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DIFFICULT OUTBOARD MOTOR STARTING ON COLD MORNINGS


quintrex

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I have a 40 hp 4 stroke which was difficult to start yesterday early morning . Eventually the motor fired and there were no further problems during the morning with dozens of stops & immediate restarts. The boat is garaged and the battery is always maintained at full charge by recharging every few days , although the boat motor had not been run for 6 weeks. I have also have a 100 amphr deep cycle battery which is used solely for powering a Minna Kota. If I connect the 2 batteries in parallel (both fully charged) will the deep cycle battery give any substantial boost to the starting battery on cold mornings or is there a danger of damaging the deep cycle battery?

Also if the batteries remain in parallel during 7 hours use, will the motor alternator charging damage the deep cycle battery?

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was the cause of difficult starting lack of power or was it turning over as usual & not firing?

Cant help with the battery question Ive never had the need for a deep cycle to get any experience with them.

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Ok not sure how much difference between make, model & size. I dont have the option to disconnect fuel line, turn key wait for light to go out (indicating fuel pressure has built up) then hit the key. Same as you do a fuel injected car once fuel gets to its required pressure the pump stops & some of the lights on the dash will turn off and then you start.

disconnecting the fuel line is something that you would do on old motors that allowed the fuel to run back down the line, by disconnecting the line the valve would stop iar entering the line keeping it primed up that is if the valve was shutting off properly.

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Firstly extra battery power won't make the motor start any easier. As long as you have enough charge to turn the starter and provide spark that is all you need. More battery capacity just means you can keep trying to start the motor for longer until it fires. This does not sound like your issue.

My understanding is that you cannot charge a deep cycle from the alternator without damaging it. They are designed differently to your crank battery. I use a DC-DC Charger to charge my deep cycle off the alternator. Google the Sterling products to see how they work, is working a treat for me on my ETEC. Wasn't as good on my old Yammy due to the underpowered alternator those motors have.

Did you pump up your fuel bulb nice and hard before you started the motor?

It sounds like it may have just been light on fuel initially.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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I did pump up the primer bulb to my Yamaha to a hardness level I thought adequate but perhaps I was mistaken. It was hardly turning over at all initially and almost refrained from turning at all after 3 turns of the key fully depressed to ensure choke was on. I was about to give up since it sounded really dead when it just suddenly fired and went to full idle immediately. It remained on strong idle until warmed up and I was able to move on. After one minute I turned the motor off to check the restart which was immediate.

On the odd past occasion when forgetting to prime the bulb the motor has always turned over strongly and continued to turn until I woke up to the fact of the unprimed bulb. This time it hardly turned over at all (like when trying to start a car motor with a flat battery) and I was quite surprised that it finally fired at such a slow revolution. As I stated the battery was fully charged the night before. I think it is telling me that it's time to be replaced.

The battery charge was sufficient to immediately restart the motor after each drift at sea. (A dozen flathead caught but only one legal which was a pretty lousy result but the day and conditions were fabulous. I did catch an unidentified fish about 30cm long, very pale with an enormous mouth with dozens of extremely small but spikey teeth. Any ideas?)

Thanks for the alternator warning. I'll ensure I don't connect the batteries in parallel.

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It sounds like your battery is on the way out as you suggest. The slow turnover indicates a weak supply to the starter motor. From my limited knowledge of battery electrics, the colder the temperature, the less efficiently the battery works, which explains why it was less of an issue as the day progressed (plus your motor warmed up making it easier to start).

I had the same experience with my last battery before it died. Ultimately however the problem was user error - dumbo me had not been checking the battery water level, and enough had evaporated that it caused cell damage. I tried to recover it as a spare, but no success. I now have battery water level checking in all my vehicles as part of my standard regular maintenance regime!

Where did you catch your fish? What did it look like?

My guess is either a pike or a longtom.

Cheers!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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I bought a replacement Seamaster Gold MFM48 battery today from Eastern Batteries at Rosebury for an excellent $139. My former MFM48 lasted 12 years so I felt inclined to try another.

The odd fish was caught 2 miles off Dover Heights and definitely was not a long tom or pike, both of which I have caught before. The body shape behind the head was similar to a Sergeant Baker but white with pale stripes. The head was less broad than a SB but rounded and the enormous mouth was angled from top to bottom. The teeth were tiny but pin sharp and very numerous. I have caught 2 previously in 55m water

Thanks for your advice guys.

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  • 3 weeks later...

When I had two older Suzuki two strokes I found they were bit reluctant to start in cold weather so since then I always carry a can of Auto Start an ether accelerant, which is on the market under other names. All you need to do is to give a squirt in the air intake preferably when to the engine is cranking over, and you will get an instant start.

I have loaned it out many time on the ramp to people having starting problems. Of course as others have said, you have to have the fuel well pumped up and a good battery

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I bought a replacement Seamaster Gold MFM48 battery today from Eastern Batteries at Rosebury for an excellent $139. My former MFM48 lasted 12 years so I felt inclined to try another.

The odd fish was caught 2 miles off Dover Heights and definitely was not a long tom or pike, both of which I have caught before. The body shape behind the head was similar to a Sergeant Baker but white with pale stripes. The head was less broad than a SB but rounded and the enormous mouth was angled from top to bottom. The teeth were tiny but pin sharp and very numerous. I have caught 2 previously in 55m water

Thanks for your advice guys.

Stargazer?

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  • 2 weeks later...

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