Thread: Right direction?

I think you have a good start on it. Fuel line and associated problems can show in different ways. Primer bulb also, and not a wal mart special either. [I] used gray fuel line when I first bought mine and replaced it in about a year. I went to the parts house and bought NEW, not old stock, black neoprene line and have had no issues. The cheaper lines will break up inside and chunks head for the motor causing a real mess. Fuel pump is a given as it's leaking and may be some of your problem, replace the entire pump, not that expensive. Needles and seats come in rebuild kit(corrosion gets to em and they don't act right) and from the age of the motor it is a good idea to do the carbs too. When you take it to the shop also have the check the electronics, like stator, trigger, power packs(also called switchboxes) as mine were bad and the first guy to take my money (notice I didn't say "Fix") never checked them and had issues with them the second tech found right off. One complete trip through this mechnic and I have had no issues for 5 yrs. Good luck getting it straightened out. Pay the money, do it right once with the right mechanic and you'll have it for another good while.

Thanks for the response! I've got a thread going on iboats for some specific ?s. I have decided to DYI this motor. I can't pay every year or so to have it tinkered with. I also don't really think most shops really want to mess w truly getting the thing running great.

I took the carb off Sat night. Carefully took it apart. Not as dirty as I would think but the packing washers had deteriorated badly and some of that black stuff was in the bottom of my plastic bowl after cleaning the carb. I couldn't get the hi-speed jet out of the bottom of the bowl. I had a tool that looked perfect for the job but it slipped out of the jet groove and I'm worried I may have damaged the threads 😡.

I'm picking up a kit today. This is my first diy carb rebuild. I'm excited to learn how to repair and maintain this motor myself.

After the new carb kit, fuel pump, and new plugs I'm hoping she is good to go. I'm gonna replace the fuel lines too. I think they may be part of my issue. There appears to be black rubber or some sort of reside on the fuel intake. Any ideas how to clean that without pushing it into the motor?

Do you have a clear fuel filter between the fuel pump and carb? If not, now is the time to install one. If you do have you noted the fuel level in the filter while running at speed and it's acting up? The rule of thumb is that it should stay at least 3/4 full even at WOT. If it doesn't then you know you have a problem with the fuel system upstream of the filter. If that were the case, you can eliminate your onboard tank (if you have one) by connecting to a proven portable tank and seeing if you get better results or not. You are replacing the fuel hose already so you might as well throw in a new primer bulb for $20. If all of that does not fix the problem, then it leaves only the fuel pump (unless you have a fuel water separator). If you have one of those ensure the flow in/out is correct at if it is correct, experiment by bypassing it to see if that makes a difference.

I just read through a recent thread on iboats where the guy's problem all along was a bad primer bulb and it took him a long time to figure his issue out. It is a 5 minute fix if you can easily purchase one... so is installing new hose plus running off of a good portable tank. That's why I choose to start there. Fuel pumps aren't complicated but do take more time to rebuild and if you determine the fuel pump is the issue but rebuilding it doesn't fix it then you know you did something wrong or the diaphragm was damaged or something along those lines

Oh yeah... is the rubber or residue you are talking about in the intake manifold behind the carb? If so it's likely carbon build up as I don't see how hose or bulb particles could make it through all of the jets in the carb. I haven't seen intake side carbon build up in an outboard before but have in a car and my best description of it is ground up oreo plastered to the walls of the intake manifold lol. Typically carbon build up is caused by running rich. My previous post about the carb possibly being starved for fuel would mean when you try to go to higher rpm's you would be running it too lean though....so maybe you are running too rich.

Another thing to look for behind the carb would be to inspect the reeds or leaf valves (basically the check valves which allow fuel to flow into the crankcase when it creates a vacuum and prevent it from being pushed out when it compresses). If you have carbon build up they could be stuck partially open.

Maybe you can post some pics if you can't get it figured out.

Thanks so much for the responses.

I do not have a clear filter between tank and fuel pump. I want to install one since I am redoing the fuel lines. Is there any that don't work? I want to make sure I get one that is compatible.

The buildup is behind carb inside intake. I do have a pic but can't seem to post it from my phone. I'll add it later tonight.

I tore the fuel pump apart last night; it was nastier on the internal parts than the carb. There was a red colored gunk on some of the parts. I am sure glad the fuel pump kit came w instructions. I never dreamed that little square pump would have so many parts😳

The more I get into this, the more hopeful I become that my issues are fuel delivery related and not ignition. I forgot to mention before that the carb and pump always seemed to be leaking fuel. When I went to take them apart the screws were pretty loose. I know they shouldn't be torqued down like a beast but these were not even snugged down in my opinion.

Also, I purchased an OEM complete fuel hose and primer assembly last year. Worth every penny. I was replacing the cheapie fittings, hoses, and primer bulbs every year it seemed.

In that case, a clear fuel filter should help you a ton in diagnosing your problem. It will help tell you if your newly rebuilt fuel pump is working or not. As far as which ones to buy, a lot of guys recommend just getting the cheap $5 disposable ones from the outdoor section of Lowes or Walmart. I have the Moeller one in the link and like it because, being glass, it is easy to keep clean.

Amazon.com : Moeller Universal Inline Glass View Fuel Filter (3/8", 5/16", & 1/4" Barb In Kit) : Boat Fuel Filters : Sports & Outdoors

as far as trash or dusty type build up front of intake, take a vacume hose and duct tape a short pc. of like 1/2" pvc pipe... 1/4" might be better and will get you into places you couldn't reach with the big end of hose. suck the trash away instead of blowing it inside. I'll tell you 1 more tip......... if youre smart enough to get on here and type, you can get on you tube and see several different ways or people doing rebuilds/ repairs on things like this and get a good idea of whats going on or what to look for before jumping in a problem. now some variables come into play but you will see the light !! good luck