96 Johnson 90 hp intermittently starves for gas

Hello, with a full tank of gas, this engine will occasionally at trolling speed, literally run out of gas, and die. The now empty fuel bulb can then be pumped until firm, the engine will fire and runs fine until it happens again. Today for the first time, it did this while at cruising speed. Thanks for any help.

Re: 96 Johnson 90 hp intermittently starves for gas

It sounds like it is drawing air into the fuel line. One of the first things I would do is replace the O rings in the fuel connectors as well as looking for any loose fitting or clamps on lines. Another possibility is that the fuel pump is weak and not pumping enough fuel at idle so that the float bowls on the carbs are emptying out at idle. A quick check would be to temporarily replace the discharge line from the fuel pump with a piece of claer tubing so you can watch for air coming through from the fuel pump if it is indeed drawing air. If it is not showing air in the clear tube, I would suspect the fuel pump is starting to retire. I have experienced a shortened service life from recent OMC fuel connectors (the ones with the yellow plastic around the O ring). I have found that the Tempo connectors have stood up better for me and been more reliable. <br /><br />Cheers...