Need help! starting to get frustrated

USCFisher

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ok so i have a 1982 evinrude 25 that i bought last year. it was running good when i bought it until the starter went bad. i replaced the starter and had a friend who's a mechanic clean the carbs, adjust timing, etc (about 6 months ago). it was running great once again until the last outing a month or so ago. turns out it was sucking air through the fuel line (tank to motor) so i got a new fuel line, hooked it up at home (in a 55 gallon drum) and nothing....wouldn't even turn over. the starter is working fine but it will not crank at all. here is what i've done so far...
-pulled plugs to check spark: nice hot blue spark
-traced fuel lines for any leaks: found one and fixed it
-pulled the fuel pump off to inspect: everything looks fine and it's getting fuel

after doing that i still can't get it to crank. i know it's not the best thing to do but i sprayed a very little bit of starter fluid in the carb and it fired right up but immediately cut back off. i was thinking that it has to be the float in the carb sticking or the jets are clogs but on the other hand it hasn't been sitting up for very long. i'm getting really frustrated and don't want to spend more money having a mechanic fix it if it's something simple. i would appreciate any advice as to what i should try next.

disclaimer: i'm not very experienced with outboard motors and have been slightly concerned about removing the carbs myself for fear of screwing up the timing adjustments and the linkage.
 

Daviet

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

Sounds like you are not getting fuel into the carb. Remove #31, don't worry it is just a plug. Pump the primer bulb and see if gas comes out of the hole. If no gas comes out, the needle is most likely stuck in the seat and not allowing any gas to pass through. If that is the case, the carb will have to come off and the bowel removed. To remove the carb is easier than it looks, having the OEM manual would be a plus.http://www.ishopmarine.com/ishop/jsp/AsplIsmCcatViewBase.jsp?reqFor=29&lvlCode=5&path=BRP%7EA0000003%7EM0004195%7EM0004240%7EM0004241%7EC0069486&isForSupStore=false&cCatFilter=&eCatSupFldr=&hideLinkOnPath=false&docId=&docName=&isFromCMS=false&hideAdd2CartButton=&isStandAlone=&is4CmsShop=&reqln=Unknown&reqem=Unknown&reqph=Unknown&isFrPG=false&forItemCode=&pCode=C0069476
 

USCFisher

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

thanks...i'll remove that screw and go from there. and yes, getting a manual is on my priority list.
 

Daviet

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

Get the OEM manual, costs a little more but well worth the price. Sometimes you can find them on E-bay, just make sure you use your model number to by the correct one.
 

tashasdaddy

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

i agree, sound either like the float is stuck, or a very common and embarrassing problem, that the fuel line is connected backwards. there is an arrow on the bulb, the arrow points toward the motor. i admit i have made that mistake.
 

USCFisher

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

well i ended up getting the carb off and cleaning it real good and apparently when my mechanic cleaned it a few months ago he did it right and replaced the float and all the gaskets so all looked good. i did have a little trash in the float bowl but not much at all. problem was the bowl was empty which leads me to believe that maybe it is the fuel pump. any thoughts on this?

and yes, i've been guilty of having the fuel line connected backwards in the past but i won't make that mistake again.
 

Daviet

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

Pumping the primer bulb will bypass the pump and fill the carb bowel with fuel, that's why you pump the primer bulb before starting the engine. If the primer bulb will pump up firm, then the system should be full of fuel. If the needle is sticking in the seat it will not let fuel through and act as the system is full of fuel.
Make sure the needle and seat is clean and operates properly, clean any trash from the carb and see if it will start and run.
Was the trash in the carb rubber scales, might be a good idea to replace the fuel line from the pump to the carb.
 

Al-53

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

If the carb is still off check the fuel pump....crank it a few times and see if u get fuel coming out the line....if not trouble shoot the fuel pump....make sure no hole in the diaphram...or clogged screen

Al
 

USCFisher

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

Pumping the primer bulb will bypass the pump and fill the carb bowel with fuel, that's why you pump the primer bulb before starting the engine. If the primer bulb will pump up firm, then the system should be full of fuel. If the needle is sticking in the seat it will not let fuel through and act as the system is full of fuel.
Make sure the needle and seat is clean and operates properly, clean any trash from the carb and see if it will start and run.
Was the trash in the carb rubber scales, might be a good idea to replace the fuel line from the pump to the carb.

good point...the bulb is getting hard and last week when i had to disconnect the fuel pump there was gas coming out of the fuel line going to the carb. i bet that needle is sticking and i didn't clean it good enough. in that case i guess i'm going to pull the carb off again and replace the fuel lines while i'm at it. do you recommend soaking the carb in cleaner overnight? if so, should i completely disassemble it?
 

Daviet

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

If it was running properly a month ago I would think your problem was flushed into the carb. I would check the needle and seat, and if the needle was stuck, I would clean the needle and seat, check for proper operation,and reassemble the carb. Change the fuel lines if they are stiff, could be flaking on the inside.
 

USCFisher

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

ok so i'm in the process of replacing the fuel lines and have a quick question. last night i disconnected the fuel line that goes into the bottom of the carb to see if fuel was at least getting to the carb and i was able to pump the primer bulb and shoot fuel out the line. are you supposed to be able to do this without turning the motor over? seems to me that the fuel pump should maintain some pressure which wouldn't allow me to pump the bulb and let fuel through....i could be wrong but it's just a thought. in that's alright and fuel is getting to the carb but not in the carb then it must be the needle and seat. looks like i'll be taking that apart again tonight. thanks for all the help and i'll update later this week.
 

Daviet

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

Yes, if you pump the primer bulb fuel should shoot out of the line going to the carb, that is how you prime the carb. Pumping the primer bulb will bypass the fuel pump and allow you to prime the carb.
 

USCFisher

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

duh...i should have known that. thanks Daviet! :D
 

Daviet

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

You're welcome, I hope you get your problem solved. It looks you are on the way to getting it running properly.
 

USCFisher

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

i sure hope so...for my first time working on an old outboard i don't think i'm doing too bad. only time will tell.

another question while i'm at it though, in order to keep some of the trash and water (from ethanol) out of the carb, would a fuel/water separator be a good idea? or should i just run 93 octane gas with stabil in it?
 

Daviet

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

I Have never run a fuel seperator on smaller engines, but I am sure some people do. I ALWAYS run sea foam in all of my engines and never use old gas, and I don't have any problem fuel problems.
 

USCFisher

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

update: i cleaned the carb again and replaced all of the fuel lines. hooked the battery up and it started up immediately! however, it would not run but for a minute or two before shutting off and it doesn't seem to be responding to throttle. i did not adjust the timing or carb setting (unless unintentionally) but that's the only thing i can think would be causing it to not respond to the throttle. i have not found any air leaks in the lines and the carb is obviously getting gas now. any suggestions on what could be causing this? i appreciate all of the advice thus far.

by they way, i'm waiting on the manual to get here b/c the only store in my area that has them was out of stock.
 

Daviet

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

When you overhauled the carb did you remove the core plug on top of the carb and clean the passages underneith? Static setting for the low speed jet is to lightly seat the needle and open it up 1 1/2 turns. Fine tune it when you have the engine running.
 

USCFisher

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

When you overhauled the carb did you remove the core plug on top of the carb and clean the passages underneith? Static setting for the low speed jet is to lightly seat the needle and open it up 1 1/2 turns. Fine tune it when you have the engine running.

do you mean the idle adjustment screw? i didn't remove any plug but i did remove the idle screw, needle, seat, and float...then i sprayed every hole out with carb cleaner. i seated the idle screw and backed it out 1 1/2 turns like you're supposed to and it cranked right up but didn't respond to me twisting the throttle. the carb seems to be working fine now but apparently in dis assembly i screwed up the linkage/throttle advance. i should have my manual this week and will try a link-n-sync and go from there.
 

14ftgrumman

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Re: Need help! starting to get frustrated

Get it running again, and be ready to start squeezing the primer bulb when it starts to die. If it keeps running, you have narrowed your search to fuel pump or needle and seat.

If the needle and seat are working properly, then it's the fuel pump. Might have trash in the screen. There are two types of fule pumps used, and I do not remember which one is the easy one to clean and which one is the difficult one.

Make sure the retaining clip is on the needle valve.

My experience is with older motors, so I do not know for sure that these steps are relivant to your motor, but since it ran when you cleaned the trash out of the carb, it seems logical that there might be some up-stream- in the fule pump.

Spock out
 
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