Merc 3.0 won't idle, won't accelerate, pops into gear

[Bangarng]

Hey everyone! Before I get into details I just want to say that I'm still fairly new to boats and don't really know what to search regarding these things.

So my 2000 Regal Merc 3.0 sat all winter, and during it's first run it won't idle, bogs and dies in full acceleration, pops hard into gear and cruses at wake speed in it's lowest throttle position. What the heck?!?!

My buddies and I played with the idle and jet screws on the carb which could be causing the pop and wake speed on low throttle position (we were stranded and this got us home), but I'm wondering if the other problem is from using 87 car gas with the 10% ethanol. It worked fine last year after I had the carb rebuilt and popped the anti syphon valve, but are these merc carbs really that sensitive to ethanol? Is it possible that it already gummed up after sitting for 5 months?

Any help would be appreciated, where it be "TAKE IT TO THE MECHANIC" to "BUY THIS TREATMENT FOR YOUR CARB" or "YOU CRAZY"

Thanks.

 

[Bt Doctur]

fuel filters and a full tune up for starters. once its running smoothly, lower the idle stop screw until you have about 750-800 in neutral.check and adjust the timing, then readjust the idle

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

New ethanol gas is JUNK. I have seen so many small engine carbs with clogged jets from sitting with gas in it over winter. You really want to use a fuel stabilizer with anything that is going to have gas sitting in the tank. Your car or truck goes thru a tank full pretty quickly so they are ok.

There are many brands on the market, and some good videos on testing them to see how they really hold up.

I'm with the Doctur on this, new filters and good tune up first.

 

[alldodge]

Hey everyone! Before I get into details I just want to say that I'm still fairly new to boats and don't really know what to search regarding these things.

So my 2000 Regal Merc 3.0 sat all winter, and during it's first run it won't idle, bogs and dies in full acceleration, pops hard into gear and cruses at wake speed in it's lowest throttle position. What the heck?!?!

My buddies and I played with the idle and jet screws on the carb which could be causing the pop and wake speed on low throttle position (we were stranded and this got us home), but I'm wondering if the other problem is from using 87 car gas with the 10% ethanol. It worked fine last year after I had the carb rebuilt and popped the anti syphon valve, but are these merc carbs really that sensitive to ethanol? Is it possible that it already gummed up after sitting for 5 months?

Any help would be appreciated, where it be "TAKE IT TO THE MECHANIC" to "BUY THIS TREATMENT FOR YOUR CARB" or "YOU CRAZY"

Thanks.

The gas isn't your issue, your engine was built after ethanol came out. Your idle is to fast and this is why it pops hard in gear and cruises to fast at no throttle. If you had bad gas then the engine wouldn't be running. While stabilizer isn't a bad idea to use over the winter, it will do nothing to help gas which has already gone bad.

The carb is no more sensitive then one for a car, they are actually an auto carb with a marine mod. Take the filter off and dump the contents in a gallon ziplock to see what you find. Look for water and crud, if you find something that shouldn't be there start looking at the tank and lines

 

[Bangarng]

Thanks guys. The boat should be tuned up and good go to. I put in new spark plugs, wires, and a dist cap a month ago and new filters last winter (unless the ethanol got to them lol) If I rev it in neutral it's ok but when you quit pumping gas in there it dies out. It idled sporadically when playing with the screws. I put in stabil over the winter. Should I put in stab-il during every fill up with 87 octane with 10% ethanol? I think I'll be using marina gas here on out.

Ok I will turn down the idle screw and check the contents in the fuel filter. I don't know how to adjust the timing though, and report back with what I find!

 

[Gold Eagle Co]

Hey everyone,

Just so everyone is clear, we work for the manufacturers of STA-BIL? & 303? Products. Yes, today's equipment is made to run with at least E10 gasoline. With proper fuel maintenance, you can avoid a lot of headaches that can be associated with ethanol blended gas. One of the more common issues being the short shelf life of ethanol blended gas. This gas can begin to go bad in as little as 30 days. That's not to say it's unusable in 30 days, but it can begin to lose it's volatility.

To help avoid this, it is a good idea to run a high quality fuel stabilizer in any gas that may end up sitting longer than 30 days. The best practice would be to fill the tank about 95% full, add a high quality fuel stabilizer, then run the equipment for about 5-10 minutes. This will cut down on room for condensation to form and will help ensure the entire fuel system is treated and protected.

Finally, we would be happy to get an 8oz bottle of STA-BIL? 360? Marine to the first 5 people to reply to this post. All we ask in return is you share your experience using that product.

Moving forward, we have a number of products available right on this site (including STA-BIL?). If anyone ever has fuel related questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

http://www.iboats.com/Search/dm/?ke...it.y=0&cart_id=683729434&session_id=440203346

Have a great day!

 

[alldodge]

Thanks guys. The boat should be tuned up and good go to. I put in new spark plugs, wires, and a dist cap a month ago and new filters last winter (unless the ethanol got to them lol) If I rev it in neutral it's ok but when you quit pumping gas in there it dies out. It idled sporadically when playing with the screws. I put in stabil over the winter. Should I put in stab-il during every fill up with 87 octane with 10% ethanol? I think I'll be using marina gas here on out.

Ok I will turn down the idle screw and check the contents in the fuel filter. I don't know how to adjust the timing though, and report back with what I find!

This is telling me your not getting enough fuel. By pumping the throttle your pushing more gas in. So you either have a clogged up carb, weak fuel pump, clogged filter or restriction in a line or in the tank.

 

[Bangarng]

That sounds right! If it's possible for ethanol to gunk up a boat over the winter then I am going to pissed to rebuild the carb again after only 8 months. The fuel pump is mechanical and I believe it's going on 15 years now. I wonder if that's the case more than the others, unless ethanol is really that evil

 

[alldodge]

That sounds right! If it's possible for ethanol to gunk up a boat over the winter then I am going to pissed to rebuild the carb again after only 8 months. The fuel pump is mechanical and I believe it's going on 15 years now. I wonder if that's the case more than the others, unless ethanol is really that evil

I've had E-10 gas last several months without issue. Don't think you have a bad gas issue. First pull the filter and dump contents into a glass jar or plastoc bag and see what it looks like. If that is good and clean, then check your fuel pump first with a cheap vacuum fuel pump tester like the one in the link below.
http://www.harborfreight.com/fuel-pump-and-vacuum-tester-93547.html

Put the gauge in a Tee fitting between the carb and pump, should read between 4 to 7 psi.

If fuel pressure is OK, pull the carb and open the top and see if the filter in the carb inlet or the carb has crud in it

 

[diggerdan17]

Hey everyone,

Just so everyone is clear, we work for the manufacturers of STA-BIL? & 303? Products. Yes, today's equipment is made to run with at least E10 gasoline. With proper fuel maintenance, you can avoid a lot of headaches that can be associated with ethanol blended gas. One of the more common issues being the short shelf life of ethanol blended gas. This gas can begin to go bad in as little as 30 days. That's not to say it's unusable in 30 days, but it can begin to lose it's volatility.

To help avoid this, it is a good idea to run a high quality fuel stabilizer in any gas that may end up sitting longer than 30 days. The best practice would be to fill the tank about 95% full, add a high quality fuel stabilizer, then run the equipment for about 5-10 minutes. This will cut down on room for condensation to form and will help ensure the entire fuel system is treated and protected.

Finally, we would be happy to get an 8oz bottle of STA-BIL? 360? Marine to the first 5 people to reply to this post. All we ask in return is you share your experience using that product.

Moving forward, we have a number of products available right on this site (including STA-BIL?). If anyone ever has fuel related questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

http://www.iboats.com/Search/dm/?ke...it.y=0&*******=683729434&**********=440203346

Have a great day!

!

 

[zealer]

IMO, sounds like the carb needs to be cleaned. Definitely check the fuel filter (at the carb and by the pump) for debris. When I experienced similar issues, there was a lot of debris in the filter by the carb. I had the carb rebuilt, and I flushed and cleaned the gas tank - there was a lot of sand or dirt in it.

I agree with the others - the banging into gear is because the idle is too high. Bogging & dying under acceleration further makes me thing its a carb issue.