1997 Merc 40hp 4cyl 2 stroke

[Bill kubiak]

I went to start my motor this morning after the winter rest outside under a full cover and it would not start

OK I dumped out the fuel in the tank and put it in my rider lawn mower and put in some fresh fuel
hooked up the ear muffs, and stuck in the key and she cranked over but would not start
I noticed when I turned the key on I did not get the low oil warning horn
I also did not hear the enricher make any noise
Gave it a few more tries nothing
So I squirted some gas in the carbs thinking they were not getting any and tried agin, nothing
When the wife came home I pulled a plug and had her hit the starter while I held the plug against a ground bolt, no spark
Those are the symptoms
Where do I look? If I am not getting that oil warning horn does that mean the ignition is not switching on??

 

[racerone]

Did you charge the battery ?---------If not , then that is the first thing I would try.

 

[ondarvr]

Lanyard in place?

 

[Bill kubiak]

Lanyard in place?

Jeeez I forgot about the lanyard, and YES the battery was full up Must be the age, my age, I forget stuff, simple stuff, it would have come to me after I tore things apart, thank you ondarvr

 

[ondarvr]

Everybody does it, join the club.

 

[roscoe]

Better to forget the lanyard, than to forget the plug. !

 

[Bill kubiak]

Motor running, next issue, fuel is leaking from the carbs, always a puddle under the carbs, I have rebuilt them several times but it never seems to stop the leak. Is there a point where these small carbs can no longer be rebuilt?

Also the fuel tank I have is an evinrude tank, very sturdy, but I have leak in the hose to engine connectors can that be repaired or must the connector be replaced, I guess the seal is bad in there.

 

[racerone]

These carburetors last forever.-----No need to replace them.-----The o-ring in the connecter is easy to replace.----But often folks simply buy a new connecter as the simple way out.

 

[Bill kubiak]

I always thought the carbs lasted forever too, but what the heck is causing them to leak all the time, the bowls are always wet, leaving me to think the inlet valves are not shutting off the flow, do you think it is possible to have enough pressure to overcome the valve.
Could it be me pumping the ball until it is hard and firm, that was always the sign the bowls were full and valve shut it off, when I am pumping is when the fuel starts leaking from the hose fitting. Fuel coming out of that fitting means that air is going in when the motor is running as I think it is suction lines to the fuel pump and pressure lines after that.

 

[Bill kubiak]

I always thought the carbs lasted forever too, but what the heck is causing them to leak all the time, the bowls are always wet, leaving me to think the inlet valves are not shutting off the flow, do you think it is possible to have enough pressure to overcome the valve.
Could it be me pumping the ball until it is hard and firm, that was always the sign the bowls were full and valve shut it off, when I am pumping is when the fuel starts leaking from the hose fitting. Fuel coming out of that fitting means that air is going in when the motor is running as I think it is suction lines to the fuel pump and pressure lines after that.

anyone have any ideas???

 

[ondarvr]

It could be several different things, leaky float bowl gasket, warped float bowl, float needle, a little blow back from the carbs that leaks out instead of being sucked back into the motor, tilting the motor can cause fuel to leak out, so you need to look hard

 

[Bill kubiak]

It could be several different things, leaky float bowl gasket, warped float bowl, float needle, a little blow back from the carbs that leaks out instead of being sucked back into the motor, tilting the motor can cause fuel to leak out, so you need to look hard

I cleaned it all up and it was nice and dry and then started the motor on muffs, used a very bright flashlight and I could see a puddle slowly forming under the carbs but I cannot se where it is coming from. The bottom of both bowls are wet, I put a rebuild kit on both carbs last year and I bought the kits from the local Merc. dealer, very expensive compared to getting them on line, but I wanted the real thing. I even bent the float tang a little so they did not fill quite as full, I even replaced all those small fuel lines and it still seeps outa somewhere. No big deal but I always am thinking about FIRE. Could the reed valves be bad after all these years, they are 20 years old???? I never see anyone on here talking about bad reeds.

 

[Bill kubiak]

Not sure if I should ask on this thread or start another.
Engine runs so so at idle and low speed and perfect at higher speeds and I suspect worn reed valves, why, I have rebuilt the cabs several times and there was really no change at all, My big issue is when arriving at or leaving from the dock and going from fwd to rev the engine wants to quit at the worst possible time, it's a big PITA. I see other guys with similar engines and their motors just purr along and that is what I want mine to do, start and run at idle and low speeds. Could these 20 year old reeds be wearing out???? it's a four cylinder engine and could run very smoothly at low speeds, it should run more smoothly then a two cylinder.

Thoughts everyone????

 

[racerone]

Maybe it is NOT a carburetor problem.----The reeds are very durable !----What does a compression test show on this motor ?----Does spark jump a gap of 3/8" or better on all leads ?

 

[Bill kubiak]

120 psi all cylinders and big fat spark on all plugs, has a two year old CDI stator on top

 

[racerone]

Perhaps have your local Mercury shop take a look at it.

 

[Bill kubiak]

That's 120 bucks for 1st hour or part of an hour and you have to drop it off and wait for them to get around to it. No thanks. I am very handy when I know what is actually bad, I can normally fix it myself. At least so far in the last 50 years, I just want it to run smooth at the dock and at idle at the dock and not quit when I put it in gear.
Last year I tore the top end and the side panels off to clear a bunch of crap that had accumulated in the water passages making the pee tube water almost scalding hot the issue is fixed, now I am concerned about the idle issue