72ish 4hp Seahorse

I have a 72 4hp seahorse that I'm having some problems with. I'm fairly new to outboards. First, I adjusted it and got it running and after about 3 minutes it died. When I get it adjusted, I can adjust it to run well. I got it running smooth and ran it for about 10 minutes then stopped it. After that I could not restart it. I do not know if this is the carb, fuel pump, water pump, or oil. It was smoking some but it sounded like it was running well. Also, I need to get some new adjusting knobs and a pull rope. Any suggestions? Should I be using a 50:1 fuel/oil mix or what?

model #

model #

Model 4R72s

Also, I forgot to say...the only adjustment I made after it stalled out was I let it rest for about 10 minutes, started it then immediately pulled the cover off.

Re: model #

Re: model #

Well it could be a number of things causing it to stop. My number one concern would be it is overheating and if so you could wreck it pretty quickly. With the engine running you should be able to lay your hand on the upper head for 3 or 4 seconds without getting burned. If that checks out well you might be sucking air, have a weak fuel pump, bad coil/s, etc. You need to get an OMC service manual for your particular year (1972). Either a Johnson or Evinrude will be fine. In there you will find many helpful procedures and the how to on replacing your pull cord. You may want to check the compression early which will help you in your decision whether or not you want to spend money on it. Once running correctly they are very good little motors and very economical to run. Let us know how it's going. Best of luck. Rick.

Re: model #

Re: model #

I had it in the shop for a repair on the gear that connects the pull start to the starter and they ran a compression test on it and said that was fine...as for the rest, thanks. I will look into it.