Boating and Sailing.pdf - Moja ladja

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Part 2: The Basics of Operation
2. Pump up the fuel bulb (shown in the following figure), if there is one. Most outboards
have fuel bulbs about the size of an oblong tennis ball placed in the fuel line,
either in the motor well or in a compartment near the stern. Just follow the fuel line
and you’ll find it. Squeeze the bulb until it’s firm. This means that there’s a solid
charge of fuel from the bulb into the engine.
The primer or fuel bulb is a
small pumping device that
pushes fuel into the carburetor
when squeezed. It’s usually
found within a foot or
two of the motor.
3. Make sure the drive gears are in neutral. On single-lever systems like most outboards
and stern drives, this will be when the shifting lever is straight up. There’s a
detent or slot in the shifter housing so that the throttle lever clicks as it goes into
neutral. Wiggle the lever around until you feel this click. Most motors will not
crank unless the gears are in the neutral position.
4. On inboards and some performance boats, the throttle or fuel lever is separate from
the shifting lever. The fuel lever has a red knob, the shifting lever a black knob.
Advance the red knob slightly to start, but keep the black one centered for neutral.
5. Prime or choke the motor if needed. On fuel-injected motors this won’t be necessary.
Otherwise, push the choke or prime button. Sometimes it’s built into the ignition
key and you prime by pushing in on the key as you turn it. Choke or prime as
you crank the engine for about 5 to 10 seconds.
6. Some motors start best if the throttle is advanced slightly. On single-lever controls,
you do this without putting the motor into gear by pushing a lockout button on the
throttle base and then advancing the throttle. Move it only an inch or so—don’t
push it all the way forward or the motor will start at 5,000 rpms!
7. Normally, the motor starts, or at least coughs, within the first 10 seconds. Once it
coughs, there’s fuel in the cylinders—don’t prime or choke it again right away or
you’ll flood it (that is, you’ll get an excessive amount of liquid fuel into the firing
chamber and make it tough for the spark plugs to touch it off).
8. Once the motor starts, you may have to give several short bursts of choke to keep it
running, particularly on chilly mornings.
9. After about 20 seconds, you can pull the throttle back to idle speed. The motor
should now run normally. If it stumbles and quits after it’s been running a minute or
two, don’t choke it again. Simply put it in neutral and restart it.