[rashouri87]

Im pretty new to small outboards and manual starts and things of that nature. So I just bought a 2002 (?? not sure of the year exactly, but its either late 90's or early 2000's) Suzuki 6hp two stroke for my gheenoe from a friend. He took it and got it serviced before selling it, new plugs, rebuilt carb, ect. When i got it back at first it cranked first pull every time without even choking it. Now I can't get it to start without choking it after it cools down from use. After the initial start, the motor cranks up first pull without choking, i.e., I go for a little while, shut down the motor, fish, 10-15 minutes later I go to crank it and it turns right over, first pull, no choke, no hassle.

Is this normal?

Could I just be over-priming it or could it be something more sinister??

Once or twice I forgot to open the valve on the tank, but corrected it very shortly after, could this ruin the motor by causing it to run too lean? I use a 75:1 ratio as per the previous owner's instruction, the manual says 100:1 but the previous owner said it runs better 75:1.

Could this choking issue become a larger issue down the road?

Also, When I was taking the motor out of my trunk once, i tripped over my trailer tounge and fell over with the motor in my hands into some dirt, could this seriously damage the motor?

I do NOT want to find out the hard way that I had messed up my motor and this was a symptom of a bigger problem. I'd prefer not to get stranded in a remote location. Sorry about the 21 questions, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Thanks!

 

[Brett]

Using the choke to start a cold motor is not a problem.
Using the choke to keep it running once it starts, is a problem.
If it still runs after the short trip, and no visible damage, keep on running.
Keep the motor bolted to the transom until you get back home, safer for the motor.
Get a 2 piece kayak paddle for emergency use, it's better than a canoe paddle.

Welcome to the forum...

 

[Un-shore]

Hello and welcome. Sounds like your motor is working just fine. A warm motor is much easier to start than a cold one.

I'm not sure with your motor but most modern motors the "choke" is really a primer that shoots a little fuel into the motor to get it started. So if you have been running and stop for a little while there will still be fuel in the cylinder ready to fire. So thats why it starts without choking it.

If it sits long enough for that fuel to evaporate thats when you would have to choke it to start it again.

Dropping it in the dirt would only be a problem if you had the cover off and got dirt into the carb, or if the impact broke something.

 

[TomFL]

I'd be more worried about your shin on that trailer tongue than the motor.

-T

 

[rashouri87]

!

Thanks so much for the welcomes and the replies! I went out today and dropped her in a bucket and cranked her up, priming slightly less than I have been, no choke, first pull fired right up! I guess I've been over-priming a little bit lately? At least I know now that having to choke a cold motor doesn't mean there's something wrong with it. I'm learning a lot about all this stuff, as I'm very very new to it. I'll probably be posting quite a bit with all the new questions I have and info I'm trying to absorb so I really appreciate it.

 

[Un-shore]

We work for beer...

 

[rashouri87]

I had a new problem today when I took it out...

I was idling along in gear at the very lowest throttle setting, after 5 or so minutes of that, the engine just shut off and did not seem to want to come back on. It sputtered to life a couple of times and then would shut down. After a while, I finally got her kicked up after squeezing the primer bulb and choking and off we went. I shut her down again, fished more, kicked her back up like nothing ever happened. Is this normal??

 

[Brett]

Sounds like you ran out of fuel in the float bowl of the carb.
Squeezing the bulb restored the fuel level allowing for the easier restart.
If a fuel line is old, the seals at the connectors get worn and allow air to leak in which prevents proper fuel flow.
Operating at low rpms there is not enough suction at the fuel pump to overcome the leakage.
The engine continues to run on the fuel in the float bowl until depleted.