Wit's end with my outboard

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by team karst

Gotta get that float off and float pin out to clear that out. Insure the needle valve opens and closes with light pressure. No carb cleaner on plastics.

I’m going to go with this
You sound like you said the float was sticky . The float should flop up and down very easily and the needle valve should do the same

I’m kind of thinking the float is open just enough for the fuel to weep in over time and once you start the motor you run out of fuel quickly

So my turn to guess is that is a problem but may not be the only one

[JebLostInSpace]

She livesssssss!!!!!

The bad news is, I'm still not at all sure why.

Since the last update, I checked every fuel line between the tank and the carb. They all looked super clean and nice. I drained the fuel tank again. I removed the internal fuel tank and gave it a thorough cleaning. I found one small piece of debris inside, what looked like a small piece of a leaf or something. I was able to remove that, and I swilled some clean gas in it and then drained again.

Then I reassembled everything and tried pulling a few times. I still wasn't getting any fuel to the filter or the carb. I figured it must be the pump, but I also figured it was time for a break.

After letting it sit for an hour or two, I went back intending to pull the pump and see what I could learn. On a whim, I decided to yank the cord and see if I could get anything to happen, and it immediately started! Like, I wasn't even giving it a full-hearted pull, just a lazy pull in the hopes of moving some fuel through the lines, and it started immediately.

I un-choked and let it idle for a few minutes. Then I throttled up for a minute or so, then idled again. Then I decided to take the dinghy out for a quick ride to put it through its paces. As I was packing up tools, the engine died. However, it restarted on one pull again, like a dream. So I finished packing up tools, put a little more gas in the tank, and took it out.

While I was out, it ran the whole time, but there were two moments where it acted slightly funny. Once, I throttled up and it was slow to respond. Another time, it seemed to slow down without me moving the throttle. Both of those incidents were within the first minute or two. After that, it ran perfectly. I had it out for probably 15 minutes total.

Lastly, I decided to take the win and pack everything up. This time, I was sure to shut the fuel valve off and let it run dry so as to avoid any issues from fuel sitting in the carb.

So my theory is: that little piece of debris in the tank was plugging it up and stopping fuel from getting through to the carb. After I refilled the tank, I maybe just didn't give it long enough or enough pulls to get the fuel through the now empty lines and to the carb?? Then it started, ran a few minutes, and died because there was maybe a little goo still left in the float valve. But it mostly blew itself clean because it restarted. The two little slowdowns while I was out were probably more small bits of goo blowing out of the carb.

Does that theory sound reasonable to the smarter people on here? I had two initial problems, a gummed up carb and a plugged fuel tank? The piece of debris from the tank seemed awfully small to cause that problem. It was probably 2mm x 1mm x .05mm, just as a guess.

[rslifkin]

That very well could have been it. That's the challenge with fuel systems on small engines. All of the parts are so small that it doesn't take much to block them up.

[Don C L]

Good! One thing, at least with my engine, when running the gas out of the carb keep it running at high rpm till it dies. At low RPM mine will quit before all the gas is out.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by JebLostInSpace

She livesssssss!!!!!

After letting it sit for an hour or two, I went back intending to pull the pump and see what I could learn. On a whim, I decided to yank the cord and see if I could get anything to happen, and it immediately started! Like, I wasn't even giving it a full-hearted pull, just a lazy pull in the hopes of moving some fuel through the lines, and it started immediately.

While I was out, it ran the whole time, but there were two moments where it acted slightly funny. Once, I throttled up and it was slow to respond. Another time, it seemed to slow down without me moving the throttle. Both of those incidents were within the first minute or two. After that, it ran perfectly. I had it out for probably 15 minutes total.

So my theory is: that little piece of debris in the tank was plugging it up and stopping fuel from getting through to the carb. After I refilled the tank, I maybe just didn't give it long enough or enough pulls to get the fuel through the now empty lines and to the carb?? Then it started, ran a few minutes, and died because there was maybe a little goo still left in the float valve. But it mostly blew itself clean because it restarted. The two slowdowns while I was out were probably more small bits of goo blowing out of the carb.

Woo-hooo! You did it!

Sounds likely to me. As rslifkin says, everything is so small on small engines, it doesn't take much to clog them up.

My only other thought would be the fact that you let it sit for a couple of hours might have been something that is falling to the bottom of the tank (like that piece of debris) or something that is still somewhere in the fuel system, just hasn't been drawn back up to create another blockage... Fortunately, it doesn't seem to be that.

My vote is the goo-gone-through!

Well done, Jeb - and congrats!
Warmly,
LittleWing77

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Good! One thing, at least with my engine, when running the gas out of the carb keep it running at high rpm till it dies. At low RPM mine will quit before all the gas is out.

I think it's fairly typical for the idle jet pickup to be higher than the pickup for the main jet, so that makes sense. Depending on the shape of the bowl and geometry of it, there will still be some fuel left behind after revving until it sputters out. I'd still drain the bowl with the drain screw.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by JebLostInSpace

Then I reassembled everything and tried pulling a few times. I still wasn't getting any fuel to the filter or the carb. I figured it must be the pump, but I also figured it was time for a break.

I'm curious if your engine uses a gravity-fed tank and a carburetor, why it would have a pump?

Anyway, I guess your diagnosis is probably correct. While the problem may have "blown through" you very well might still have issues down the way, because of gunk/debris left behind. Make sure you have a paddle.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

I'm curious if your engine uses a gravity-fed tank and a carburetor, why it would have a pump?

Anyway, I guess your diagnosis is probably correct. While the problem may have "blown through" you very well might still have issues down the way, because of gunk/debris left behind. Make sure you have a paddle.

That engine also has a hookup for an external tank, so it needs the pump for that (even though the internal tank could gravity feed).

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by JebLostInSpace

She livesssssss!!!!!

The bad news is, I'm still not at all sure why.

Since the last update, I checked every fuel line between the tank and the carb. They all looked super clean and nice. I drained the fuel tank again. I removed the internal fuel tank and gave it a thorough cleaning. I found one small piece of debris inside, what looked like a small piece of a leaf or something. I was able to remove that, and I swilled some clean gas in it and then drained again.

Then I reassembled everything and tried pulling a few times. I still wasn't getting any fuel to the filter or the carb. I figured it must be the pump, but I also figured it was time for a break.

After letting it sit for an hour or two, I went back intending to pull the pump and see what I could learn. On a whim, I decided to yank the cord and see if I could get anything to happen, and it immediately started! Like, I wasn't even giving it a full-hearted pull, just a lazy pull in the hopes of moving some fuel through the lines, and it started immediately.

I un-choked and let it idle for a few minutes. Then I throttled up for a minute or so, then idled again. Then I decided to take the dinghy out for a quick ride to put it through its paces. As I was packing up tools, the engine died. However, it restarted on one pull again, like a dream. So I finished packing up tools, put a little more gas in the tank, and took it out.

While I was out, it ran the whole time, but there were two moments where it acted slightly funny. Once, I throttled up and it was slow to respond. Another time, it seemed to slow down without me moving the throttle. Both of those incidents were within the first minute or two. After that, it ran perfectly. I had it out for probably 15 minutes total.

Lastly, I decided to take the win and pack everything up. This time, I was sure to shut the fuel valve off and let it run dry so as to avoid any issues from fuel sitting in the carb.

So my theory is: that little piece of debris in the tank was plugging it up and stopping fuel from getting through to the carb. After I refilled the tank, I maybe just didn't give it long enough or enough pulls to get the fuel through the now empty lines and to the carb?? Then it started, ran a few minutes, and died because there was maybe a little goo still left in the float valve. But it mostly blew itself clean because it restarted. The two little slowdowns while I was out were probably more small bits of goo blowing out of the carb.

Does that theory sound reasonable to the smarter people on here? I had two initial problems, a gummed up carb and a plugged fuel tank? The piece of debris from the tank seemed awfully small to cause that problem. It was probably 2mm x 1mm x .05mm, just as a guess.

Your debris sounds like a flake of paint or coating. Leaf? Well, yeah, maybe. Paper or rust? It would not surprise me if there is more of that, and your problem might recur. It sounds to me like you might have a little more of it in your system. I would say new fuel hoses and filter, (cheap) and another tank rinse, are in order. You can rinse with cheap gas station gas. That trace of ethanol isn't going to hurt a thing. Then filter the dumped gas and pour it in your car's tank.You have to have your system clean upstream before any downstream parts cleaned will stay clean after you clean them. Anyway good to hear you have got it running somewhat. Now you need to increase its reliability to like-new. The work was worth it, you saved a couple grand that a new OB would cost, and you (and many others here) learned a lot from the thread.

Those cheap USB borescopes can be very handy for inspecting the insides of things like small fuel tanks. Just sayin.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by hgd137

I solved my new Tohatzu 9.8hp starting problem by junking it and buying a epropulsion electric outboard motor!!! This sounds like the exact nightmare I went through!!!!

Electrics are very nice! As long as you don't need a lot of range, and you have room for a 48v bank to power it, I really like EP, especially for day sails, marina hopping, etc, with short in/outs. So far I have only used inboard electric but I wouldn't hesitate to try an electric outboard on a smaller boat.

[nofacey]

Way to persist! Plus thanks for the updates.

I’d run the hell out of that OB for a bit, just to get her clean.

[Dieseldude]

Originally Posted by bgallinger

Jeb, I feel your pain! I had a 5HP 2 stroke Evinrude that did the very same thing as yours and it made me crazy. I never knew when or if it would start. I spent hundreds of dollars on mechanics and "spring tune ups" all to no avail.
FINALLY, I tried a mechanic in Georgetown, Exumas who was not recommended by anyone. Well, he FIXED it once and for all. The problem was a bad kill switch! It started first pull every time after that.

This simple fix reminds me of a four stroke mower that I'd had. Would frequently shut itself off for no apparent reason. After much of my own troubleshooting, I finally had to take it to a shop. The mechanic had seen this failure in many other mowers, so found the trouble immediately. There was a very subtle break in the spark plug wire insulation. So the spark was shorting to the head occasionally. You would never see it if you did not already know to look. The electronic ignition unit and the wire were one integral unit. Could not replace the wire itself. The whole unit was worth as much as the old mower. The mechanic suggested just keep it covered with electrical tape. So much modern equipment is designed is to cost big when it fails. But sometimes improvisation will solve it.

[SteveG58]

I had the same problem. It turned out to be the fuel tank breather/vent valve on the fuel tank. Despite the valve being in the open position it was still blocked and no air could get into the tank. Just open the entire fuel cap to test of try blowing through the cap if you don’t mind the taste of petrol / gas.

[thomm225]

148 answers to a common outboard problem!

Nice.