Re: New guy--84 merc with no power
Jeep,<br /><br />There are a few things that can cause an engine to have low power output.<br /><br />1. Poor compression<br />2. Weak or no spark<br />3. Too much or too little fuel.<br /><br />It shouldn't cost more than $30 dollars to figure out what the problem is. I would recommend that you get the following<br /><br />1. an inline spark checker<br />2. a spray bottle<br />3. a tool to check compression<br /><br />Check compression. It should be over 100 psi with no more than 15 psi difference between cylinders.<br /><br />Put the spark checkers on and crank the engine. You need to verify all cylinders have spark.<br /><br />If all cylinders have spark, put the correct oil/gas mix in the spray bottle and spray fuel into each carborator. If the engine picks up on one carburator you know where your problem is.<br /><br />If the engine ran fine last year and now it doesn't then a carburator may be flooding the engine. If you pump the bulb and it never gets hard then you probably have a hole in a fuel line or the needle valves aren't sealing off the carburator bowls.<br /><br />The most important thing is that you narrow down the problem area before you start spending money on parts. I just finished spending about $300 dollars and countless hours trying to fix a what I thought was an ignition problem when it turned out to be a carburator problem.<br /><br />Good luck!
