Long cranking

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Whenever it is below 55 degrees or so my 89 200s take a LONG time to fire.

I prime well and use the choke but they crank and crank (quite fast cranking) and finally start.

Should I close the plug gaps up a bit?

Nature of the beast?

[boats.net]

Try using the manual choke lever on front of bottom cowling instead of electric choke to see if starts better.

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The electric chokes are definately working. It doesn't even try to fire until they have cranked 3 sessions of about 15 seconds of cranking. Over 60 degrees one 10 second crank does the trick.

[Uncle Buck]

do you have a high idle lever on the the throttle?

i have them for my merc outboards...

[mitch]

have you done a compression test

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Yes, have the high idle up some. Compression is even but not that high. 105 to 115.

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Wouldn't closing the spark plugs gaps to .035 (or even .030) from .040 help it fire up in cold weather? The other day it was in the mid 40s and thought they we not going to light at all. Both motors act exactly the same.

[99yam40]

I believe that a longer spark would be a hotter spark, it takes more voltage to jump the gap, but the motor is designed to do it. The gap is resistance and more voltage is needed to overcome that larger resistance. If you are having low voltage to the spark plug then you need to be looking at some of the components of the ignition system. Measure voltages like the manual calls for and make sure they are in spec

If the choke butterflies do not close off as they should they do not work very well, make sure they are adjusted properly.
I would think if you turn over a motor for 15 seconds and longer with the choke on it would flood the motor if they are closing as they should.
Just my opinion

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So maybe try 15 sec with choke then some cranking without?

It seems though that they want fuel/choke.

When you prime with the bulb does it just prime to the fuel pums or does it go all the way and fill the carbs?

[99yam40]

primer bulb will fill up the bowls as long as you pump it up until it is real firm, not just a little.

Like I said, if the choke is working properly it should just take a few seconds of choking not 15 to 45

Have you ever read your owners manual on starting procedure?
Mine says to not run the starter more than 5 seconds at a time and give it a rest and then try again. Repeat as necessary, this is to keep from overheating the starter motor. But it is a prime start model without a choke.

But any motor I have had with a choke, cars, boats, motorcycles, etc. would not take more than a few seconds of choke before flooding if the choke was closing completly

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I'm using non resistor plugs as called for in 1989. Is it possible that using resistor plugs would help with this? Possibly forcing the ignition to hold back then put out more? On cars with CD ignitions that was the case. Secondary resistance made the boxes put out more.