'18 AR195 hard start after sitting a few hours

[Steve Wegrzyn]

Hi all. New '18 AR195 owner here, have about 15 hrs on the boat. Twice now after anchoring in a cove for a few hours, it's very hard to start - need to crank for 5-10 seconds multiple times to get it to fire. After that, runs and starts fine. The first time it happened, we anchored after a short cruise, so didn't work it hard prior. This past weekend, we tubed for a few hours before anchoring. I had the 10 hr service done prior to this weekend and the dealer checked plugs etc and didn't find anything wrong, but it still happened.

Any ideas? I read another thread that dealt with twins having a similar-sounding problem on the port engine but no real solution.

 

[d_coyne1984]

Is this after running the stereo off of the battery for a while? I have noticed the starter on mine really likes the juice and often sounds like it is just on the edge of not firing.

 

[SamCF]

May be vapor lock. Try idling with the blower on for a few minutes before shutting down.

 

[Steve Wegrzyn]

Is this after running the stereo off of the battery for a while? I have noticed the starter on mine really likes the juice and often sounds like it is just on the edge of not firing.

Yes stereo on for a few hours. It cranks fine, so I didn't think it was battery. I need to get a jump pack or just do the second battery install...

 

[Russ C]

I had this same problem, this may sound strange but fixed it. When I was pulling wakeboarders or a tube I had a habit of cutting off the engine as I approached the people in the water. The engine was usually close but not dead on idle. Then had a hard time starting just like you describe. Bring the throttle back to to “neutral” let it idle for just a few seconds before cutting engine off and it should start. I figured out out form an older thread somewhere on here.

 

[haknslash]

This can happen if you've been working the boat hard to get the temps up in the engine compartment. Others have found that making sure the blower is on for a few minutes before cranking usually resolves the issue. We had this happen to @Bill D 's 242 after surfing and could not get the port (surf side) engine to crank until after several attempts. If you search "vapor" you will find a lot of threads and results similar to what you're experiencing.

 

[Steve Wegrzyn]

Thanks all for the replies, I'll make sure to run the blower and monitor.

 

[renrab]

Only time I've noticed it was under extremely hot conditions, figured vapor locks or something

 

[njmr2fan]

Ive had this happen when my wife is driving and cuts the engines as she gets close to me in the water. Idling the motor for a few seconds before a hard shut down may help.

 

[jEt_jAk]

I have this same issue!! I was going to bring it back to have dealer check out. Will try suggestions here.

 

[malibu Dan]

I’ve got the same issue with my 17’.. even happens cold starting.. ordered new plugs and gonna see if that’s the issue.. only have 30 hours on it..

 

[malibu Dan]

Threw new plugs in today (took 5 minutes)... started right up.. guess I will be doing this each spring ...

 

[jEt_jAk]

Think you guys are right with the vapor lock. Took the boat out Saturday and made sure to run blower for longer, etc. Started up fine everytime.

 

[Lpennington]

@malibu Dan ... were you turning your blower on previously (prior to changing your plugs)?

Threw new plugs in today (took 5 minutes)... started right up.. guess I will be doing this each spring ...

 

[malibu Dan]

Yep.. ran the blower before cold starting before heading out on the water. Also before starting after sitting, beached for awhile.. new plugs, no blower started right up in the driveway..

 

[Ian Andrews]

I just had a tough time starting my 2018 AR195 on the lake after shutting down for a couple of hours. Definitely sounds like a fuel delivery issue. Likely a vapor lock. Prior to shutting down I had reduced speed and then shut down but from now on I will let the boat idle for a few seconds to ensure there is time for the engine to cool. Not a good feeling having to crank an engine on the lake. For the record I did not turn on the blower prior to initially restarting. Might also try opening the engine compartment to give it a breath of fresh air. My HO wave runner also scared the crap out of me once refusing to fire.

 

[jEt_jAk]

Mine still does occasionally but rare now.

 

[Steve Wegrzyn]

I just had a tough time starting my 2018 AR195 on the lake after shutting down for a couple of hours. Definitely sounds like a fuel delivery issue. Likely a vapor lock. Prior to shutting down I had reduced speed and then shut down but from now on I will let the boat idle for a few seconds to ensure there is time for the engine to cool. Not a good feeling having to crank an engine on the lake. For the record I did not turn on the blower prior to initially restarting. Might also try opening the engine compartment to give it a breath of freaky air. My HO wave runner also scared the crap out of me once refusing to fire.

Try running the blower for 5-10 min before you shut down to pull heat out. I've had good luck with that. Air temp was 90+ and water was 82 this last Sunday, and I had no issues starting up after pulling tubes for an hour and then shutting down and floating for a few more.

 

[swatski]

A short idle before shut down and blower on does the trick for me.

—

 

[Ian Andrews]

So here Is what I found out and it makes so much sense. I’m running a single battery and before leaving for the lake we had run a 12 Volt vacuum off the boat. Had no problem starting the boat before hitting the ramp. While on the lake we slowly made are way over to a spot and shut down the motor. We then did a quick high speed run to a different location. Once again shutting down the engine this time for about 2hrs. We had the radio on quietly. Go to try and start the boat and it would crank but not fire. According my Yamaha mechanic my Yamaha will not allow an ignition to occur unless there is enough battery power. The engine will crank but not fire. The fix is to run a separate battery for the stereo etc.. My issue is not vapor lock etc just low voltage. Today I ran it longer and also ran the blower.. Everything is now great again..