1986 Evinrude 40 Tiller, How to wire fuel primer solenoid

[samuelh1987]

Picked up a 1986 Evinrude 40 Tiller motor on a project hull. The fuel primer solenoid was wired to a aftermarket switch that was added to the lower right motor cover. It had a momentary switch that the toggle snapped off on the way home due to a hard stop and the motor swinging to the side. How should the primer be wired to be correct? My motor only has the push button start.

 

[Pappy]

There should be a purple wire with a white tracer that goes to the primer. That is your power wire. For ground there should already be a black wire coming out of the primer and grounded by one of the two mount screws.
OMC never used a toggle switch so that was wired after the fact. Regardless, one side of a momentary on/off switch should have a fused power wire going to it and the other wire should be the purple/white Easy enough.

 

[samuelh1987]

I knew that switch was added at some point. Thank you!

 

[thill]

Is your motor set up for remote starting, or do you have a tiller for it?

As stated above, the purple/white wire from the key switch harness should be connected to the purple/white wire of the solenoid. You may have a bad key switch or a broken wire in the harness.

But if that motor has been set up with just a push button start, with no way to prime the motor, that's why they made a "choke/prime" button. It should work the same way as pushing the key in momentarily during cold starts. Should give a shot of fuel to help it get going.

 

[samuelh1987]

Is your motor set up for remote starting, or do you have a tiller for it?

As stated above, the purple/white wire from the key switch harness should be connected to the purple/white wire of the solenoid. You may have a bad key switch or a broken wire in the harness.

But if that motor has been set up with just a push button start, with no way to prime the motor, that's why they made a "choke/prime" button. It should work the same way as pushing the key in momentarily during cold starts. Should give a shot of fuel to help it get going.

My motor has a tiller handle with push button start.

 

[samuelh1987]

Erased

 

[Pappy]

That does not make sense. If the start leads were rerouted to the primer switch that would make the primer switch into the start switch.
No brown leads go to a primer switch or button that is for sure. Now we are talking about re-wiring a start switch?

 

[samuelh1987]

So, On a E40TECD is the electric start button on the side of the tiller / steering arm? That's where mine is located. Also the wires are more of a dark grey or black.

Also, There was a button on the center of the steering arm bracket that was disconnected and removed.

I assume the shutoff switch is on the end of the tiller handle.

We did a spark and compression test on the motor when I got it, both cylinders were 125 each, and it produced a strong spark. I also checked gear oil and it was brown with no sign of milkiness.


I will attach photos of tiller handle.

 

[thill]

Somewhere in an earlier pic I got the impression that your motor was a remote-start motor that had been converted to a tiller handle. Nothing wrong with that, but sometimes people move things around.

Start button is often where you describe and the kill button is usually on the end of the tiller handle. One wire should go to ground, and the other should go to the black/yellow wire. So when you push the button, it grounds the ignition and the engine stops.

Being able to stop the engine is pretty important.

 

[Pappy]

Okay.......Not sure why anyone would want to do that to an engine. There should be two black wires that connect to the safety or kill switch at the end of the tiller. One to ground and the other goes into what is known as an "amphenol' connector. The other end of that connector should have the black/yellow lead which is your ignition ground. Thill is correct
The start switch originally should have had a red power lead going in to it and a yellow/red coming out that went to one side of the start solenoid. That way, when depressed it would supply power to the solenoid to close the contacts and direct power to the starter.

 

[samuelh1987]

The motor does run, even with the wiring issues and it leaking fuel at both T fittings. I was correct that the kill button functioned on the tiller handle. I didn't want to spend my time correcting someones project. So, I sold the Evinrude this morning and bought another motor in excellent condition from a reputable seller.

I ended up with that 40 horse because it came on the boat and the seller wouldn't split the pair. It was far too much motor for that boat.

I don't care about going fast, I just want to putt around and enjoy my time on the water lol.

 

[Pappy]

So you bought a 9..5hp.
Do yourself a favor and find an OEM carb kit while you can. Be careful of the upper mounts on those engines as well. You can check yours by grabbing the flywheel and pulling straight forward and rearward. Check the gearcase for water. I would imagine the dealer changed out the lube already so you will not be able to tell if it is leaking until it has had a trip or two on it. There is more to check and service on this engine as well but we can save that for later.
I would run a bit of additional oil in the fuel as well. 32:1 or 40:1. OMC said run 50:1 on engines produced after 1964 but with older engines and 3-ring pistons it always is better to give them a bit more lubrication.

 

[samuelh1987]

So you bought a 9..5hp.
Do yourself a favor and find an OEM carb kit while you can. Be careful of the upper mounts on those engines as well. You can check yours by grabbing the flywheel and pulling straight forward and rearward. Check the gearcase for water. I would imagine the dealer changed out the lube already so you will not be able to tell if it is leaking until it has had a trip or two on it. There is more to check and service on this engine as well but we can save that for later.
I would run a bit of additional oil in the fuel as well. 32:1 or 40:1. OMC said run 50:1 on engines produced after 1964 but with older engines and 3-ring pistons it always is better to give them a bit more lubrication.

I had a 9.5 before and am familiar with the engine mounts and exhaust leak. Thank you for the input.

 

[Pappy]

Well heck! You are way ahead of the game then.

 

[thill]

Hopefully, you did well with selling the 40. Those are great motors when you get them right.

I'm not a fan of those older engines. They have points and the carbs are finicky. Hopefully, you didn't pay much and it runs great for you!

 

[samuelh1987]

Hopefully, you did well with selling the 40. Those are great motors when you get them right.

I'm not a fan of those older engines. They have points and the carbs are finicky. Hopefully, you didn't pay much and it runs great for you!

I made enough off of the 40hp to finish my hull rehab and purchase the 9.5hp (included tank & donor motor), trolling motor, & keep any eye out for a 18-25hp.

Next new motor I get will be another portable unit with EFI. I'm not using my boats enough to justify a $3000+ motor currently. Hopefully that'll change in a year or so haha

 

[thill]

I made enough off of the 40hp to finish my hull rehab and purchase the 9.5hp (included tank & donor motor), trolling motor, & keep any eye out for a 18-25hp.

And THAT is how you do it. Use what you have to get what you want. Nice.

 

[samuelh1987]

And THAT is how you do it. Use what you have to get what you want. Nice.

When it comes to fun items I always try to spend what I make off another item. Whether it be boats, kayaks, outboards, or guitars. Ohh, you were right about the finicky carb. Waiting on a BRP carb kit to fix a flooding issue haha

 

[thill]

If I recall correctly, the float is the often the biggest issue. You have to bend the tab exactly right so it gets fuel, but still closes properly. And it's cork, so it gets a little oil soaked, and then no amount of tweaking will get it to run well. If your kit comes with a new float, you should be all set, as long as you have the condenser and points clean and working properly.

If the spark gets weak, the carb issues get magnified. Will look like flooding, but really it's just not burning the fuel properly. Do a spark gap test before making yourself too crazy or definitely if the carb kit doesn't seem to work.

 

[samuelh1987]

Seller had put a aftermarket Chinese carb kit in it. Float was extremely lopsided with the free end being over a quarter inch higher with the top inverted. Float Was also crooked and rubbing on the side of the bowl. I purchased an OEM kit and service manual for a 68 and it appears to be running great currently. Idles with the hood on too lol