[proudozo]

Details: 1995 Mariner 60 HP on 18' pontoon boat.The engine ran flawlessly on three consecutive weekends (1 hour increments) until Saturday.Power loss 10 minutes into ride - rpm decreased to 3000 at WOT (normally 5500) BUT DID NOT DIE.I checked fuel filter, lines, and vent. Fuel pump is newly rebuilt. Gas was fresh.I removed the air silence and noticed an oily/milky substance coated on all three carbs... I cleaned them with carb cleaner. And then powered back up. Bottom carb (3rd) blows gas mixture that seems to collect on the other two carbs.At this point I don't know if the power loss is a result of the third carb, or I have multiple problems.Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

[G DANE]

Hi proudozo You most likely lost or chipped a blade from the reed valve behind the carb that blows fuel back.DO NOT run the motor anymore. I lost a blae once, and found it behind the intake bypass cover. If blade gets sucked into cylinder, piston and sleve are ruined. In best case boring to oversize and new piston wil fix it. Start with removing carb and take a look at reed assembly, you will probably find blade missing. From there remove reed assembly and try to find blade. Next if not behind there - remove intake bypass plates.

[proudozo]

Thank you G DANE.Your diagnosis was right on. I did blow a reed valve. Unfortunately, I was not able to locate the missing piece...At this point, I don't feel comfortable with my mechanical skills to dig deeper into the engine and look further... So now I'm looking for a mechanic that wont rip me off.Thanks again for your recommendation.

[DJ]

proudozo,If your reeds are plastic, don't worry about it.If they are metal, and magnetic, you might be able to fish it out of the lower crnankcase with an extendable magnet.