New Carburator Needed?

[LuvBoating]

Have a 1992 Celebrity 200 Cuddy Cabin w/5.7L I/O and 4 BL Quadri Jet Rochester carburetor. We bought this boat in April 2009 and the carb has been rebuilt twice, that we know of. Once, a few months before we bought it and then, right after we bought it. We were not informed of the "rebuild" when we bought it, so had it done after we bought it. During the "water test" of the boat, before buying it, we noticed that the engine kept stalling and were told, by the owner, that the carb needed some work and the cost of the boat would be reduced to compensate for the carb repair. We found out, by the marine mechanic, that the carb had already been rebuilt (he found out when tearing it down)........just a few months prior to us buying the boat.

Since then, we've had the carb adjusted (once) and another marine mechanic told us that it's adjusted as much as can be. I've sprayed the outside/linkage with Gunk Carb/Choke Cleaner and it seems to be ok, BUT, it is hard to start (a lot of pumping of the throttle) and the choke doesn't seem to work.

The Marine Service we use told us that there is no "after-market" carb available for this boat/engine, so we'd have to buy a brand new one. Since a couple of years ago, we had a new "bottom end" part of the engine put in, along with new plugs, wires, alternator and belts, a new carb/choke would probably be a perfect for this engine. Right? The new one will cost $777, plus $200 for putting it on. Wouldn't a new carb/choke help the engine to start much, much better.

Please advise. Thanks..

 

[Scott Danforth]

I have yet to find a carb I could not clean and get running like new assuming that the carb is complete and not physically damaged.

did the boat die every time it was pulled into neutral? if so, it may not be the carb.

there are many aftermarket carbs for the boat including Edelbrock.

My guess is the choke may some love, and possibly the accelerator pump replaced based on your description, however I would like you to try something else first.

With the boat on the muffs or in the water when cold, remove the spark arrestor. give the carb one full pump. is the choke now closed - Yes or no

with help of someone, manually open the choke, look into the throat of the carburetor when someone gives the boat a single full pump of the throttle. do you see two streams of fuel being sprayed into the carb - Yes or no

if the choke is closed and you see two streams of fuel, reinstall the spark arrestor, press the button to disconnect the shift linkage, and move the throttle to about 3/8 travel and turn the key. once the motor starts, back off throttle to about 1000 RPM for about 2-3 minutes, then pull back to neutral.

if the choke remains open or you did not see two streams of fuel, you have a fuel system issue to address.

report back.

 

[LuvBoating]

I have yet to find a carb I could not clean and get running like new assuming that the carb is complete and not physically damaged.

did the boat die every time it was pulled into neutral? if so, it may not be the carb.

there are many aftermarket carbs for the boat including Edelbrock.

My guess is the choke may some love, and possibly the accelerator pump replaced based on your description, however I would like you to try something else first.

With the boat on the muffs or in the water when cold, remove the spark arrestor. give the carb one full pump. is the choke now closed - Yes or no

with help of someone, manually open the choke, look into the throat of the carburetor when someone gives the boat a single full pump of the throttle. do you see two streams of fuel being sprayed into the carb - Yes or no

if the choke is closed and you see two streams of fuel, reinstall the spark arrestor, press the button to disconnect the shift linkage, and move the throttle to about 3/8 travel and turn the key. once the motor starts, back off throttle to about 1000 RPM for about 2-3 minutes, then pull back to neutral.

if the choke remains open or you did not see two streams of fuel, you have a fuel system issue to address.

report back.

Back in April 2009, when we done the "water testing" of the boat, the engine seemed to run rough, while in Neutral, and then stall. That was when the owner told us to take the boat to the Marine Service he used to get the carb looked at. He knew, but didn't tell us, that the carb had just been rebuilt a couple of months before. Perhaps he figured that the "rebuild" didn't work or something. We think he just wanted to sell the boat. Since then, we've had it rebuilt and adjusted. The engine seems to run fine, but it so darn hard to start after sitting for a few weeks AND don't seem like the choke works.

The only thing I do is check the oil and, if we don't have the boat "winterized", I can take out the block plugs and drain the block for winter.........that's pretty much it. I'm sure not the "backyard mechanic" I use to be. If something seems strange with the engine, we automatically take it to our Marine Service. I don't mess with engines anymore.

Our Marine Service told us that the vendors they buy stuff from, only carry new carbs.

They way I figure it, some things only last for a certain amount of years and then it's time to buy new.

 

[harleyman1975]

Well if they promise that a new carb will fix it then your buying "peace of mind". Make sure that they don't just shrug their shoulders if it doesn't fix it though. Any good car mechanic can work on that engine to resolve your problem don't feel trapped into working with a marine mechanic. That is the same basic engine that GM has used since 1955 and the carb has been around since the mid to late 60's

 

[boatman37]

agreed with Scott. as long as there is no physical damage to the carb (warped, worn throttle shafts, etc.) then a competent rebuilder should be able to get the carb as good as new. i just rebuilt mine last week but had rebuilt dozens back in the 80's and 90's. you can buy rebuilt q-jets online for about $300 and new holley or edelbrock replacements for not much more. as far as installing, $200 is a little high. i can install and fine tune your q-jet in under 30 minutes, unless that includes his travel to the marina? i would call around to other boat mechanics.

like Scott said, check the accelerator pump by making sure fuel shoots into the carb and make sure the choke flap is closing all the way before you start it

 

[Scott Danforth]

They way I figure it, some things only last for a certain amount of years and then it's time to buy new.

your right, most carbs last about 120-130 years with the usage you get in a boat. about 60-70 years with the usage you get in a daily driven vehicle with proper maintenance. I just got a friends 1946 Chevrolet running with a points file and a can of carb cleaner. car sat for 34 years in a barn. I have another friend with a 1917 truck running all original driveline that just rebuilt his carb for the 20th time. I have a set of vintage Honda mopeds that suffers from rusty fuel tanks that I take the carbs apart at least once a year for cleaning. certain things only last a few years, carbs aint one of them. as boatman37 indicated, short of warped base plates, stripped castings and worn throttle shafts, they will last forever. for the typical wear items, they sell parts.

the issue is simple. with a new carb, the marina doesnt have to do any work, and the technician doesnt have to have any skill. just spend your money, buy a new part, install a part and for the next 1-2 years not hear from you , then its out of waranty and its not their problem. same reason marinas push new complete motors vs remanufactured. it removes nearly all the liability of workmanship.

go back to the two questions I asked on the choke plate and the fuel streams, and report back.

 

[LuvBoating]

Our Boat Repair Shop suggested a place, close to where we live, to get a new (for us), but rebuilt, carb. So we did that. It cost us $246 w/a $30 Core refund to make it $199 plus tax. Our old carb had a choke that ran from inside the manifold, whereas this one is an electric one. It was installed last Friday (8/5) and water tested/adjusted. Mechanic told me that the new carb and engine sounded fine, but now we have a transom leak. Appears to be from around the bottom of the outdrive mounting area, Will probably do a new Thread about that.

​Thanks for the suggestions. Neither wife or I know "very little to nothing" about marine engines, so have to pretty much rely on what a marine mechanic tells us. As for me, I don't do any work on marine engines or any other engine for that matter. Physically speaking, my body, or my wife, won't let me.