bigfatmatt

Yeah this is my thinking, I stripped the part with the jets in and cleaned that out, took the jets out and cleaned them separately, but might need to strip it down entirely and get it in an ultrasonic cleaner. Prop turns freely yeah.

I ran carb cleaner (the stuff that comes in an aerosol can) through the jet, it was spraying properly out of all of the holes.

Update: - Replaced spark plugs - Replaced fuel filter - Replaced the fuel and added some Redex, emptied all the sediment out of the fuel can - Cleaned the carb & jets with carb cleaner - Cleaned the fuel line out thoroughly Engine will now start and run in neutral or in low revs, if I try to push her to higher revs even warm she cuts out. Thinking I need to find a Yamaha outboard specialist at this point. Thanks for suggestions. Also trying to start with the vent closed she chokes out instantly, there is safe ventilation out of the compartment the tank sits in so fume buildup isn’t a major concern.

Cap of the fuel tank has the air vent open, confirming. I’m going to take another look tomorrow with a mate who knows what he’s doing. Seems like the most likely culprits are fuel line/primer bulb, spark plugs, and jets.

The engine wont start in gear, I did put it in gear in one of the videos to show that it’s happy to fire on gear while fuel is being pushed into it.

The kill switch is a clip below the ignition, if the clip comes off it will kill the engine. There’s not one on the outboard itself.

I’m using Super Unleaded which I believe is E5. I don’t know if the previous owners used E10.

I can get it running with or without throttle but only if we keep manually priming the fuel (10-15s after we stop priming it cuts out), so seems to be an issue with drawing fuel in manually. Video: https://www.veed.io/view/38958e59-7796-4245-8112-ea9283a63dfb?panel=share Fuel tank has an air vent but it was open.

I can’t see a manual choke anywhere on it, the only dial/knob I can see is the dipstick. Anyone know how I could have a hope of identifying it and finding the right manual? Lol

Thanks for all the responses, I did know about the tell tail and that’s working fine, good jet of water streaming out of the back. Fuel is definitely on. There is definitely fuel in the tank which is max 2-3 weeks old. The squishy primer thing goes hard after a few compressions. I’ve let it sit for a bit (assumed I might have flooded it by overpriming last time) and it’s started running (with some weird sounds) for a few minutes before cutting out. Video/audio: https://www.veed.io/view/fbc205a9-c507-4e9d-ac94-2cc81402d2e9?panel=share I’ll try to find a manual and work out where the spark is but posting in case anyone has ideas from the sounds (I know engines talk, I just don’t speak their language yet).

Agree with this 100%. I haven’t cast off yet, I ran the engine last time on the mooring for about 30 minutes a couple of times just to make sure it ran (which, perplexingly, it did) and put some juice back into the starter battery.

I’ve primed it with the squishy primer thing (not sure about terminology). I’ve attached another video with the engine cover removed, I can’t see a spark but I’m not sure where I’d be looking for it (I got this boat 4 weeks ago and I’m completely unfamiliar with internal combustion engines — trying to learn). I don’t think there’s any way water would get into the fuel, the fuel tank has been properly closed and inside the rear under-seating storage which is dry. https://www.veed.io/view/b7fdb2c5-fee0-4d8a-b694-941b4205a87a?panel=share

I’ll preface this post by saying I’m useless with engines. Last came to the boat 2 weeks ago (last week of June), engine ran fine. Most of the petrol was new that week. Came back today and it absolutely doesn’t want to run — siezing up almost immediately. I’ve attached a video, sorry about the shite quality. https://www.veed.io/view/f8649539-96f6-4f41-b5a0-46b4e2e76a9f?panel=share

Thanks, how should I size the starter for a 9.9kW 4 stroke petrol outboard? I assume it doesn’t need a 110Ah battery?

Any recommendation on which LiFePO4 batteries and BMS to look at? Should I also have an AGM to start the outboard and just keep that completely separate?

I could buy LiFePo4, I’m honestly just terrified of wrecking them whereas if I wreck £500-600 worth of batteries it’s a write-off I can deal with as a cost of the learning process. I have about £3k to buy new solar panels, batteries, an MPPT controller and any accessories to help me not to destroy the whole bank.

Thanks, I understand how you’d stop charging from a generator (turn it off) but how would you terminate charging from solar? Do you physically disconnect the charger or can you buy chargers that will stop the charging if the batteries are full?

I’m talking about running my petrol generator (Honda 22i 2kW portable generator), not my outboard, for top-up charging when solar wont give me enough. Sorry for the confusion, lots of power sources. My understanding could be wrong but 100Ah daily discharge = 1200Wh so it shouldn’t take long to top that up off a 2000W generator on an October afternoon outside the marina. Obviously there will be some inefficiency because there’ll be voltage step down from 240V generator to 12V battery, and some more because the batteries just wont draw that much current off the generator. I’m aware that the 9A alternator on the outboard isn’t going to make any meaningful contribution to the battery charge and isn’t going to be in any way fuel efficient, though I’d rather still take advantage of it when I’m running the engine for propulsion because ‘free’ power is always good. If I’m cruising for 4 hours, that’s 18-36Ah give or take that otherwise would be going nowhere. I didn’t know that, I’d have assumed a full bank would draw nothing.

Cheers, I will have mains from probably October to March (marina). I’ll do a proper power audit next time I’m on the boat (it’s moored about 4hrs from my current location). I’m definitely not against running the generator in the darker months if it’s needed to keep the batteries topped up, much like how someone with an onboard and a proper alternator would run that for power. I also have 4x 50,000mAh power banks that I can charge at pubs and coffee shops (I use those for camping at the moment).

I’m not sure what’s considered low. My daily driver for work is an iPad which pulls 8W if it’s charged and 21W while charging. That needs to run at least 8-9 hrs a day. I’ve been using my phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot (boat is GRP so signal is OK inside) but I’ll probably swap that out for a dedicated 5G router. I do have a more powerful laptop (can draw up to 110W when charging) that I use for a couple of hours here and there but I have a Honda generator so if batteries & solar alone can’t manage that I can use it off the generator. Beyond that there’s a small 12V fridge, 12V TV which I’ll probably have on for a couple of hours in the evening, all the lights are LED, and there’s a water pump. I would love to go with lithium if that’s a good option.

My main concern with FLAs is my batteries are in an awkward spot for topping up. The only place they really fit is under the stairs, and there’s nowhere to get above them so it’d be a case of disconnecting everything monthly to add distilled water. Are sealed lead acids or AGMs (also a lot cheaper than gels) worth a look?

Right now there’s a 200W solar panel on there but I’m planning to put 3x 330W solar panels on there before moving aboard. I do have a generator as well. Definitely not planning to use the alternator as a main source of charging. Will be cruising in the good months with a marina mooring for winter (I need a residential address because I’m a company director so have to keep marina mooring all year round but wont be using it much in the good months). I don’t expect to do ‘deep discharges’ (if you mean beyond 50% DOD) very often — my electricity usage is quite light (iPad, phone charger, 12V fridge, couple hours of 12V TV, lights and water pump) — I was more looking at the 1500 cycles rating for gel vs 300 cycles for open lead acid. I think what’s happened with the old batteries is the previous owners drained them, moored the boat in a shady spot and barely checked on it for a couple of years. They’re completely dead, wont hold a charge. I got about 5 mins of lights after giving them a full charge off mains. Cheers, how would it be best to manage having an AGM + 3 gel batteries? I’m looking specifically at how to make sure leisure stuff can’t draw from the starter but making sure the solar or generator will still charge all 4.

I’ve bought a boat, batteries are rubber ducked so I’m looking to replace them. After doing some research it sounds like gel batteries last the longest and can handle deep discharge best (excluding lithium which is out of my price range right now). I understand I’ll need to replace the charger/regulator that’s on the current (open lead acid) batteries to prevent overcharging. I’m currently looking at getting four of these Ritar lead-carbon gel batteries, along with this Victron charger/monitor. This would give me 330AH of leisure capacity and a starter. However I’m getting conflicting information online about whether or not these are suitable as starter batteries. I’m running a Yamaha 9.9hp 4 stroke petrol outboard with electric start. Would I be better off buying an AGM or sealed lead acid battery to use as a starter? How would I keep that isolated from the gel batteries since they have different needs for charging, whilst still allowing the alternator to charge the leisure batteries and the solar to charge the starter? I’m quite new to boat electronics so any advice is welcome.

I think my ideal is 57-58’ but that’s out of my budget, living on a 30-40 for a few years will give me the opportunity to learn what I like, what I don’t like and save up for the forever boat I want to spend the rest of my healthy life on. I’ve lived in cars, tents and grew up month-long tripping on a 32’ Dawncraft. I don’t spend a huge amount of my time ‘at home’ except to work.

Definitely interested, whereabouts is she and can I get some pics?