Water in gas?

I have a rebuilt 1994 115 Johnson. I normally run it almost every day. It set up for several months after I had surgery. It started hesitating and running terribly. It would idle out the canal but would not get over 2000rpm without bogging and quitting. I rebuilt the carbs. I think someone put a new fuel line in previously without a water separator in-line. It now idles great but still hesitates at 2500rpm and sometimes will get up on a plane but rpm's will fluctuate up and down slightly like surging in and out. How should I expect it to run if there is water in the gas? I plan to put in a water separator this weekend. Is there anything else that would be causing it to run so poorly?

Re: Water in gas?

You could have a number of issues confronting you. Possible you are losing spark to one cylinder intermittently. Check the spark on each plugwire when the engine is under load- with an inductive timing light. Also possible the fuel pump is weak-if the pump can't keep up with high rpm fuel demand, you can get that up-and-down rpm scenario. When this happens, try contantly priming the fuel hose bulb and see if the engine picks up rpm. Dump some fuel direct from the fuel hose into a large, clear glass and let it sit for 10 minutes to check for water. An engine can run with a little water in the gas, but it will have no power.

Re: Water in gas?

Thanks emdsamgr! I seem to be getting good spark on all plugs. Not sure about the fuel pump. I was told by parts department that they rarely go out. I checked for water in a plastic bottel and couldn't see any even after waiting several days. I am pretty sure someone (previous owner) replaced the fuel line and bypassed the water separator so I know I need to put one in line. I am getting ready to do that right now and run it for awhile to see if it makes a difference. Either way I will let you know how it goes. Thank you again for your thorough reply!

Re: Water in gas?

Could I have my fuel water separator connected backwards? I have an OMC fuel water separator bracket. It only has to connections. One is in the center of the top of the bracket and the other is offset to thhe left side. They do not have arrow on them to indicate flow direction. There is a little raised diagram but it is small and has oxidation on it so I can't quite read it. Should thhe top center connection be the one that goes to the motor? Thanks for any help with this.

Re: Water in gas?

It's best if the fuel water separator is connected to spec. Don't take a chance: Call the Bombardier (Evinrude) consumer hotline and ask them how it is supposed to be hooked up. 1-847-689-7090. If you can find a part number on it, that will be helpful to the tech on the line. Also, ask them to confirm that the filter you have will handle that size hp engine.