1953 QD-14 Sea-Horse Johnson 10hp Leak

[MtnManXX]

My 10hp is leaking fuel down lower unit. I have taken off carb and replaced all seals. Cannot see leak other that running down lower unit from under the covers and out water intake?

[restornator]

Doesn't sound like fuel. Sounds like exaust + water

[MtnManXX]

Definitely fuel!

[jbjennings]

It has to be one of these:
Faulty fuel line connector o-rings (likely)
Bad fuel lines inside the cowl, or leaky fuel line connections.
Leaky carb. or leaky carb to manifold gasket.

I can't think of any other possiblility other than maybe a cracked glass or bad gasket on the fuel filter.
Good luck. That's one of my favorite motors. They are really powerful for a 10hp, moreso than the '55 and later 10's.

JBJ

[MtnManXX]

JBJ - Have started working on my Sea-Horse Johnson again, now it won't start. Haven't done anything since I put it away. Fuel is good, tank holding pressure, fuel getting to carb, spark plugs good. If I spray some starting fluid in the carb it fires for a second and then shuts back down. Any suggestions?

[bthompson]

Did it run while it leaked? If you had a bad lower crank seal and your float was set incorrectly or the needle was bad, gas could run freely into the motor and then run down the bad seal into the lower unit. However, I am thinking that this is a bit unlikely. Too many things need to be wrong.

[1946Zephyr]

Yea, it sounds like you may have to look over your fuel system, from start to finish.

Check your fuel hoses and make sure they are good and pliable. No cracking and no hardness. It may be a good idea to replace them reguardless.

Check the fuel filter over and make sure the little glass bowl isn't leaking fuel out. These gaskets in the sediment bowl can go bad after....what 56 years? It wouldn't be a bad idea to soak the little stone filter in carb cleaner, to get rid of any shelac build up.

Once you get those points done, you may likely need to go through the carb and rebuild it. It's very likely you have one of those antique cork floats in it.

I would tear the carb down and soak it over night and re-kit it. Do what you can to get a new float. OEM kits usually come with them. Sierra kits often do not.

Once you get these things taken care of, then you should be good to go.