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***help*** stranded on lake

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Matt24

New member
I have 2003 40hp Mercury (Tracker) 2 stroke. This is a re-occuring problem that got me stranded. Here's the history. Unload boat from trailer and it fires up with no problems, park it in a slip, turn it off and retrieve my gear. Go to start it and nothing. Motor turns over but won't start; not even a cough. It starts and runs fine three hours later. Take it out another time. Run it for 4 hours (off and on) and then nothing again. Motor turns but it won't start. Take it to my mechanic and he gets to it a few days later. Calls me and says it fired right up and ran for several hours and cycled it numerous times. He 'checked' the ignition system and couldn't find anything. Pick it up and take it out. Again, fires up and i use the boat for a day, no problems. On the second day i go out again and run it for six hours (off and on) and then nothing again; Won't start. I'm stuck 2 miles from the marina and had to troll my way back. If anyone has any info on this problem PLEASE HELP!!
Thanks
Matt
 
your decision is it fuel or fire?i would put an inductive timing light in the boat and when it fails check the plug wires for fire...if you dont have one they are less than 40 bucks and is probably the best tool you can have in a boat tool box...
 
Thanks guys!! Unfortunately the boat is about 4 hours away so I can't run the tests. My mechanic seems to be lost on the problem so I was hoping to get some insight from you guys. I can't understand the intermittent problem. Runs great then doesn't run at all. Can that happen with the ignition system?? A stator going bad, sending unit, coils?? Just seems if somethings broke its broke and wouldn't allow for intermittent operation. Is something going bad? If so, what? Any more suggestions would help me communicate with my mechanic. Could it be a fuel system problem?? Just seems like something is telling the motor to 'not run' and then after a period of time it says 'okay go ahead and run'. So frustrating, but thanks for your input….really appreciate it. Matt
 
The electrical system was allegedly cleaned and inspected Kimcrwbr1. Plugs changed and gapped. Something's not right and I don't fault my mechanic.
 
You following starting procedures?
Advance throttle.
Pump ball.
Push in key to choke as you turn the key?

This isn't recommended but in an EMERGENCY!!! A quick shot of starting fluid will help.
Too much SF will strip the oil from the cylinders. Don't overdo.
 
Failing stator….huh? Is that a common problem with an older stator…..
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Yep it common for Mercurys..To verify when it stops check to see if you have spark. Only seen vapor lock on couple of motors in 30+years of working on em
 
Thanks for all the suggestions.....when I get figured out I'll post the results.



kimcrwbr1 said:
It could be you starting procedure? If you choke a warm motor your almost certainly gonna flood it. Even after sitting a couple hours dont choke or prime it and see if it starts? The next time it dont start pull a plug and see if it is wet? The only time you should need to choke/prime a motor is the first start of the day.
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