Difficulty starting a honda 50

[gary allen]

A question for this knowledgeable group...

I have twin Honda 50s on my CD22. For the second time yesterday, I had difficulty starting my starboard motor after I had turned it off for approximately 45 minutes of trolling for salmon with the port motor. It seemed to be getting plenty of juice, cranking away, but it just didn't want to kick over. Fuel delivery issue? It was a little nerve wracking because we were out when the wind picked up, so for about 15-20 minutes we limped back toward the marina in 5 to 6 foot wind waves on short intervals. Finally the starboard motor kicked over and ran fine the rest of the way home.

Ironically, the only other time I've had that problem was in similarily bumpy conditions. Any theories?

Thanks,
Gary

[rogerbum]

Sounds almost like a vapor lock issue. I'm not sure how it would be created but I do know how to test if this is the issue - take the fuel line off at the quick disconnect, use a the tip of a plier or similar device (something that won't scratch) to push in the sealing ball, pump several times with the fuel bulb, re-connect and see if it runs now. If so, probably had a vapor lock problem.

Was it unusually warm when this happened?

Roger on the SeaDNA

[C-Hawk]

Sometimes when you run 1 of 2, the engine that is running will pull fuel from the engine at rest. Did you try pumping the fuel bulb to verify it had fuel? I had that happen a couple times on another boat. Haven't had the problem on my CD22 with twin 40s

[gary allen]

Thanks the two Rogers for your responses. That's a good tip about a potential vapor lock issue. I'll try your suggested test if it happens next time. It definitely was not unusually warm--if anything, a colder evening than usual with that wind. We did try pumping the primer bulb--it seemd tight and full.

If anyone else has comments, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks.