Newbie questions on motors

[aya16]

Well I started my 135 v6 carb with a rope. when you need to do it a 60 would be easy as long as you have enough battery to run the fuel injection
unless you couldnt punch your way out of a wet paper bag...

[baldbaby2000]

I'm disappointed in the alternator output on my Tohatsu 40hp (2-stroke) carburated. I see that the 40 hp TLDI puts out 25 Amps whereas mine is rated at 11 Amps. This would be a factor in any engine I chose.

Both my Tohatsu 50 hp TLDI and 40hp carburated 2 stroke easily start with a rope.

[Divecoz]

I did not start mine but I did pull it and it is very do-able provided you have enough juice for the EFI part 50 hp merc bf btw

[Moe]

According to the Mercury Service Manual, the ECM in the Mercury EFI only takes 6 volts to operate. The "high" (42-44 psi) pressure pump for the fuel injection takes a minimum of 8 volts for 2 seconds to pressurize the system on key on. Voltages less than 10V or more than 16V activate the Guardian system, which for this problem, limits rpm to 75%. Given this, it would be possible to pull start it sometimes when the starter solenoid and motor drop the voltage too low to keep the starter engaged.

[Catigale]

A battery would - have to be really, really dead to go below 8 Volts

I looked into the Smartcraft system but IIRC it was $1000....is it still that expensive?

[argonaut]

Just pull-starting does not mean it will start when your batteries fail.
It mean that it -may- start.
Best test is a depleted battery, but there are failure modes (open cell,etc) where I think you're SOL, unless you have a backup 4hp.
If being without outboard is a real peril I think I'd want a 50hp and a kicker over a 60hp and no spare.
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[Chip Hindes]

I'm disappointed in the alternator output on my Tohatsu 40hp (2-stroke) carburated. I see that the 40 hp TLDI puts out 25 Amps whereas mine is rated at 11 Amps. This would be a factor in any engine I chose.

though this is certainly a consideration, make sure you're comparing apples to apples. Some of this is marketing specmanship (mine's bigger than yours). The specs almost always quote max alternator output, not bothering to subtract out what's used to keep the motor running. The high pressure pump, computer, and injectors of the EFI system consume way more power than a carbureted motor, which only needs spark. I don't know how much this might be but I would guess it's several amps minimum, more at higher motor speeds. Though certainly not 14.

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

In one of my Mac Videos, Roger MacGregor comments something similar to: "....we limit the horsepower so it can be hand started if the battery fails" .... Anyone know where he put the rope pulling system on my Nissan 50 HP. I havent seen any hand starting systems on a Mac yet, and cant help but wonder, do they exist

[Chip Hindes]

Anyone know where he put the rope pulling system on my Nissan 50 HP.

That's the same as my Tohatsu, which I was able to easily rope start this summer when both batteries went on the trip to Bimini. This is covered in the owners' manual, and the original motor tool kit even has a short length of rope for just this purpose.

Pull off the engine cover, then the flywheel cover (three machine screws with rubber washers) then the flywheel cover itself. You'll find a notched pully just like the old lawmower rope start pullies.

Here's the story of my antics from an earlier post:

Well, here goes nothing, I thought. I removed the hood and top cover, wrapped the starting rope around the flywheel as many times as it would go, turned on the key, pulled the manual choke, grabbed the wrench I had tied to the running end of the starter rope with both hands, pulled it just a little until I felt some compression resistance, then put both shoulders and all 220 lbs into a heroic pull on the rope.

The motor fired in about the first four inches of rope travel and those same 220 lbs were deposited face first on the starboard side cockpit seat. Fortunately, I was at anchor rather than docked and in the early morning nobody had a chance to observe the tumbling routine.

Probably 8 or ten more times during the trip, it started first time, every time, quicker than with the electric starter, and way easier than my 4HP 4S dinghy motor. Though one caveat; I found it's easy to forget to turn the key on. It absolutely won't start without it

After about seven days of this, just prior to the trip back to the States a friend took pity on me and lent me one of those self contained jump start units. Worked eight or ten more times like a charm, even though I never recharged it because I was afraid my charging system might not be working properly. I plan to get one.

I never put the flywheel cover back on until after I got the new batteries. Too much trouble, and dangerous with the motor running. Just keep your body parts away while you have the hood off.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

My 2000 Merc BF 50 has a little pouch with the starting rope in it attached to the inside of the motor cover...so that it won't ever get lost I suppose which is a good idea. I've never used it on this motor, but I have handstarted a much older 90HP two smoke many years ago. Wasn't a big deal, but the transom area on that boat was much less cluttered too. I consider hand starting a single engine airplane to be much more risky.

[Frank C]

Sorry, what are these `self contained jump start units' Chip Hindes writes about? A kind of supplementary battery?

Yep, it's a sealed battery with jumper cables attached, with a handy carry handle. They have a 110v cord to recharge from a wall socket. Mine also has a built-in air compressor.

Harbor Freight shows three of them at about $70 (type the word "jumpstart" into their search field). But these things are heavy so shipping would be costly. Prices in neighborhood discount stores range from $50 to $80.

I've decided that it's wasteful to dedicate a full-sized battery just for starting the outboard, so I carry this jumpstarter back and forth to the boat each day - recharge it at home.

[Catigale]

They are a perfect complement to the up North Sailor, since you put the in the back of the Admirals car in the winter months, then you dont have to worry about her being stranded with a dead battery.

We also use ours in the house with an inverter to power our fireplace furnace when there is a power outage of more than a few hours.

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

Can someone recommend one of these jumpstart units over another one? Or ar they all pretty much the same?

[Catigale]

I did get a deal on a demo model at West Marine and spent about $40 for mine with a flashlight too.

If I had my druthers, I would recommend getting the one with a built in compressor too - useful at home and on boat!

I think those are also about $70-80, maybe without the blue waves adding the 50% markup though..