83 merc 50, not getting gas to top carb???

gonefishin485

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Messages
108
so i got this motor thru a little wheeling and dealing and trading

after some reasearch i found its a 1983, its a 4cylinder, im pretty sure its a 50hp

yesterday i put the motor on my boat, hooked everything up, put the hose pipe on it, fired it up, seemed to idle a little low, i squeezed the bulb, and she rared up higher. in the process i got cold, so i called it a day, figured, well it runs, i was content, and went inside to warm up.

today i went out there, fired it up, and same thing. pump the bulb it will rare up, or if i keep hitting the electric choke and releasing it, it will run properly. if you dont pump the bulb or hit the choke it will die out. the fuel filter will still have fuel in it, but you have to pump the bulb again to get it to crank.

ive also made a few observations, if you pump the bulb up enough, gasoline will actually squirt out from the front of the carbs

its a 4cylinder, 2 carbureator setup, and both carbs appear to have fuel pumps built on the side of them

it doesnt have the orginal bowl filter, the previous owner put an inline glass type filter

if you spray a little carb cleaner in the top carb while its running, it will run pick up rpms and run better

my thoughts tell me the top carb isnt getting any gas, but when i pull the top bowl off it, it was full of gas, and the float was not stuck closed

so whats my problem?
 

gonefishin485

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Messages
108
Re: 83 merc 50, not getting gas to top carb???

yes it did sit for a while, i appologize i forgot to mention that

also if nesccary, i have the original style fuel filter, if that would make any difference

and lastly, does anyone know if it does indeed have a fuel pump on each carb?
 

gonefishin485

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jun 29, 2008
Messages
108
Re: 83 merc 50, not getting gas to top carb???

ok so it turns out, the carbs have a fuel pump built on the side of each one, i went to the local merc dealer, got rebuild kits, cleaned and rebuilt the carbs, i put it all back together, but i have yet to get out to the water to test it

i got a couple more questions

is it going to hurt anything to let it sit after the carb rebuild?
normally when i rebuild carbs i put them on and test them, but i havent had time with this one yet, it is going to hurt anything? i havent pumped any gas thru it yet, i just rebuilt them and bolted everything back in place

also, should i keep the little glass inline fuel filter, or should i use the original merc bowl type filter? the guy at the boat shop said it really didnt matter as long as it has a filter, any thoughts?
 

Barnacle_Bill

Admiral
Joined
Feb 8, 2004
Messages
6,469
Re: 83 merc 50, not getting gas to top carb???

Its not going to hurt to let it sit a while. If you are running E-10 like most of us I would install a water seperator type filter.
 
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