Honda Carburetor issues

[compcrasher86]

Hey I've got a 17' Montauk with a 2004 75hp Honda four stroke and a 10' Zodiac with an 2003 8hp Honda Four Stroke.

Both of them have been in the shop even before I could get the chance to use them. The honda expert, Ryan Marine, is telling me that the local increase in ethanol in the gas is screwing up the Carburetors in the two Hondas. They say that the just need to clean out the carburetor and it will work good as new. I took their word for it when my 8hp kept stalling whenever I shifted into gear. I didnt even bother trying the 75 for its sake.

My question is, is there any way I can prevent this from happening again?

 

[eipeldau]

Re: Honda Carburetor issues

Hi,
You might as well add water-separating filters to your systems and make sure you removed all the fuel from the systems when you're done with your boating. You can do it by disconnecting the fuel hose from the engine and keeping the little conector's valve(at the engine side of the connection) pressed with a screwdriver tip. This will prevent vacuum in the system, and all the gas in the engine-side system will be able to be sucked by the fuel pump and sent into the carburetor. If you want a 100% job, you can also remove the remaining couple of gas drops by opening the draining screw at the base of the carburetor. It has been working very well with my 2004 Honda 20hp, and the gas I use has 23% ethanol.

Good luck!

Henrique