Hey guys, I'm new to the forum and just bought my first boat. It's a 2003 bass tracker pro team 165 with a mercury 40HP 2 stroke. I have only had the boat out 3 times so far. Everytime before I took the boat out on the river I ran the motor at the house for 5 minutes or so. And each time it started right up after 1 or 2 cranks of the key. But when I get down to river 5 minutes later, it takes 10-15 minutes to get it started back up. Can someone give me some advice. I'm not sure what's going on, and why it won't start in the river but will in my driveway. If you need more information to help just let me know. Thanks guys!

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum and just bought my first boat. It's a 2003 bass tracker pro team 165 with a mercury 40HP 2 stroke. I have only had the boat out 3 times so far. Everytime before I took the boat out on the river I ran the motor at the house for 5 minutes or so. And each time it started right up after 1 or 2 cranks of the key. But when I get down to river 5 minutes later, it takes 10-15 minutes to get it started back up. Can someone give me some advice. I'm not sure what's going on, and why it won't start in the river but will in my driveway. If you need more information to help just let me know. Thanks guys!

I hope you're running it in the driveway with muffs on, or in a dunk tank, otherwise you've probably destroyed the impeller (and or the water pump). Huge no no. Sounds like you're overheating the engine. The engine will not re-start if overheated.

Hey guys, I'm new to the forum and just bought my first boat. It's a 2003 bass tracker pro team 165 with a mercury 40HP 2 stroke. I have only had the boat out 3 times so far. Everytime before I took the boat out on the river I ran the motor at the house for 5 minutes or so. And each time it started right up after 1 or 2 cranks of the key. But when I get down to river 5 minutes later, it takes 10-15 minutes to get it started back up. Can someone give me some advice. I'm not sure what's going on, and why it won't start in the river but will in my driveway. If you need more information to help just let me know. Thanks guys!

I hope you're running it in the driveway with muffs on, or in a dunk tank, otherwise you've probably destroyed the impeller (and or the water pump). Huge no no. Sounds like you're overheating the engine. The engine will not re-start if overheated.

I am running it on muffs with a water hose running into it. Sorry I should said that in my post.

Bulb may be losing prime. Do you have to keep pumping it up to get it to start when you get to the river? Probably in the fuel delivery. What kind of tank do you have? Is it a 6 gallon removable tank? Can it be something as simple as opening the vent on the gas tank? Just throwing some questions out there to check. Check the above and then move on to the filters and fuel pump. Let us know.

i would recommend getting the carbs cleaned. My boat had the same problem. would start first time at home but would take forever to start at the ramp and then would run like crap. got the carbs cleaned and starts on the first crank when in the water.

What kind of gas tank do you have and has gas sat in the tank for an extended period of time? I had the same issue with a 9.9 Mecrury. I cleaned the carb a couple different times and it would run fine until trash clogged it up again, usually after 5-10 minutes of running. The fuel filter will stop the larger trash, but won't catch the small stuff that will clog your jets. I ended up buying a new gas tank and primer bulb with hoses and never had another problem.

The gas we have available to us (10% Ethanol) is pure crap and will gum up your carb in no time. Are you using an additive to your fuel? When's the last time you had it in the shop for a tune-up and/or carb cleaning?

Running in the driveway right and not in the water, back pressure or nasty gas after it was ran a while.

Bulb may be losing prime. Do you have to keep pumping it up to get it to start when you get to the river? Probably in the fuel delivery. What kind of tank do you have? Is it a 6 gallon removable tank? Can it be something as simple as opening the vent on the gas tank? Just throwing some questions out there to check. Check the above and then move on to the filters and fuel pump. Let us know.

Once I pump up the primer bulb it stays firm. How would I tell if my primer bulb is going bad? The gas tank is not a removable. It's a 13 gallon tank that came with the boat. I have not tried the vent on the tank.

i would recommend getting the carbs cleaned. My boat had the same problem. would start first time at home but would take forever to start at the ramp and then would run like crap. got the carbs cleaned and starts on the first crank when in the water.

I will look into getting my carbs cleaned. I have heard of people using sea foam to clean there carbs? How did you clean yours? Thanks

The gas we have available to us (10% Ethanol) is pure crap and will gum up your carb in no time. Are you using an additive to your fuel? When's the last time you had it in the shop for a tune-up and/or carb cleaning?

Yes, most of the gas around here is 10% Ethanol. The gas that's in the tank is a couple of months old but was treated with Stabil Marine. I used the correct amount for storage (1 ounce per 5 gallons). The motor was serviced by a boat mechanic 2 weeks ago. He change the spark plugs, lower lube, and water impeller. He also made adjustments to the idle and timing advance. Thanks

Still sounds like overheat. Sometimes those muffs do not provide enough volume to effectively circulate water throughout the powerhead. I'd suggest skipping the driveway tests. There's really no need for it. The last thing you need to do is to fry a piston or warp a head. If it starts fine there, it'll start fine at the pond.

I should also add that my problem starting is only on a cold start. Once it starts on the river it will start at a flick of the key after that. Thanks