Senkosam
Active member
I've spent as much $ fixing a starting problem as I did the motor, not including truck gas to transport to the shops.
When I went to pick up the motor, it would start in the shop but not on the transom of my small boat. I took the motor off and let it sit on a wooden horse outside for weeks, disgusted.
You know the feeling when, out of the blue, an idea comes to you that fixes a problem bugging you? This was that time!
Note: When the motor didn't start, it was under the hot sun of Aug.
Note: When it started every time, it was in a cool shop.
Note: the manual says to start the motor: choke all the way out/ gas valve turned on/ throttle to start position on the handle/ vent on top opened/pull handle
Did that a million times and nothing. But an idea came to me after I opened the gas cap to see how much gas was in the tank. WHOOSH! - air going into the tank relieved a vacuum caused by the heat of the sun. The vent wasn't working!
Okay, so I loosened the gas cap and IT STARTED! Not only that, but it idled at the lowest speed - which in the recent past would stall and not start no matter what.
*One thing I noticed to start the motor, along with a loosening gas cap, was playing with the choke. Rather than full out, I out, I did a half choke position. Started and idled great until it started to stall at which point, I pushed it all the way in and let it idle for 15 minutes. After that, I turned off the motor and then started it again and again and again! The next day, no problem starting and idling, but only when the gas cap was loosened.
Something about the vent on the gas cap not allowing air into the tank when open, didn't allow gas to go into the carburetor due to a vacuum caused by the gas. If only water had been in the tank, I doubt the vacuum would have happened.
Also, the choke, for whatever reason, had to be halfway in when starting - not full choke.
(Note: the motor was always in a bucket of water to prevent damage.)
But get this! When I gave up on the motor, I ordered a Newport 62# thrust trolling motor and tried it on the lake, MAN DID THAT SUCKER MOVE MY 12' JON BOAT WITH ALL MY GEAR AND AT 20 MPH! I took a friend fishing and it did the same speed fishing out of a 12' heavy aluminum boat I rented. We did about a mile on the way back in no time! The battery was only down to 55% displayed on the charger - and that was after slowly fishing many areas for hours (until it got too hot). Guess I may as well sell the gas motor cheap on Facebook Marketplace rather than spend over $20 for a new gas cap.
Strange that an idea out of nowhere, finally solved the problem - (like using a 1" soft plastic (the tail cut off a plastic worm) on a 1/64 oz jig, to catch nipping juvenile 4-5" fish.)
When I went to pick up the motor, it would start in the shop but not on the transom of my small boat. I took the motor off and let it sit on a wooden horse outside for weeks, disgusted.
You know the feeling when, out of the blue, an idea comes to you that fixes a problem bugging you? This was that time!
Note: When the motor didn't start, it was under the hot sun of Aug.
Note: When it started every time, it was in a cool shop.
Note: the manual says to start the motor: choke all the way out/ gas valve turned on/ throttle to start position on the handle/ vent on top opened/pull handle
Did that a million times and nothing. But an idea came to me after I opened the gas cap to see how much gas was in the tank. WHOOSH! - air going into the tank relieved a vacuum caused by the heat of the sun. The vent wasn't working!
Okay, so I loosened the gas cap and IT STARTED! Not only that, but it idled at the lowest speed - which in the recent past would stall and not start no matter what.
*One thing I noticed to start the motor, along with a loosening gas cap, was playing with the choke. Rather than full out, I out, I did a half choke position. Started and idled great until it started to stall at which point, I pushed it all the way in and let it idle for 15 minutes. After that, I turned off the motor and then started it again and again and again! The next day, no problem starting and idling, but only when the gas cap was loosened.
Something about the vent on the gas cap not allowing air into the tank when open, didn't allow gas to go into the carburetor due to a vacuum caused by the gas. If only water had been in the tank, I doubt the vacuum would have happened.
Also, the choke, for whatever reason, had to be halfway in when starting - not full choke.
(Note: the motor was always in a bucket of water to prevent damage.)
But get this! When I gave up on the motor, I ordered a Newport 62# thrust trolling motor and tried it on the lake, MAN DID THAT SUCKER MOVE MY 12' JON BOAT WITH ALL MY GEAR AND AT 20 MPH! I took a friend fishing and it did the same speed fishing out of a 12' heavy aluminum boat I rented. We did about a mile on the way back in no time! The battery was only down to 55% displayed on the charger - and that was after slowly fishing many areas for hours (until it got too hot). Guess I may as well sell the gas motor cheap on Facebook Marketplace rather than spend over $20 for a new gas cap.
Strange that an idea out of nowhere, finally solved the problem - (like using a 1" soft plastic (the tail cut off a plastic worm) on a 1/64 oz jig, to catch nipping juvenile 4-5" fish.)
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