaced that filter twice now just to make sure it wasn't faulty. I will try primming while cranking next time to see if that makes a difference. If I were to use a pulse pump, should I be looking for a specific type/brand/size? I saw this one on Amazon.ca https://goo.gl/uiERD3 which I found was pretty pricey.. but that might be what they're worth.


Thanks both for your replies and help so far!
 
bwentz17 said:
You should check to make sure that your primer solenoid is functioning properly. Here is a link to a YouTube video explaining how to test ad rebuild it if it happens to be bad.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrBj2p4A8xQ
Click to expand...
Thanks for this! I took mine apart and it appears to be functioning properly. I hooked it to a battery to ensure it worked! While I was checking this out I noticed that the small gas lines behind seemed to be wet.. it appeared like the tie-wraps weren't getting the connections tight. So I replaced them.

I bought myself a spark tester but it didn't appear to be working.. not sure if it's because it's meant for automotive only.

Anyways, I took the plugs out and they were soaked :( So I dried them off and turned the engine a few times to help dry things up.
image of spark plugs before I cleaned them: https://imgur.com/6HKV7gO

After doing all of that, I tried starting it again.. nothing. So I wiggled the spark plug cables a bit (I think they need to be replaced too) and gave the power pack on the side (I'm assuming that's what it is) a good SLAM with my screwdriver.. (was a bit frustrated lol)... went and tried turning the key.. and to my surprise IT STARTED!! I didn't have to prime it or use the choke. It was idling perfectly fine it seemed... So I turned it off.. waited a few minutes.. and tried again 2 - 3 times and it started without any hesitation afterwards....
Photos of what I'm guessing is some sort of power pack: https://imgur.com/8o8qAc2 and https://imgur.com/KU8fado

Here's a short video clip when I got it started the 3rd or 4th time with no hesitation: https://youtu.be/3w17BVZE8yo

So I'm baffled.. can this power pack be the issue? Can it just work then just stop like that?

What else could be the issue?
 
Maybe when you smacked a wire made a connection? Pull all the connectors apart and clean with electrical cleaner and when dry put them back together with dielectric grease. Sand all grounds metal to metal does the pp use a mounting bolt for ground?
 
kimcrwbr1 said:
Maybe when you smacked a wire made a connection? Pull all the connectors apart and clean with electrical cleaner and when dry put them back together with dielectric grease. Sand all grounds metal to metal does the pp use a mounting bolt for ground?
Click to expand...

You're a genius! lol - I pulled the power pack out and lo and behold I had one of those big connections with some corrosion in it! So I used some electrical cleaner and put some dielectric grease in there. At the same time, I checked ALL my connectors and sprayed and greased them too! Once I did all of that.. turned the KEY and VOILA!!!! The Engine started right away! So just to make sure it wasn't just a fluke.. I've been trying to start it these past few days and every time it started! :)

Thanks so much guys for your help! My kids will be happy to go tubing this weekend!!
 
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