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.
-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.