1992 60 hp evinrude ELEN new problem.

[Dave Brick]

I took the boat out for it's seasonal maiden voyage yesterday. New gas in the tank, changed to the Champion resistor plugs over the winter.

Started at the dock, but would not throttle up well. Ran rough, THUNK THUNK THUNK, like maybe was not running on all cylinders. Putted out a couple hundred yards, back to the dock, put the old (non-resistor) plugs back in. VROOM! Ran perfectly, strong and fast. Fished a few drifts, probably 10 stops and starts, perfect.

Then, several miles from the dock, started up, THUNK THUNK THUNK, putted for a minute or two, turned it off, no stall, decided to fish a little. Started up again, VROOM! perfect!

Went most of the way back to the dock, fished a few drifts, ran perfectly. Last startup, THUNK THUNK THUNK again.

Putted back to the dock, Turned it off, tied up, and re-started. VROOM!

When it runs poorly, it does not matter if it is in gear or not, you can tell easily by using the start up throttle, or the shift throttle.

What could cause this kind of intermittent problem? The new plugs appear to be a red herring.

 

[Dave Brick]

Re: 1992 60 hp evinrude ELEN new problem.

Any ideas?

 

[Dave Brick]

Re: 1992 60 hp evinrude ELEN new problem.

Well, OK. Thanks anyway. I know you guys help when you can. I'll take it to the dealer.

 

[Dave Brick]

Re: 1992 60 hp evinrude ELEN new problem.

One other thing. It never "drops" while running. It only runs poorly when it starts poorly. If it is running well at start up, I can go WOT for a half hour, no problems.

 

[Dave Brick]

Re: 1992 60 hp evinrude ELEN new problem.

I took it in to he shop yesterday. I'll post the results for future info.

 

[seahorse5]

Re: 1992 60 hp evinrude ELEN new problem.

What spark plugs are you talking about? Your engine is not made for resistor type sparkplugs, it uses a special suppressor plug that in Champion, has a Q as the first letter in the plug number, such as QL77JC4 or QL78YC.

 

[Dave Brick]

Re: 1992 60 hp evinrude ELEN new problem.

The QL77JC4 are "recommended" in the service manual I purchased on ebay. The L77JC4 are listed as "alternate". The (VERY) reputable shop where I purchased the motor post-rebuild 3 yrs ago used the L77JC4. I figured I knew better, and went with the QL77JC4, which I understood (perhaps wrongly) to be a resistor plug. Maybe it's a "suppressor" plug.

In any event, the plug change appears to be a red herring. The same problem occurs intermittently, regardless of which plug is in. My early bet in on a sticky carb float, due to crappy ethanol. I'll know more when the motor comes back from the shop, though.

I wonder if I'd be better off pulling the fuel line and running the carbs dry every time I shut down for more than a day. I know there is some controversy about this, but I know others (including some mechanics) who swear by it. I have used Seafoam in almost every tank, in an effort to "stabilize" the fuel. I'm wondering what other options I have for reducing the effects of ethanol.

Thank you for responding. I was feeling lonely

 

[Dave Brick]

Re: 1992 60 hp evinrude ELEN new problem.

Got the boat back.

Shop said (and showed me) that the fuel line connector to the motor was damaged. It appeared to be kind of crushed. I have looked and tested to see if tilting the motor in any way could cause this, but it does not appear possible. Who knows? Maybe it got vandalized. Maybe one of my kids hit it with a hammer.

He also replaced a corroded fuel line, and cleaned the carbs, pulling the plugs in the carbs, etc. He said it ran fine in the tank. We will check it out this weekend.

PS. Maybe when I pulled the fuel line off for the winter, I left it in a bad spot instead of tucking it away safely, but it's just a guess.