Crusader 454 needs priming to get it started

[P-Dogg]

Holy ship!

[oil&water]

Glad things didn't turn more tragic. Thank you for sharing your story. Sometimes our life lessons are hard to tell due to the resulting insult to our ego. I know mine sure are.

[WayWeGo]

My Chrysler marine engine manual recommends using a pump oil can of gasoline to fill the carburetor float bowl through the vent tube before starting. Not sure I would do that...

Our last boat had a Mercruiser 454 with a Rochester Quadrajet that was always difficult to start if laid up for more than a day or two. Lots of cranking was needed, to the point that I had to wait and let the starter cool down a couple of times. Wish I had known about the fix Jamie mentioned.

[gettaway]

I have 1984 454 350's and had the same cranking problem described throughout this thread, I bought a matched pair of remanufactured Quadrajet carburetors and it instantly fixed the problem, the boat starts almost instantly and both engines run smoothly with little exhaust smell. I still have the the pair I pulled off if anyone is interested in a good rebuildable set.. I'll sell them cheap !