I have a '77 Rude that the carbs and fuel pump has been replaced in. Also the primer bulb is fairly new. Once this motor fires up it runs great idles perfect and everything else.

The problem is when you first start in the morning you have to manually shoot a little gas to get it to run. The manual says the culprit is the primer bulb but tests confirmn this is good.

Any ideas?

I have an '82 model 35 hp Evinrude that does the same thing, it is only 'cold natured', allow it time to warm up, that works for mine!

what does "manually shoot a little gas" mean?

I have an 81 115 and it wont start unless you pump the bulb, raise the fast idle and choke it several times. I have to raise the fast idle every time I start it after that. Very cold natured.

sounds like crank seals going out. the motor doesn't create enough vacuum for a cold start. My '75 85hp johnson did this 'till i replaced the seals.

Just to ask the question.........does the choke work? If your control box has a choke switch, you must continually keep it activated until the engine starts, and afterwards "feather" it to keep the engine running. It also applies to the choke in the key switch. You must Keep it pushed in to make the choke work. If you just push the choke a couple of times, then activate the starter. Your waisting your time and making the starter work overtime...

Choke is not the problem and you do not have to feather them on this engine. Manually shoot a little gas is using the fogging hole and using a syringe to put some gas in the intake before cranking.

Big bob your proly right. I will look into the crank seals. As I said, once it starts the first time of the day no further problems.

That's exactly what happened to me. You don't get enough vacuum to get it going. Mine starts right away now. Good luck!

jedt2, I see your from Buckholts...know any folk from Cameron?

On a 77 Rude, no matter what the HP, you have a butterfly choking system. When you crank the engine and starve the carbs for air the fuel vacuums threw the emulsion tube into the ventury. Therefore flooding fuel into the reed box and is now being sucked into the cylinders. IF YOUR BUTTERFLIES DO NOT CLOSE 100% you then are not producing the vacuum that it takes to make the fuel puke into the ventury. Hencefore THE CHOKE IS NOT WORKING. If it was the crankshaft seal leaking you will have a oily mixture running down the outside of the block making it quite evident that a problem exists and that problem also causes a lean mixture of fuel/air into the upper cylinders causing the engine to not idle correctly and will cause the upper cylinders to "burn up" due to the fact that air is entering into the system. When you introduce the fuel via a siringe. You are by passing the carbs function and choke system. And manually doing their job for them.

yup, got to take that airbox cover off & visually inspect the choke plates. how many carbs/what HP?


not sure what mike means by "feather", but I know that if she tries to die before she's warmed up good, bumping the choke will pick her back up.

I'll double check those chokes first did not see a problem earlier when I rebuilt and reinstalled them, but they're proly not set right. Also do not have an issue of anything leaking out. Was wonderindering why it started so good without choking after using that syringe. Was also wondering why you were so adamant about those chokes boatman cause I figured anybody would know how to use the electric choke lol.

Know quite a few from Cameron since only my mailing address is Buckholts but I went to school and do about everything else in Cameron. It is closer for me to drive to Cameron on paved roads than it is for me to drive to Buckholts on gravel. Go figure the US Postal service about 100 years ago when these mail routes were laid out.

I'll be.... grew up in Cameron and left about 5 years ago.....