Engine won't start, oil dripping from prop exhaust

As some of you may have seen in my other post "Motor Revs fine in neutral, bogs in gear" I've been having some motor problems. So in an attempt to fix my other problem, i went through some general maintenance and repair items. I've got good compression, good spark, cleaned the carburetor, but I didn't take anything apart (jets, needle, etc) since everything was so clean. I just sprayed it and reassembled.

So after all of that, I tried starting and it wouldn't catch. it just kept turning over - looked to me like it wasn't getting fuel. So i replaced the fuel line and bulb, and spark plugs for good measure, and tried again last night. This time it caught a few times, but never ran for more than 4-5 seconds. Between these spurts of running, it sounded like it tried to catch every other turn of the key, but didn't have enough gas to turn over. I called it quits for the night after that, and noticed once I was back in the barn with the boat where I had good light, that there was oil dripping from the prop exhaust. I looked inside the port, and there was probably 1/8 of an inch of oil coating the inside of the prop (exhaust). I think this is because the motor wasn't getting fuel, but the VRO was still pumping oil? Does that sound correct, or do I have another problem on my hands?

The VRO mixes oil with the gas and pumps it into the carb together. It is very unlikely that you are getting only oil to the carburetor, especially if the motor is kicking over every now and again. The oil you are seeing is a normal discharge that you would get if you were turning over your motor and it wasn't firing. From the sound of what you are describing, I would guess that it is more likely that you are flooding your motor when trying to start it.

What is your procedure to start the motor? Make sure that you have the throttle moved forward a little with the idle engaged. I had a similar starting issue with an older motor until I started opening the throttle a little.

If you are still having issues, I would seriously consider doing a full teardown of the carb and soak it in some cleaning fluid for a while.

Good luck!

Kofkorn - thank you for the replies in this post and my other thread. My typical startup method is to advance the throttle (in neutral) about 2/3 of the way, push the key in to choke it for about 4-5 seconds, then turn the key. I did not choke it every time I attempted to start it last night for fear of flooding it.

This motor has always been difficult to start. When I first installed it on my boat a month ago, I had a lot of trouble getting it started for the first time after my initial carb teardown and cleaning, but nothing like the trouble I am experiencing now. I will have to try for a more thorough carb teardown tonight.

I do not know what kind of engine you have but mine is a johnson 48hp spl 1988. I follow a different starting procedure, JFYI.

When cold
1. pump up bulb to firm
2. Advance throttle to a "fast idle" in neutral, my johnson has a separate lever for neutral throttle control, keeps rpm's down.
3. Turn key, as soon as engine is turning over, push in key for "choke", my "choke" is really a solenoid that injects fuel.
4. It usually fires right up, I "choke" it a little if it stumbles in the next few seconds.

I think my engine would flood if a I just pushed the key in for 4-5 seconds without turning it over.

Tim

Ok, there's probably your problem. The choke really only works when the motor is turning over. It is a solenoid valve that opens a small line that bypasses the carburetor and dumps extra fuel into the system. The fuel pump only works when the motor is turning, so the choke only works when the motor is turning too. It doesn't matter how long you hold the choke when the key is off, your motor isn't getting any extra fuel until it starts cranking.

My cold motor startup procedure is to advance the throttle a little (usually no more than 1/3). Press and hold the choke key in while turning it. When the motor fires, I release the key and choke. Each time the motor sneezes or starts to slow down, I push in the choke key for a second or two again. As the motor warms over the next 10-15 seconds or so, I use the choke less and less. Usually after 15 secs, the motor is running on it's own and I'll adjust the throttle as necessary to keep a high idle.

It sounds like you probably aren't choking your motor at all if you only press the choke when the key is off.

Try that and see what you get.


Good luck!

Thanks all, I will give that method a try. I also picked up carb rebuild kits. The dealer told me that my power pack might be part of my starting problem, along with the loss of power problem mentioned in my other thread.