draining carbs question

[bob johnson]

Didnt have time to go to the gas station before I put my boat on the river . I needed to adjust the trailer and try the boat out again before the duck hunting opener sat.

so i grabbed the old boats gas can which has been sitting since feb of this year.

the boat ran across the river and then we putted around a creek inlet and back out into the river and then I took her up to about 20 MPH ( 3000 rpms ish) for the trip back across the river and the motor coughed and died..

pumped the primer bulbs( 2) just for going through the motions and eventually it fired back up. then a minute later it died again for good..

I could smell gas the whole trip

ok paddled with one 7 foot oar for 2 hours to get back.

at the dock i checked the spark..all had spark( 1995 115 johnson)

did my trailer adjustments and went home. once home i checked the compression on the three cylinders i could get the gauge into all 125.

ok questions

could the bad gas have let me run across the river and then caused my motor to die?

second, I have had a slight l seepage of gas out of a small plugged port in the side of the starboard carbs... so much that you could wipe it off and in a second or two it glistens with wetness again..

well between the two carbs i can see( cant see that part of the port carbs)
i am getting enough gas in the cowling that when i tilt it dripps out on to the midsection and tnt pump.........can i drain the carb bowls with out taking off the cowling??
because i want to try and glue that seepage shut, till after next week when i can take the motor in to have the carbs looked at.


I have a water seperator/fliter, and an additional in line fuel filter!!

thanks

bob

 

[psteurer]

Re: draining carbs question

Sounds to me like the float and needle valve inside the bowl of the carburetor is not working. That would explain where all the fuel is coming from. You really should rebuild the carburetors with new kits. The old gas could have cased a problem. If you had not run the boat since February and left old gas in the fuel lines, likely what happened is the ethanol in the gas ate away at the fuel lines and you have pieces of that junk in the carburetor. That's has to come out and a rebuild would do it.

If that "small plugged port" you refer to is silver, it is likely a welch plug. You can try to re-seal it by getting a small socket from a socket wrench set that is a little smaller than the silver plug. Put it on the plug and tap it with a hammer. You can put some glue on it too. I think clear figure nail polish might work.

 

[bob johnson]

Re: draining carbs question

the old gas came from a DIFFERENT boat....this boat has all brand new lines and is a brand new boat and the motor was just installed a month ago...

I had been using fresh gas 100% until last night.

actually only 12 gallons of gas has gone through all the new lines in the boat since the install!!! no time for damage from ethanol..

the place seeping is not a metalic welch plug....

it looks like a rubber ball actually...only about .125" in dia or less

here it is:

the little tiny DOT at the end of the arrow is what i am talkign about...I know i should have blown the diagram up!!

in this diagram they do not show a part for what goes in this hole...maybe it is sealed at the factory for life!!

bob

 

[Jeff_G]

Re: draining carbs question

Yes it is sealed.
You need to fix it immediately or you risk a fire or explosion using the engine with dripping fuel. In addition you need to find why the engine stopped running, unless you like paddling. Why take a chance with your engine or your life.
You need to be very careful with the torque specs on those carbs. Cracked float bowls and throttle bodies are very common.

 

[psteurer]

Re: draining carbs question

Fuel looses its octane rating as it gets old. I found this post on the web which can explain it better than me: "Gasoline tends to lose oxidation and deteriorate after 4-6 months of non-use and will be for the most part useless after 1 year. While it certainly will still ignite and burn, the octane content for any engines usability is severely diminished as well the gas at this point may have also become both moisture laden with water vapor, and or particulate matter if it was not in a full and sealed tank when last used."

You say you have a inline fuel filter and also water separator. That should have trapped any crude in the old fuel. Maybe have a look inside of those and replace them if needed. Then try some new fuel. Maybe the reason the motor died is right up front before the fuel gets to the engine.

I wonder if that sealed part is a BB. Definitely need to get that fixed right away. A fuel leak is not something to take a chance with.

 

[bob johnson]

Re: draining carbs question

I was thinking bad gas might be the culprit...because a motor i looked at a few months ago had the same issue. the guy said it ran GREAT!!

then tried to use up some old gas laying around to show me the motor

would not start for an hour ...checked everything, compression...great
spark...great

fuel...we could hear it going into the carbs..

went and got some fresh gas...and in a few minutes it fired right up!!

as for the motor I do have now...the carb seemed to be leakign when i got it...

i saw a drip hanging from that spot...

but since i hadnt run the motor for any length of time...the collection of gas was never noticed...

the marina said the motor was gauranteed...

so I am gonna ask him about the fuel leak...if it starts back up

other wise he is getting the motor back anyway..

is there a sealant that i can put on that spot so i can use the motor for the next week...untill i get a chance to take it back for the crab repair??

it doesnt drip as much with the motor tilted up on my transom saver!!

and I can tilt it even more!!!

i am thinkign blast it with a highly volitile degreaser9 so it evaporates fast) and then hit it with some super glue.....the quick drying type..

think that may get me working for a week or so?

bob

bob

 

[psteurer]

Re: draining carbs question

I think for your application Super Glue will work as a short term fix. The gas will eventually dissolve it though. But it should not be a problem for you because the glue would dissolve outside of the fuel system

There might be some product on shelf of a WalMart type store that would resist gas. Maybe JB Weld which is an epoxy. Just read the labels and see what they have.

 

[rjezuit]

Re: draining carbs question

Not that it's the same thing, but I had a chain saw that would barely idle and had no power on old gas. Changed the gas, did nothing else and it ran fine. Rick

 

[bob johnson]

Re: draining carbs question

disconnected the gas line pumped about 20 oz. of gas into a container and hooked the hose back up...and with new gas primed the system and started the motor... took about 15 seconds to catch...ran her for 10 minutes on the trailer backed into the water....put her in gear and ran it up to about 2000 rpms....all ran good



just now i degreesed the spot that wa sleaking and put some Lock Tite 4981 super glue on it and a piece of paper..looks like it might hold.

got my fingers crossed...

the marina may take a look at it next wed!!

bob