gas leaking from carb!

hello everyone,<br />i am new to the forum and i hope someone can help me. i have a 1988 mariner 60 hp outboard that leaks what i feel to be an excessive amount of gas from the carb. this occurs when the motor is NOT running! the amount is hard to determine but is enough to cause oil rings on the water surface while i'm fishing and makes quite a mess in the drain compartment of my boat. i have had it looked at by (2) different marina mechanics and they both stated that it was normal overflow when the motor is in its tilted position. they have told me that the location of the leak does not have any gaskets or seals to be replaced and that some of the older boats do this. i have never seen another boat do this and i would like to take care of the problem if possible. if anyone has experienced this problem or knows of a fix, i would love to hear from you!<br /><br />thanks,<br /><br />mike

Re: gas leaking from carb!

Welcome to iboats, Mike.<br />The problem is very common to outboard carbs that have sat for a while. The needle valve that the float pushes up to shut off the incomming fuel, is stuck, the float has taken-on fuel,and is no longer floating, or is being held-down by varnish in the bowl.<br />Here is a previous thread that will walk you thru what to do aboiut it; <br /> CARBS 101 <br />If you need more assistance, don't be shy. These guys know thier stuff, and love helpin fellow boat owners.

Re: gas leaking from carb!

thanks admiral!!<br /><br />this boat did sit quite a while before i bought it so everything you're saying makes sense. it sounds like a carb rebuild should take care of all of the possible causes yes? i'm just confused on why two expeirienced mechanics would tell me this is normal? <br /><br />thanks for your reply,<br /><br />mike