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Mercury 2 stroke 5 hp giving me hard time

A

atzitz

New member
Hello,

about a month ago while running the engine died slowly. We managed to restart it a couple of more time but after a day or so it died completely and I could not start the engine anymore. I first changed the spark plug, then the fuel filter then cleaned the carburetor. Now I could start the engine but if I reduce throttle it will die very quickly - it does not idle. I could put it in gear and motor for a while but I needed to play with the chock so it wont die - pushing it in and out according to the sounds of the engine. I had as well to give more and more gas as I would motor so it wont die on me. Finally it died again and did not want to start. So I cleaned the carburetor again (which surprisingly was more dirty than at the first time I cleaned it). And the engine came back to life but with the same symptoms. Since then I cleaned the carburetor another two times... because after running the engine like this for 10 or 15 minutes it would refuse to start at all. Now the engine starts with no problem at all (don't need to pull on the choke even) but it refuses to idle and dies as soon as I turn the throttle down. After going through this whole process 5 or so times I simply don't know what else to do. We live on the boat and are more or less dependent on this outboard to go on land.
I played with the pilot screw (before knowing what it was) so now I am not sure about its correct position but I tried it in every possible position so I guess the problem is somewhere else. anyone any idea what else can I try? or I should do what my wife says - dump the thing and get a new one...
thanks
 
If your wife is giving you the green light for a new motor I really dont understand the dilemma. Just good care of the new motor, flush it with tap water regularly and let it run out of fuel between uses.
 
Thanks for your answers.
The engine is from 2012, not sure about the model all I know is that it's a mercury 2 stroke 5 hp...
 
Okay...I had similar issues to a 2000 model 6 hp Mercury I bought used. When I first started it this year, it fired right up. After a few visits to the lake it wouldn't start well, wouldn't idle without the choke and so on. On my most recent trip it just wouldn't start. So, after looking at some other threads on this website I determined it must be the jet in the carburetor. Sure enough, the jet was clogged with goop and corrosion. I used come carb cleaner...and this part is very important...and a piece of wire, very small, to ream out the fuel hole in the jet. There are only two screws holding the carb onto the motor and one other bolt that holds the choke cable to the carb. Take the carb off....unscrew the two screws that hold the fuel bowl on to the carb and you will find the brass jet. Unscrew it off and clean it up. Reinstall ... O..forgot to mention the hose from the crankcase and the fuel line...both very easy to remove and reinstall.
 
This is what happens when one does not run a motor dry after last use. Pull the connector off and let it run dry and you don't have these problems. And use a good stabilizer in the fuel.

Jeff
 
Regarding the wire to clean the jet, one fella on the forum recommended using a small brass wire; don't know where you can find brass wire. At some time in the past, I owned a Honda 750 4 and let it languish for a number of years with fuel in the carbs --- needless to say, when I removed the float bowls, I saw green varnish, the main jet was encrusted with green varnish with all holes blocked - easy fix, unscrewed jet, carb cleaner.
 
Rick:
Yes, that's what I had..green varnish or corrosion. Anyway, I used some carb cleaner but that varnish was hard and I just a piece of wire to poke it out. If I had had say a welder's tip cleaning tool, it would have worked I think, but at the lake...haha..you just don't always have the best tools so I had to improvise a bit. I just got back from the store and bought some of that SeaFoam fuel additive and put that in the tank. That is the same brand of cleaner I used as carb cleaner.
 
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