Tips for cold starting my hard to start 2 stroke

[SummerTrance]

1999 Johnson 70hp 2 stroke.

Havent owned this motor for long, but its always been difficult to cold start, although I can always get it going. Once its been running, it starts and runs perfectly.
This morning I attempted to go fishing, but just couldnt get it started at the ramp. After almost an hour and with battery starting to struggle, I gave up and went home. I took it for a quick run on the river yesterday and was also difficult to start then, but it kicked over after a couple minutes. I have managed to get it running today back at home.

My last last motor was a four stroke which started every time with a flick of the key.
This is my first 2 stoke and Im after some tips for getting it started. It has the choke on the the key where you push it in as turning the key. The battery is near new and cranks well.

The procedure I use to cold start is:
1. Pump the primer bulb until hard, usually takes approx 8 pumps.
2. Turn the key whilst pushing in the choke, and then let off the choke once key is turned.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until it finally decides to kick over and start.

So am I doing something wrong ? Is there something else I should be doing. After it cranks for a while and doesnt start, Do I actually neeed to prime the bulb more ? Any tips would be great, so I dont get stranded at the ramp ever again.

[Steeler]

Not too many squeezes of the bulb ?. Had 2 strokes all my life and can't recall ever having to squeeze that many times.

Just a thought.

[Dan5]

You might just be over priming it and flooding it........8 pumps is a fair bit 2-3 would be enough I thought but I don't know your fuel system either.

Generally choke until it fires then no choke but each motor has it's likes and dislikes I suppose.............I've owned 4 strokes for 14 years so thankfully I've never had a starting issue.

Dan

[Noelm]

Use the warm up/fast idle lever, all the way up first off, and keep the choke on until it fires.

[hainsofast]

does a heap of smoke come out when you start it cold after a bit of trouble?

[WalrusLike]

My idler throttle needs to fully open if cold starting but be ready to pull it back to stop an initial high revving.

My manual said open it a bit but that never works. Fully open solved the issue. Yours may be the same?


(Using Tapatalk on iPhone so can't easily 'thank' or 'like')

[joey_1987]

You say you haven't owned it for long, have you checked the spark plugs? My 30hp 2s used to take a few more pulls than it should to start, changed plugs and started much more easily. You're not running more oil in it than you should? What others have said sounds plausible and I have seen it at the ramp-over prime-choke-won't fire after 10+ pulls. I had to help out two blokes one day with their brand new tinny/30hp Yamaha because they'd flooded it. Procedure: disconnect fuel line, open throttle to WOT, open choke, and after several pulls it will then clear the excess fuel and start to fire. If you can't open throttle in neutral gear then just disconnect fuel and open choke plus use fast idle as others have suggested. Also ditto what others have been saying, 2-3 pumps on primer is all that should be needed.

[Fed]

I agree with Noelm.

2. Turn the key whilst pushing in the choke, and then let off the choke once key is turned.

That means you're not choking it while trying to start it making it very hard with a cold 2 stroke motor.

FWIW your motor doesn't have a choke (butterflies) in the in the conventional sense, it has a primer solenoid which opens allowing fuel to squirt into the inlet manifold.
Being a 1999 it should also have quickstart which I believe speeds up the idle automatically subject to the motor temperature, you'd need to check that though because I've never personally owned one with that feature.

[Argle]

My old two strokes needed a rock hard primer bulb the the warm up lever wide open and a good dose of choke. The other thing I found was a great help was fitting a really high CCA battery so she spun over nice and fast seemed to help.

Failing that install a Suzuki and forget all the above advice

Cheers

[SummerTrance]

wow I went way for an hour and came back to all these great replies. Thanks guys. Seem like i may be giving it too much fuel, and not choking properly. I'll also go get some new plugs.

Bassmann, yeh is does smoke a bit on first start up.

[Justin Rossiter]

Another vote for the idle throttle, I push it down after a couple of seconds and the Yammy hums along nicely. I do this in conjunction with the choke out, then push it in once started. Had my young fella prime the outboard bulb a couple of months back he must of squeezed it about 23 times as the outboard was smoking like a Rasta for about 5 minutes after starting.

[Fed]

If you pump your primer bulb firmly & slowly you should get a sense for what's going on in the carbies.
I know with my V4 I can feel as each carby fills up and gets shut off at the needle & seat.
What I'm saying is there's no need to squeeze it like a maniac, you will get to know when the fuel bowls are full.

[RayLamp]

The simple solution is to get some 4 stroke yamahardness...

Gee yamahas are good. Just sayin...

[burleygu]

All Good advice mentioned above. I rebuilt my haines and it has a 1990 150 2 stroke mariner on it, I to had a 4 stroke so getting use to the starting routine of the older 2 strokes takes some time as each motor is different. Simply by pushing the choke in and letting it out as mentioned does not choke it I believe, You need to hold the choke in whilst turning over the motor. Once it fires then you should need no more choke. Re choking will cause the engine to flood. So after it has fired with some choke turn the ignition off give it abit of throttle then re start with no choke. Hopefully that should get it started each time. That's what has been working for me.
Cheers

[Gon Fishun]

I agree with Noelm.

That means you're not choking it while trying to start it making it very hard with a cold 2 stroke motor.

FWIW your motor doesn't have a choke (butterflies) in the in the conventional sense, it has a primer solenoid which opens allowing fuel to squirt into the inlet manifold.
Being a 1999 it should also have quickstart which I believe speeds up the idle automatically subject to the motor temperature, you'd need to check that though because I've never personally owned one with that feature.

Along with what these guys have said, is the choke solenoid working? Can you hear a click under the cowl when you push the key?

PS. You don't have to crank the motor to operate the choke. Turn key to on position, then push. It should be spring loaded, In the on position and you should hear the solenoid.