Re: 1964 18 hp evinrude will not start.
Hi edoan. Welcome to iboats. Great old motor. I have a '66 20 hp which is virtually identical. For starters, (no pun intended) never use starter fluid on these old 2 stokes as it will strip the innards of much need lubricant. Instead, you can use a bit of premixed fuel to help prime the cylinders. It's good that the motor will start and run for a few seconds, that means that the compression is probably ok, which is the most important thing. Everything else can be fixed pretty easily. You can confirm it by using an automotive style compression tester. You want 70-80+ psi and the cylinders to be within 10% of each other. Assuming the compression is good, I would then check the spark. You want to get a nice bright, blue "snapping" spark that can jump a 1/4" gap. You can get a gap tester at most auto parts stores for about $5. If the spark is non-existant, or weak, you'll need to check the ignition components found under the flywheel. They're very easy to replace/adjust, but getting the flywheel off will require a harmonic balancer puller (see pics in link below). Once the flywheel is off, I would just replace both points and condensers for good measure. You can get a tune up kit right here at iboats for about $25. Once the spark is good, and the compression is confirmed, that only leaves fuel. You say you rebuilt the carb, which is good, but you may want to take it apart and double check everything (see link below). If the carb is ok, that really only leaves the fuel pump. To check it, squeeze the primer bulb leading from the gas tank. It should firm up with the motor turned off. If not, then the pump may be bad. You can also try manually pumping the primer bulb as the motor runs to see if that keeps it alive. If it does, then again the pump is bad. Give these tricks a try and follow the steps in the link below and let us know what you find. Holler if you get stuck.
http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/06/columns/max/index6.htm
