Mercury 1996 30 HP Manual pull really hard to pull Why??

[plumbob4u]

So I bought this boat in 2021 with a Two Stroke Two cylinder 30 HP Mercury. I have used it twice due to health issues and trying
too pull start it is brutal. When you have in Neutral and pull the cord standing up with two hands it feels like only two cylinders are
firing so you get jammed up. Is is the recoil assembly that is defective or is their some type of neutral or in gear safety lockout ??
It feels like its in gear when I go to pull on it. I am getting estimates on installing a push button starter but in the same breadth the cost of that
I might just buy a new 9.9 w/electric start. Due to heart issues cardioligist says no pulling on the mannual at 70 years old.

 

[Ray Clark]

Been there, done that.

I bought my boat/motor in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. I paid $1200 for a 1979 Lund 14' with 1990 30HP Johnson pull start and trailer. I could get it started, occasionally, but it became apparent that even if I managed to get it running reliably that I was going to get tired of yanking on that starter rope pretty doggone quick. I'm 65 and the shoulders ain't what they used to be.

I looked for electric start conversion kits. I couldn't find any COMPLETE kits with flywheel, alternator, starter motor, yadda yadda. I looked for new and used stuff. I looked for donor motors within a reasonable drive of my home. That starter setup was going to cost $800 or more in parts, if I could find them, and then I still had to get the thing running reliably.

My hobby is fishing, not outboard motor repair. I do all my own preventive maintenance on vehicles and the 15 internal combustion engines I have around the acreage, and I will tackle things when they break, within limits. I hate finicky motors.

I sold the 30HP Johnson for $400, cash.

My ultimate solution was/is a new 2021 Merc 20HP EFI Four Stroke with electric start. Yes, it was a bit spendy, but it was delivered 7 weeks after I ordered it in January 2021, it hung straight on the boat with no fuss, it runs quiet and smooth, it doesn't stink like the old 2 cycle, is thrifty with 87 octane fuel, there's no oil to mix into the fuel, and the backup rope start works as easy as advertised (I've tried it). That Merc will push my boat with two fishermen and gear at 22 mph, which is plenty of speed for me on the lakes I fish.

Not saying you need to go out and buy new. But for me, the decision to buy new was finally made when it became apparent that if I didn't do so, then I was potentially going to waste months looking for the parts to horse onto the old outboard. I had already lost the first fishing season, and I wasn't willing to lose another one.

Good luck.

 

[gillhunter]

70 also. I have a Honda 9.9 electric start for similar reasons.

 

[overboard]

I have a 2 stroke Mercury 30 hp pull start and it is also brutal to start!
I installed just a starter, starter solenoid, battery cables, a starter switch, and a dedicated battery to start it, so far so good.
I bought a used OEM Mercury starter off of e bay, and also the other parts that I needed, including the battery cables. Everything that I purchased was in good to excellent condition and is doing the job, only thing is that it doesn't charge the battery, but with the limited # of times I need to start the motor I'm good to go, and if needed I have other batteries on the boat that I could hook up to.
Just something to consider doing, it didn't cost me that much doing it the way I did it, plus probably easier to sell with the electric start even though it doesn't have the charging system on it.

 

[MN Fisher]

When I was looking for a motor for the F-9 rebuild - I specifically limited it to electric start...and that's what I got

1973 Evinrude 25hp Electric start - I retrofitted an Emergency Cut-Off Switch so I'm fully up to code.

 

[airshot]

I hear all you guys, I am 72, my pull start days have long past, with the exception of my 2.2 hp kicker motor. Had an old Jonnyrude 30 hp manual years back, that was also a bear to pull start, but it started easy....good thing !! Those day care long gone, at our ages, time to take it easy and enjoy the fruits of our labor !!

 

[Basstrackertx17]

When I bought my boat 28 years ago I decided to explore the emergency rope start scenario.
I thought I was going break the rope or the handle.
Starting snowmobiles, big generators etc was a cake walk.
Took me a while to figure out how to actually roll it over without having my male parts
laying on the deck.
The trick for mine was a little shot of starting fluid in each carb. Warm or cold.
I’ve been lucky and carrying a set of jumper cables to steal power from my trolling battery
has avoided my journey back in time.
Starting a Mercury 40HP 4cyl with a rope is a accomplishment for your ego.. LOL

Sometimes, like others have said, enjoying your time on the water should not have to
be a chore. Be smart, be happy. You know it’s time. Electric start for the win… Weather
it’s a refit, or a new motor. I wish you well.

 

[gillhunter]

This seems to have become an "old man's" thread. My first boat ( when I was much much younger, 70 now) had a 20hp pull start Merc. It started on the first pull after it had been warmed up, but cold starts were another story. My next 4 boats were all electric start.

 

[LDUBS]

71 years old. What's a pull start?

 

[Ray Clark]

This seems to have become an "old man's" thread. My first boat ( when I was much much younger, 70 now) had a 20hp pull start Merc. It started on the first pull after it had been warmed up, but cold starts were another story. My next 4 boats were all electric start.

Get off my lawn.

Now it's an old man's thread.

 

[thill]

The parts can be bought pretty cheaply on Ebay if your timing is right.

 

[Still Afloat]

The EFI and compression release makes the new motors easy to start even without an electric starter. Having said that, I wouldn’t give up my electric starter.

Now if I just had power tilt/trim…

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Get your boat off my lawn.

Now it's an old man's thread.

Fify

I’ve found that it’s not necessary to pull hard/fast on the pullstart , just a hood form pull will do it.

But hey, I’m still in short pants here at 55.

 

[Ray Clark]

The EFI and compression release makes the new motors easy to start even without an electric starter. Having said that, I wouldn’t give up my electric starter.

Now if I just had power tilt/trim…

I think I read something about the compression release in the literature on the new motors.

You're right about power tilt & trim. But unfortunately, that's the "bridge too far" for my 44-year-old Lund.