Black scorpion hard starting
 

So I wondering if any body has to crank the ignition harder than lets say a car for instance, mine is almost to the point of being tricky. Mine is in a Sanger and my buddy has a nautique that he has to put the boat outta gear but a little throttle. My other buddy has to pump his throttle twice then crank ,so basically I am wondering is this coincidence or all boats have there lil tricks and quirks? Also by me having to crank my ignition the way I do is there something that could be causing this issue? Thanks

We need a little more info. Are these motors fuel injected or carbureted. also what year model.

2003 fuel injected for me , the nautique is injected also , my other buddies is carburated

These engines use the MerCruiser multi-port injection system that is suppose to provide a dependable turn-key start by optimizing the fuel/air distribution to each cylinder and providing a digital electronic spark. Once it has fuel, it should start without delay.

You didn't mention if it was all the time or at first start for the day/week/month. Sometimes EFI engines will not start right away due to low fuel pressure. Try waiting 5-10 seconds after selecting the ignition on prior to cranking the engine. When was the last time you used injector cleaner? Of course the follow-on is that computer or sensor issues may need troubleshooting. Ensure all your wire connections to the sensors and computer are secure and not pinched. Have your engine scanned if all else fails.

Carbed engine is common to pump it before it starts. Boat motors are big displacement and they can take a bit longer to crank. If the plugs are old it will take a bit longer to start. Other than that, Frank gave you some good info.

You should NEVER have to give it any throttle when starting a fuel injected motor.


Just for reference I have that motor in my Tahoe (or what is probably as close to that motor as it gets for a car) and it is always worse if I accidentally give it a pump on the throttle.

I also had the Merc MAGSKI circa 1998 fuel injected motor and it never needed any throttle. My newer Mastercraft MCX starts within a second every time no throttle. The 1998 MAGSKI started in about 2 seconds after being off all this winter. I think last year I thought I'd give it a pump before starting and it took about 4 or 5 seconds that time.

The new DBW or electric throttle motors actually open the throttle plate 25 to 30 percent at key on to help the motor start. Older PEFI systems use an IAC valve to stabilize the idle because the throttle plate is moved via a cable hooked to the helm control. Lack of air for start or idle may be caused by a dirty or faulty IAC valve. It is actually common on black scorpion motors because the IAC is under the plenum on the even cylinder bank side and only has a small brillo pad looking filter to protect it. The filter gets plugged up or may deteriorate as well.

Where exactly is the iac valve at