re: UPDATE: Outboard won’t fire…need some tips

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With a fancy one like an optimal or etech yes. Old school oil injection just sprayed oil into the carb IIRC.

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True but it is atomized so should be sucked into the venturi if I recall correctly (and I probably don't ).

In all regards, I'm guessing there is something inhibiting the spark. I would simply use a spark tester to check that rather than either, though. If he is getting a low oil indication, that may be the thing inhibiting him.

Combustion needs fuel & spark...well also air but thats not usually the problem. You are not getting one or more.

Hook up the car and jumper cables so you can turn the engine over a couple times.

Fuel: prime fuel then turn engine over a few times. Then pull a spark plug. If the cylinder is getting fuel there will be raw fuel on the end of the plug. Same with other cylinder(s).

Spark: pull a spark plug and have a helper turn over motor briefly while you watch for a visible pulsing arc of electricity. Then do the other or others. Same thing. You will know if you have spark or not.

There's also compression but you'd think if it was running a few years ago and not ran since, thats probably not the problem.

Then there's the oil matter. Call your FIL and find out if you're supposed to put 2 stroke oil in the little tank or mix it with the gas. My old outboard has the oil injection setup but its disabled, so it has a tank for 2 stroke oil but it is not used.

Maybe someone knows if the oil injection on that motor might cut off spark to kill the engine if it detects an empty tank. Also might mean even if there's oil in the tank and the sensor is bad, spark is cut off. Its worth knowing the answer. Your humming or whatever may or not be the low oil alarm.

Take the batteries to get tested if they don't work after trickle charge for a day or two.


This is all simple stuff if you have basic tools and youtube and the OB.

won't fire when turning over
won't turn over

air
fuel
compression
spark

if it has carbs disassemble and clean them