Zach Matthews
Recruit
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2014
- Messages
- 3
Hey guys -
I bought a 2005 Mercury 8hp 4 stroke off Craigslist a couple years ago for my Gheenoe. It has been a real journey with this motor, for me, never having owned an outboard before. I sunk it almost immediately after buying it when I knocked it off my transom on a rock. Luckily I was able to quickly recover it and get it drained. I changed the oil about four times, pulled the plugs, etc., and got the motor working perfectly again. That was two seasons ago.
I live in Atlanta so I've had a history of being forced to use ethanol gas. It's required anywhere in our area, and of course it goes to crap in the engine. I've learned how to drain the carb bowl to help get clogs cleared, etc.
Two weeks ago I was out running and experienced a real lack of power. The motor was losing all its force and rattling. I suspected a dead spark plug and sure enough, when I changed the plugs, it went back to normal. I also went ahead and changed the oil since the plugs were looking black.
Then, this weekend, I had the start and stop issue again, although the engine was at least running with full power while it was running. My friend and I realized the primer bulb was not staying firm, and then figured out that by pumping the bulb we could keep the motor going. I purchased a new fuel line with new bulb and new clips to make sure I didn't have a vacuum leak anywhere, and we also changed the fuel filter, which had probably never been done. I didn't know it even had one until Sunday.
I tell you all of this just in case you think it might be relevant to my last problem, which is the lack of water coming out of the tell tale hole. Probably, it's the impeller, given that this is a 2005 motor and it has never been changed to my knowledge. But before I go tearing apart the lower end I just want to check and see if there's anything else we could be missing. We ran a weedeater line as far into the tell tale as we could to see if it would clear any wasp nests, etc., but we didn't hit anything.
Any other pro grade tricks I could try before I tear down the lower end?
Thanks,
Zach
I bought a 2005 Mercury 8hp 4 stroke off Craigslist a couple years ago for my Gheenoe. It has been a real journey with this motor, for me, never having owned an outboard before. I sunk it almost immediately after buying it when I knocked it off my transom on a rock. Luckily I was able to quickly recover it and get it drained. I changed the oil about four times, pulled the plugs, etc., and got the motor working perfectly again. That was two seasons ago.
I live in Atlanta so I've had a history of being forced to use ethanol gas. It's required anywhere in our area, and of course it goes to crap in the engine. I've learned how to drain the carb bowl to help get clogs cleared, etc.
Two weeks ago I was out running and experienced a real lack of power. The motor was losing all its force and rattling. I suspected a dead spark plug and sure enough, when I changed the plugs, it went back to normal. I also went ahead and changed the oil since the plugs were looking black.
Then, this weekend, I had the start and stop issue again, although the engine was at least running with full power while it was running. My friend and I realized the primer bulb was not staying firm, and then figured out that by pumping the bulb we could keep the motor going. I purchased a new fuel line with new bulb and new clips to make sure I didn't have a vacuum leak anywhere, and we also changed the fuel filter, which had probably never been done. I didn't know it even had one until Sunday.
I tell you all of this just in case you think it might be relevant to my last problem, which is the lack of water coming out of the tell tale hole. Probably, it's the impeller, given that this is a 2005 motor and it has never been changed to my knowledge. But before I go tearing apart the lower end I just want to check and see if there's anything else we could be missing. We ran a weedeater line as far into the tell tale as we could to see if it would clear any wasp nests, etc., but we didn't hit anything.
Any other pro grade tricks I could try before I tear down the lower end?
Thanks,
Zach