Chuck C. spoiled my outboard

[Lootas1]

Okay, it was his outboard when he spoiled it but I'm thinking he gave it too good of a taste of fresh water. Here's why. All last week I was getting Rosario ready for some fun when they put the docks in where I live on Lummi Island. Besides a bit of paint and some cleanup, I charged the batteries and ran the 50 hp. 'Rude. It started up and ran like a champ with cooling coming from my hose.
Ramps went in Thursday and Friday dawned calm, clear and with a promise of a warm day. Becky and I decided to run to James Island. Had thought of Doe but dock hasn't been replaced there since a storm a couple of winters ago and we didn't really want to tow a dinghy or run up onto the beach.
Backed trailer into water and hit the starter. Motor started and died. Repeated this several times and got motor to idling on the trailer. Put it in reverse and it died. Of course, by then we had let go the line Becky was holding and I was drifting toward the beach.
I'd hit the starter and it would fire and then die. Finally, it ran enough I could get it in reverse and back out before I started bashing rocks. Got it to the dock and it would idle slowly, even when I lifted the start lever all the way up. Anyway, it ran as I pulled out from the dock and we ran down to Inati Bay and anchored. By that time a chilly wind had come up and we decided we'd call an end to our first summer outing.
Motor would start and idle very slowly but die as soon as I got it in gear. Finally, i got it in forward and pulled the anchor and came home.
Today I planned to devote myself to setting up the idle. Naturally, couldn't figure out how to do it. It is like when it is within an inch on the lever of nothing happening, I feel something move. So, I put the hose on the motor and hit the starter. It started right up and idled slowly. I'd advance the lever and, just before it hit the stop on the control box, it would increase the idle ever so little. However, I could shift it into gear and it would go fine. At first, I figured it had repaired itself. Then I realized maybe it didn't die because the prop was just spinning in the air and had no load on it.
Finally, it occurred to me that Chuck had given the motor a taste for fresh water and it just didn't want to start in saltwater. Now, in case I am wrong about that, just how do you increase the idle on the 1986 'Rude 50? I'm going out again Monday (God willing and the wind don't blow) and I'd rather not have to call Vessel Assist.

[Skagitguy]

Jerry all due respect to you, I don't know if you remember me mentioning to you it should have a tune up when you got it from me in 2009 and again in 2011? The best place to take it to, is in Everett at Cascade Marine Service ( yes i know it's a ways , but do you want it right or not ? ) the one's that rebuilt it in 2003. Ask for Tim the owner 425-303-0200. Please don't take it to some yahoo that does not know anything about Evinrude's but said's he does being it will never be right again. Chuck

[Lootas1]

I hear you Chuck. Last time I took my Merc 65 to a guy in Anacortes who was highly recommended for a minor problem, I came away $3,000 poorer and the motor then let me down time after time.

[Skagitguy]

Jerry, Call Tim and set up a appointment with him. I'am sure all it needs is a basic tune up. Remind him it's the one he rebuilt for me. Yea, i remember the guy in Anacortes story. Chuck

[Helmar]

Wow....
Got to take care of them or they sure won't take care of you...Proven point.

I won't even go near the water unless I do a tune up every season on mine and if you go out, your looking for trouble if that hasn't been touched since 2009.

[Lootas1]

Well, I feed them fresh gas and mix it with good 2 cycle oil. What do they want? Egg in their beer? Okay, and I change the lower unit oil and give them new spark plugs and grease. I just got rid of my 1947 Firestone which was still running fine and had one Johnson 9.9 go underwater while running, blew a little water out of it, pulled the plug and yanked the cord a couple of times to expel the water in it and ran it for another five years before selling it to a guy who told me two years later it was the most reliable motor he ever owned. I'm thinking outboards are like women. You spoil them a little with too fine treatment and they come to expect that pampering and sulk if they don't get it.
However, I guess that 'Rude has been spoiled so long that I'll have to take it to a shop to make her smile again!

[GregJ]

Jerry, I have the same engine (1983) and I have had the same problem. I fixed it by just lubricating (WD40) the idle linkage. Take the cowling off and have somebody move your idle control lever up and down while you watch the right side of your engine hopefully you will see the idle linkage move a little. Spray the linkage with WD. When you raise the idle control lever the linkage cam should move freely. I wouldn't take that boat out again until it gets a tune up. Take it to the shop that Chuck suggested and be sure to tell them about your idle inconsistency, they might not check it and if they do it might move properly but it might stick again later on. Call me at 206 790 1725 if you would like to talk about this more

[Skagitguy]

Joe, The last tune up was in 2007 when i had her. So it has been 5 years. I get a tune up every 2 years considering i only put about 40 hours or less a year.

Jerry, Tell the shop about your problem , and at the same time when you get the tune up that will take care of the two problems you have.

[Lootas1]

Thanks guys for the advice. My neighbor, a commercial fisherman for years and for the last 10 or so the engineer of a salvage tug at Bristol Bay, Alaska, came took a quick look at the motor today and said the problem was in the control. Appeared that the idle wasn't hooked up. I'll call this week and get an appointment to have it tuned up and that matter repaired along with the release that doesn't want to release on the tilt. Then I really hope to be using the boat this summer.

[Tim_Mattson]

Jerry,
Seem to recall your transom being replaced recently?....I bet the motor was pulled off and cables not put back perfectly.
Your cable not being hooked up would make throttle act as described.
On the carbs is a little wheel/roller that moves a Triangle Cam for throttling Carbs.
That little pastic roller can get flat on one side and give you a little less throttle if it happens to land on the bad spot.
The roller needs a little gap but if set up and the gap changes ,then off-idle performance will suffer.....really cheap and worth a couple bucks.
A "Sync + Link" procedure should be then done for your specific motor.
When done right ,the cam will line up a mark when Fast Idle lever is lifted as you would when starting.
Cables do stretch and wear so a little ,slack needs to be taken out or the far end doesn`t do much.
Goodluck,
TimM
ps Sorry Greg,No WD40, use something without solvant or the grease on linkages dissolves and get`s tighter later.Use Fluid Film , Tri-Flow,or a lithium spray.These will last years instead of months.

[GregJ]

Tim, Thanks for reminding me about the solvent in WD 40. I was cautioned about that some years ago but I forgot.
Jerry, I am happy to hear that you have made an appointment for a tune up. You might want to have your empellar in your water pump checked while there at it. My engine was peeing pretty good but when I had my lower unit rebuilt last year they changed the empellar and showed me the old one. By the way it looked I don't know how it was pumping anything. Some people say that they should be changed every 2 years. The guys at Lynnwood Marine recommend every 5 years.

[Lootas1]

They sure don't make motors the way they used to. I believe the '47 Firestone outboard is still running on the original impeller. They were solid aluminum. It was pissing a stream last time I saw it. Anyway, you're right. I think I'll have the impeller on the 'Rude 50 replaced. While it is also sending water from Lummi Island to the range land on Western Wyoming, I don't really like doing that job and guess if I get a new ski mask and hit a different bank this time, I'll just pay the expert to make the motor right. And thanks Tim for the heads up on WD40. I've been spraying it on everything for years but I do need to keep up with the times. Ever use CorrosionX? Can says "can revive equipment even after saltwater immersion." Now that's my kind of lubricant!

[Tim_Mattson]

Jerry ,
Here is what happens when a shaft is left in a powerhead too long......
Part of the reason for pulling a lower unit is to freshen up all the lube on bolts,shafts and to keep corrosion from building up in the lower reaches of the pump.Under those SS plates with various dis-similar metal is usually caked with salt or scale.It can scarf out the seals and chrome surface on the shaft if left alone too long.
Motor shown is a 1985 4 hp OMC "Belgium" with very little time.....ran ok but seemed a little weak on water flow so I pulled the lower unit and found one impeller blade torn and about to go up the tube.
Trouble was ,the shaft pulled right thru the water pump housing with keyway stuck hard.
Took ten DAYS of heating and slide hammering,only when I added a 5 lb Brass hammer to my swing did it Creak.5 more whacks while working around the crankshaft got it on the floor.
Seems to be common on some years with less assy grease used is my guess.....

[Lootas1]

TEN DAYS! My attention span is more like 10 minutes. Funny thing about the '47 Firestone. When I got it running (new points and condenser only as I recall), I invited my elderly neighbor trout fishing. Yanked the starter rope and the motor started right up on first or maybe 2nd pull and boat started going backward! I thought how can this be as there is no shift on those old motors and you couldn't even turn the motor 180 to back up. Someone, it turned out, put a left hand prop on it. I had to find another prop to make the boat go forward. Anyway, it always pissed good and ran cool. My neighbor moved away years ago to California but still calls me every Christmas and we have a few laughs over our fishing trip where we trolled in reverse and caught our limits!

[Outlaw]

lootas1, did ya ever get the motor running?

Outlaw