ship wreck
Contributing Member
Let me start by saying that I'm new to Outboards but am very versed on engines.
The engine in question came to me with a pontoon boat project and had sat for at least a year. The engine started but did not want to stay running and the fuel pump was leaking. My assumption was air leaks and I got a rebuild kit but when I took the pump apart I found water had been sitting in it and one of the reed valves was completely corroded away. I made a new reed valve and put the pump back together only to find that the center section had a crack in it which was the cause of the original leak. I ran the motor anyway and it ran better but it's still not right. It won't idle for long and will die if you stab the throttle to quickly. So here is my question:
I'm concerned I have junk in the carbs. Is there an easy way to determine if I have a seat stuck open or I'm not getting fuel to one of the carbs. I have not had the air box off yet and I'm not sure if I can see these things by looking down the throat of the carb like you can on a standard engine. Also I bought new plugs but while waiting for the parts to arrive I looked at the existing plugs. They looked new but gapped at .050 vise .040. How sensitive are these ignitions to gap. Would that give me problems with idle. I have not changed the plugs yet and would like to determine if I need to rebuild the carbs before I buy the new fuel pump so I can do it all at once.
Sorry for the long first post just trying to be thorough.
The engine in question came to me with a pontoon boat project and had sat for at least a year. The engine started but did not want to stay running and the fuel pump was leaking. My assumption was air leaks and I got a rebuild kit but when I took the pump apart I found water had been sitting in it and one of the reed valves was completely corroded away. I made a new reed valve and put the pump back together only to find that the center section had a crack in it which was the cause of the original leak. I ran the motor anyway and it ran better but it's still not right. It won't idle for long and will die if you stab the throttle to quickly. So here is my question:
I'm concerned I have junk in the carbs. Is there an easy way to determine if I have a seat stuck open or I'm not getting fuel to one of the carbs. I have not had the air box off yet and I'm not sure if I can see these things by looking down the throat of the carb like you can on a standard engine. Also I bought new plugs but while waiting for the parts to arrive I looked at the existing plugs. They looked new but gapped at .050 vise .040. How sensitive are these ignitions to gap. Would that give me problems with idle. I have not changed the plugs yet and would like to determine if I need to rebuild the carbs before I buy the new fuel pump so I can do it all at once.
Sorry for the long first post just trying to be thorough.