07 5.0 GL - Are carbs really THAT inconvenient?

void7910

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Sep 7, 2013
Messages
93
We've found a decent boat at a good price but it has a Volvo 5.0 GL. Our last I/O was an MPI so I have no point of reference for dealing with a carbureted engine. Are they THAT inconvenient?

I understand all the differences, maintenance, how to start etc. Just concerned that we launch at a very busy public dock often and also off a beach in the summer. Neither ideal for warm up. We are concerned that we wont have any warm up time and don't want to be dealing with it stalling out while trying to get out of the way.
 

Augoose

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
1,220
Nope. A properly turned carb will start perfectly and idle just fine every time. I've got a '99 GL 5.0 and it runs perfectly. I get in the boat and the wife backs the trailer down. I pump the throttle twice and start it. I leave the throttle control arm fwd (in neutral) at about the 11:45 position which puts the rpms at about 1200. Leave it there for about 30 seconds while I un-crank the boat off the trailer and by the time I actually push the boat off the trailer with my hands and get back to the pilot's seat, it's warm enough to put the throttle control in neutral and let it idle at 650 rpms.
Nothing wrong with carbs.
 

tpenfield

Moderator
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Jul 18, 2011
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17,624
Carb'ed engines are fine. I've had both carb'd and MPI . . . the both types started fine.
 

Scott06

Vice Admiral
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Apr 20, 2014
Messages
5,543
Yes you can leave the dock at this point. If you like the boat don't kept a carb scare you away. Easy to fix with simple hand tools vs hooking up an mpi to the diagnostic. In 25 years on last boat I cleaned and rebuilt the carb only twice.
 

Insomnium

Seaman
Joined
Apr 7, 2017
Messages
54
Its no problem and they are super easy to rebuild if you are not sure of its condition.
 

Augoose

Lieutenant Junior Grade
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Mar 21, 2010
Messages
1,220
When you say this, you mean you can putter away from the dock at this point?

Absolutely. It will idle on its own at 650, or motor away just barely in gear, with no problems.
 

tpenfield

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Jul 18, 2011
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Absolutely. It will idle on its own at 650, or motor away just barely in gear, with no problems.

Me too . . . other than running the engine for about 30 seconds, then you are good to go. The engine should not stall, if it is running properly.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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Jul 23, 2011
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47,307
a properly maintained carburetor will run nearly as flawlessly as EFI - both will require about 30 seconds to warm at the dock
a properly maintained carbureted motor will burn the same amount of fuel as EFI
both carbureted and EFI if poorly maintained and neglected will fail
a carbureted motor is easier to repair than EFI (and significantly less expensive)
a carbureted motor is only a problem to those people who never drove a carbureted vehicle or that do not run outdoor power equipment and do not understand pumping the throttle to prime the motor and set the choke

EFI shines when you drive from Naples Florida to Denver Colorado and want to use the same boat. Here a carb needs to be re-tuned, where EFI adapts to the change in barometric pressure (altitude)
 

Lou C

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 10, 2002
Messages
11,802
Keep in mind there are certain things that need to be right for a carb to allow the engine to run right:
​basic choke adjustment (it should close almost all the way on a cold engine)
​vaccum break also called choke pull off--this is a vacuum operated diaphragm that will via a linkage pull the choke plate open slightly so the engine gets enough air to keep running
​operator follows correct procedure: before starting, open throttle all the way (this allows choke plate to close), pumps throttle 2-3x, this allows accel pump to squirt out a bit of gas to help starting, then the operator has to set the throttle setting manually, this sets the fast idle position (about 1/4 forward) with the shift system disengaged (some handles pull out to do this , some you push in a button on the lever to do this). Then crank it over with the starter.

​We all had cars back in the day, that were exactly the same as this, except that there was a fast idle cam that set the fast idle automatically when the choke closed.
​And, we tended to like or dislike our carbed cars based on how well they started cold. We had a '72 Chevy 350 with a Rochester 2bbl that was balky during cold starts (probably because the mechanics did not know how to properly adjust the well type or divorced choke used then) and a '75 Olds 350 with a Q-Jet that was a good cold starter.

​If your carb is dirty, or mal-adjusted or needs a rebuild, then it will probably act up most during cold starts, because of the difficulty in atomizing fuel in a cold engine.

​If you run old boats like many here do, carbs are much easier to deal with. Why, well you can still get them rebuilt, you can buy brand new Marine Holleys or Edelbrock 1409s and there are no EFI control units that are no longer available when the boat gets to be 15--20 years old to stop you. I'll take a carb, and a points distributor, over No Longer Available or NLA electronic control units any day.
 

dennis461

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 11, 2011
Messages
516
How long of a drive from home to boat ramp?
I usually fire mine up at home to make sure starter works, alternator works, carburetor works, etc.
This way carb is at proper fuel level later.

Most of the boat ramps I use have a way for me to use lines to get my boat out of the ramp to a safe area where I can run the engine up for warming.
At other ramps, I idle up high for a minute tops. Then idle out to deeper water and warm up.
In colder weather, I stall the engine a couple of times (operator error) so I do not move far from the ramp until temperature gauge starts claiming above ambient.

Also keep in mind, your fellow boaters will understand you may need a couple of minutes to get launched.
 
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