Thank you for the question,
It may be possible that the fuel line is on the boat backwards....Check the primer bulb on the line and be sure the arrow is pointed toward the engine....
If this is not the issue, next lets check the connections to be sure they fit tight and are all the way on the receptacles of the tank and engine, and locked on...
Further then this we need to disconnect the fuel line just inside the cowl, behind the receptacle mounted in the cowl, and try again. What we are doing is proving flow through the fuel line from the tank and that this part of the system works...
That is the reason for the last test, to determine if the issue is in the fuel line and tank system or on the motor....
The fuel pump could be stuck, the carb could be stuck...Or possibly you don't have a fuel problem at all....Given the question "but the fuel doesn't seem to reach the motor through the little plastic receptacle on the side of the motor when I pump up the bulb"
Marine Mechanic
21 Years Experience as Mechanic, 18 Yrs Boat Yard Owner/Mechanic, Factory Certified
The only red switch that i can think of without further explanation would be what I would call a red "Lever" or "Valve"....Does this seem accurate?..... The one I am thinking of is attached to a round cylinder with two wires and several very small hoses attached to it, and this would be the "Primer Valve" of the engine (Took The Place of The Choke plates that were used on older models....And yes this would certainly cause a hard starting issue, if the solenoid is not actually opening when the key is pushed in for "Choke" during cranking....
This brings up another thought. When we attempt to start this engine we should have the fuel line primer bulb firm, and then turn the key to ON and push in on the key for choke, then with the key held in continue to turn the key to the CRANK position to start the engine.....
Good find, we just need to go over the starting procedure above and then check the solenoid for proper operation and I would think the hard starting would go away....
The lever cannot move on it's own and should be in the closed position during all phases of it's use. The closed position is inline with the body of the solenoid it is attached to. The reason for the lever is a means by which we can manually choke the engine should the key switch not activate it...I would have to believe that if you turned the lever on and the engine started right up, the solenoid is not functioning when hot....
I would test for this by removing one of the small hoses from the intake manifold that is routed directly to the primer valve. Now with a friend holding the key in without turning the engine over, you squeeze the primer bulb and see if fuel comes out of the small hose, (Should be coming out only when the key is depressed when on)....
Check this operation and see if we can determine if the primer solenoid is working properly....Obviously we will have to check this when the engine is hard to start also....