2006, 25hp 4 stroke, Dirty Carb all the time??

It always started on first pull and was perfect... then ONE tank of gas... probalby ethanol.. about 3 years ago....

Now every last time I run it I have to clean the carb... Clean it and it wont run right the next time you go... float hung, no idle, or does nothing but idle and bogs out when you give it gas etc....

I THINK I may have answered my own question though... I still have the original fuel filter, line, bulb, and plastic tank on it....

Should I dump all of that stuff and replace it and THEN clean the carb out really good and try it all over again? Would tanks now days and hose and such be ethanol proof? Or should I ad marine stabil for ethanol and preservative to every tank then on....

We did a weekend campout when I use the boat 5 times... morning counting seperate from evening... had to clean the carb 5 times.....

Re: 06, 25 4 stroke, Dirty Carb all the time??

Just about all the rubber hoses etc built since about 1985 (the year the EPA put the last nail in the leaded gas coffin and refiners started adding alcohol to the gas to improve octance) should not deteriorate from running E-10 fuel.

So if you are running older "gear" invest a few bucks at Napa and at least replace the fuel hose and the primer bulb.

If your gas tank is plastic it should be fine - fiberglass and old portable metal tanks can see problems (E-10 will dissolve fiberglass, and because the ethanol attracts water it can rust the old steel tanks from the inside).

Despite the E-10 safe components ALL major outboard mfg's recommend that you run stablizer ALL THE TIME.

It's very difficult to get every last drop of gas out of the system, so if it's stablized it won't cause problems for you.

Your fuel system actually runs a whole lot cleaner with E-10 - it removes varnish and gum from the system - the problem arises when it's unstablized and it "phase separates" resulting in a slop that won't burn and clogs things up...

Re: 06, 25 4 stroke, Dirty Carb all the time??

how do I tell a fiberglass from a plastic tank..... I have a "plastic" tank in the old hyrdasport... 80 gallon... damn just put it all back together after a major rebuild... might should get an AL tank and put in there or a plastic..

I worked with fiberglass building boats when younger... this does not LOOk like fiberglass at all, some kind of molded plastic but if its plastic an X years old will it still melt?

Re: 06, 25 4 stroke, Dirty Carb all the time??

I don't know if there's a (standard) way to test for fiberglass tanks.

I use a "scratch" test - take an awl or any other pointy object and scratch it along the tank - if it's fiberglass it will "scratch" and you will get dust along with the mark.

Plastic just kinda parts - no scratching noise, no dust/debris, just kinda leaves a groove.