Someone wanna help me with this freakin' hole in the water?

Actually, I think it's not as bad as I once thought.

After struggling trying to get this thing to run right (85 hp L-crap), I put a pumper upper ball (priming ball) and a fuel filter on. Pumped up alright.

Put it in the water tonight (2 weeks later, cause I've been a nervous nelly), and it started right up. Ran great for about 2 minutes..... then died. Hit the starter, and it wouldn't start again. Pumped the ball up again, started up, ran great. Ran 'er wide open for about 10 minutes, then made it to a slow no-wake, and it ran great for about 2 minutes at idle, then died. Pumped the ball up again, and started right up.

So, does this indicate fuel plugged in the tank, or fuel pump? The tank is one of those in the bowels of the boat jobber, and getting at it would be no easy task.

I suppose the easiest way to check would be a fresh can of gas (mixed) and the fuel line into the fresh gas, huh?

I cleaned the fuel screen last time, a little crap in it, but not too much.... then installed fuel lines, fuel filter, and priming bulb, just to bring you up to speed.........

Thanks for the help, guys. I feel like I'm close.

Re: Someone wanna help me with this freakin' hole in the water?

just throw a few hundreds in the hole, it should plug it up, if not at least help it for a week. just kidding.

I'd point my finger at the fuel pump. Pumping the primer blub acts as a manual fuel pump, it will force fuel mixture into the carbs and allow it to run till the fuel is burnt. Pumping it agian puts more fuel into the carbs, allowing it to once again run.

Test this out first before you go buying new pump diaphragms. run the motor, at idle, be near the primer bulb. When the motor starts to sputter, pump the bulb again, the motor should continue to run. If it does I'd replace the diaphragm(probably has 2)

Re: Someone wanna help me with this freakin' hole in the water?

Rebuild the fuel pump, sounds like the old one is frapped out!
If that does'nt do the job which I think it will, try the engine with a different gas tank.
I went thru the cleaning of the internal tank, it ain't worth it, of course mine had sat for twelve years. The baffle in the tank is where everything got caught up. With the angle the boat sat at it is near impossible to get all that hardened gunk out from behind the baffle.
I run a filter in the fuel line before the fuel pump just in case and change it often! If I had to do it again I'd go with a different tank! max!

Re: Someone wanna help me with this freakin' hole in the water?

"just throw a few hundreds in the hole, it should plug it up, if not at least help it for a week."

Thought about taking it to the middle of the lake, pulling the plug, and swimming back.

"When the motor starts to sputter, pump the bulb again, the motor should continue to run. If it does I'd replace the diaphragm(probably has 2)"

-- Did this, and it sputtered (just like you said), pumped up the bulb, ran fine again.... for awhile.

The only thing is the fact that the priming bulb pumped up kind of hard -- as in difficult -- In order to get fuel in the bulb, I had to squeeze it, then kind of roll it around a little bit... Then I could visibly see the fuel going into the fuel filter. I had to keep playing with the bulb to get it to re-fuel. That's why I wondered if the tank had dirt in it that floated around until it hit the pick up tube????

Changing the fuel pump diaphrams -- is this difficult? I have a Clymer's, but it's at home -- I'm at the camper.

Thanks for the help,

Lost in Lake Wissota

Re: Someone wanna help me with this freakin' hole in the water?

Change the squeezie then rebuild the pump. If you have any quick disconects in the line,get rid of them too! They go bad ..Then install a good fuel/water seperating filter.Jerry

Re: Someone wanna help me with this freakin' hole in the water?

rebuilding the fuel pump is a really easy job,a rebuild kit is about ten bucks and should take about 45 mins to do.

Re: Someone wanna help me with this freakin' hole in the water?

"Change the squeezie then rebuild the pump."

actually, it's a new 'squeezie'... I put it on 2 weeks ago, and it's first time used was tonight.

"rebuilding the fuel pump is a really easy job,a rebuild kit is about ten bucks and should take about 45 mins to do."

-- is it just the diaphram? I looked in the boat with the spare parts I got back from my BIL when he rebuilt this piece of junk.... there's the diaphram that I purchased, but was never installed..........

I wonder if he did that with the pistons I supposedly bought?

Re: Someone wanna help me with this freakin' hole in the water?

yep, just a diaphragm, the pump is located on the side of the block under the round black fuel filter. There should be 4 screws holding the housing to the block. It should be an easy job.
I'm sure your tank and primer blub are fine. the bulb gets hard to pump once the fuel bowls are full. you don't use much fuel just idling so you don't need to pump more in to get it full so your bulb will remain hard