Mercruiser TKS start then stops

Engine seems to run out of fuel after the engine warms up and it's a turnkey start once the noise from the turn key start goes away seconds later it appears to run out of fuel and when I pump the throttle cable not getting no fuel coming into the Ventura's into them through the center of the carburetor

Richard1052 said:

Engine seems to run out of fuel after the engine warms up and it's a turnkey start once the noise from the turn key start goes away seconds later it appears to run out of fuel and when I pump the throttle cable not getting no fuel coming into the Ventura's into them through the center of the carburetor

Click to expand...

ETHANOL!!!!! On that particular carb, over time the venturies clog. Actually the two "jets?" that look like fangs, clog*. My theory... every time you stop the engine, a small droplet of fuel clings to the end of the "fang" and eventually drys out leaving a very fine deposit, with repeated run/stops, this fine deposit builds up clogging one or both of these "fangs". It is a hard, clay colored deposit and must be removed mechanically, i.e., no "cleaner" that I've tried touches it. I use a very fine wire. The Pros on this forum use an ultrasonic cleaner and dunk the whole carb. Because the clogging material is soluable in ethanol, it passes through any and all filters.

No fuel when pumping the throttle is indicative of either a bad accelerator pump or stuck check valve ( assuming linkage is correctly set up).

Time for a thorough carb cleaning. Buy a new gasket set before you start.

*Note: these "fangs" do not appear on some of the MERC parts breakdowns of this carb. They are staked to the venturi body and not removable for cleaning.