Outboard runs great, then won't fire at all

[Christobol]

I have an Evinrude 35 hp 1976 with intermittent fuel problems. Two weeks ago at the lake, engine ran at half speed. Last week it ran at full speed, just beautiful. Tow days ago out on the lake, would not start. Bulb gets hard, but after it cranks awhile, the bulb goes to half thickness and is soft.

I have cleaned the carb out twice. Put Seafoam in it before it ran great. Now this! My patience is wearing thin Any suggestion my friends? Thanks, Christobol.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Outboard runs great, then won't fire at all

loss of fuel pressure is a problem, but it's not preventing the motor from starting -- once you pump it up, there's enough gas in the carb bowl to start the motor and run it for a few minutes.

Unless of course your float height is incorrectly set. Or if you didn't install a carb kit, and the float valve is worn out and flooding the motor.

Check for spark on both cylinders before you do anything else.

A compression test is a good idea, too (especially if you ran it very long with a lean cylinder -- no gas means no oil). No point spending time & money on a motor with bad compression.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Outboard runs great, then won't fire at all

read outboard won't start http://forums.iboats.com/forumdisplay.php?f=31