'83 Johnson 25hp starts but dies soon after

I got a 1983 25 hp Johnson recently, it ran well at low speed with a flusher attatched to it without any problems for a few minutes. I brought it home and tried to run it in a tank but now it dies soon after starting and after starting it right back up it seems to run for a shorter period of time. After starting it up a few more times it finally will not start anymore. I had primed the gas line until the ball had pressure. I noticed the fuel lines were clamped on with zip ties and there might be a slight leak in the hose going out of the fuel filter. Is it possible that air is getting in the line and this is causing the motor to die? The plugs seem a little wet but not black and grimey.

Re: '83 Johnson 25hp starts but dies soon after

they say a motor only needs 3 things to run, gas spark and air. assuming you have checked that your plug is sparking strongly and regularly that leaves you with gas and air. A leaky hose isnt good regardless of whether it causes the fault or not, you dont need leaking gas around hot engine parts. If you havent done it allready pull off the carb and clean it particularly the jets blow them out with compressed air and ensure the bowl is clean. If you are still using the fuel you got from the other guy drain the tank, check the fuel for water in the bottom, or just get some fresh stuff. If your o/b has a mixture adjustment by the choke, try starting with that in different positions, initally lean if your plugs are wet. And do check that you have water coming out the pee hole (telling you among other things that you have enough water in your tank) <br /><br />good luck