Juno's outboard - starting after 4 years

[magpie patrick]

Okay, in the midst of all the trials with Lutine I'm pondering wondering over to Juno and seeing if she is capable of movement. She last left the mooring five years ago and the engine last started 4 years ago. Since then she has been a much valued occasional holiday home.

I took the batteries off, so I'll take one with me. The fuel will presumably be useless but there is a filling station next door. I may turn they key for the first time with the fuel disconnected anyway. Check there is at least some oil in there.

I'm not expecting this to be trouble free, but is there anything else I should think of before pressing the starter button to see what happens?

Yamaha 9.9 long leg for info 

[Silebyman]

As you mention checking it's got some oil in, I assume it's a 4 stroke outboard not a 2 stroke.

I'd swing it up to check the water intakes are not crusted over with mussels and other assorted mini beasts etc.

If that's ok - give it a go.

Leave a battery connected if you are using the pull cord, just to protect the charging system.

If it fires, check the water tell tale to check the water pump is working.

[rusty69]

If you left it with fuel in the carb, the jet is likely to be blocked, but certainly worth a try. Fingers crossed. 

[bargemast]

I hope for you that the impellor is still willing to change shape, as after such a long standstill it would be a good idea to change this item to stand a better chance for a trouble free cruise.

Draining the carburettor of the old petrole doesn't do any harm either, and with fresh petrol (and a new impellor ?) you shouldn't have too much trouble getting the engine to run again.

 

Peter.

[magpie patrick]

Thanks all,

I'm expecting the impellor will need replacing, but the first start will be "just to see" and work out what (if anything) needs doing.

She last ran in anger before I was ill, at the time I was expecting to use her again a few weeks later - events overtook that one! 

[bargemast]

I can only add: "Good luck to you".

 

Peter.

[Alan de Enfield]

I would have expected the impellor to have 'dry-welded' the vanes to the housing and as soon as the engine turns over these will be shredded with the possibility of getting bits of rubber into the waterway 'orifices' which will cause you overheating trouble in the future due to blocked / partly blocked waterways.

Replace the impellor before attempting to start it.

[1st ade]

2 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

I would have expected the impellor to have 'dry-welded' the vanes to the housing and as soon as the engine turns over these will be shredded with the possibility of getting bits of rubber into the waterway 'orifices' which will cause you overheating trouble in the future due to blocked / partly blocked waterways.

Replace the impellor before attempting to start it.

 

This ^^^^

[David Mack]

If this is a 2-stroke the carb will almost certainly be gummed up even if you ran it dry properly the last time it ran. The manual for my 2-stroke strimmer says the carb (cheap plastic, unrepairable) should be replaced every year because it gums up when unused over the winter. It has never run very well after the first summer I had it.

After 4 years anything easily combustible in the fuel will have long evaporated away and it will be hard to start and keep running. Had this problem moving the WRG workboat some years ago with a borrowed outboard and some petrol which it turned out had sat in an abandoned landrover for a couple of years.  After some hours of bowhauling while the carb and plugs were repeatedly cleaned to no effect, we bought some fresh petrol, emptied the old out of the tank and after that the engine ran faultlessly for the rest of the trip.

[Jess--]

40 minutes ago, David Mack said:

If this is a 2-stroke the carb will almost certainly be gummed up even if you ran it dry properly the last time it ran. The manual for my 2-stroke strimmer says the carb (cheap plastic, unrepairable) should be replaced every year because it gums up when unused over the winter. It has never run very well after the first summer I had it.

After 4 years anything easily combustible in the fuel will have long evaporated away and it will be hard to start and keep running. Had this problem moving the WRG workboat some years ago with a borrowed outboard and some petrol which it turned out had sat in an abandoned landrover for a couple of years.  After some hours of bowhauling while the carb and plugs were repeatedly cleaned to no effect, we bought some fresh petrol, emptied the old out of the tank and after that the engine ran faultlessly for the rest of the trip.

that sounds like a terrible strimmer, my stihl strimmer has had zero maintenance other than greasing the bearing in the 15 (ish) years I have owned it.

each year it fires on the 3rd pull (with choke) and starts properly on the 5th pull (no choke).

when finished with I drain the tank back into a can and then restart the strimmer and run it dry, I suspect your strimmer is holding fuel even though you think you have run it dry

[Murflynn]

no outboard should be started after 4 years untended.

look on the internet and follow the advice to do a thorough service, or get a mechanic to do it.

the impeller should be changed, the electrics checked for corrosion, the plugs changed, the oil in the lower unit changed, the carburettor dismantled and thoroughly cleaned, as a minimum.  

[rusty69]

And don't forget to fit a carbon monoxide alarm too, just in case

[magpie patrick]

2 hours ago, Murflynn said:

no outboard should be started after 4 years untended.

look on the internet and follow the advice to do a thorough service, or get a mechanic to do it.

the impeller should be changed, the electrics checked for corrosion, the plugs changed, the oil in the lower unit changed, the carburettor dismantled and thoroughly cleaned, as a minimum.  

Actually, I know what the local mechanic would have done. He'd have made a few rudimentary checks to avoid causing harm and then tried to start it. That way he could work out what was wrong with it. He sold Juno to her first owner and tended the engines ever since. (Plural as the current one isn't the original - I upgraded about six years ago)

Trouble is he's retired and outboard mechanics are even rarer than lister mechanics on the canal system, so I'm working out what those rudimentary checks should be.

[1st ade]

"Borrow" the Sea Gull out of Dad's garage - it'll probably start first pull (it's only lain unused for ~24 years) and it doesn't have one of those pesky impeller things to shred.

That will keep you moving while you worry about the more modern stuff. Only problem is it won't charge the batteries...

[magpie patrick]

10 minutes ago, 1st ade said:

 

That will keep you moving while you worry about the more modern stuff. Only problem is it won't charge the batteries...

That wouldn't be a problem, at present there are none...