Mercury / Tohatsu / Nissan small outboard carburetor clean up.

Jan 4, 2020
43
Hunter HC 30 Washington, NC
Video of cleaning a Mercury 3.5 hp four stroke carb. All of these motors up to 6 hp branded Mercury / Tohatsu / Nissan are the same motors. Most common issue is clogging of the low idle jet. Video shows where it is and how to clean it without removal as well as removal for full cleaning.

 
May 27, 2004
1,964
Hunter 30_74-83 Ponce Inlet FL
Thanks for posting.
Merc refused to honor their warranty on my (then) 3 month old engine.
That cost me a C note to get it fixed. Haven't used it since.
Is there a different link to the video so that we can "save" it for future reference?
I don't use "Facebook".
Thanks,
G.
 
Last edited:
Jan 4, 2020
43
Hunter HC 30 Washington, NC
Thanks for posting.
Merc refused to honor their warranty on my (then) 3 month old engine.
That cost me a C note to get it fixed. Haven't used it since.
Is there a different link to the video so that we can "save" it for future reference?
I don't use "Facebook".
Thanks,
G.
I will upload to YouTube and post link.
 
Jan 4, 2020
43
Hunter HC 30 Washington, NC
Thanks for posting.
Merc refused to honor their warranty on my (then) 3 month old engine.
That cost me a C note to get it fixed. Haven't used it since.
Is there a different link to the video so that we can "save" it for future reference?
I don't use "Facebook".
Thanks,
G.
.... and yes, lots of people with nearly new motors experienced problems, almost all due to clogged carburetor idle jet. The jet is only about the size of a human hair or two. There are a lot of these motors just sitting in storage due to this issue. Great running little motors, but you have to use clean fuel and run it completely out of fuel every time. Else, the fuel in the carb evaporates and leaves varnish that clogs the jets.
 

RoyS

.
Jun 3, 2012
1,739
Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA
Another good idea is to not use ethanol gasoline. I buy a five gallon can of Sunoco real gasoline about every two or three years exclusively for my dinghy outboard, the lawnmower, and the snowblower. Costs about $75 for five gallons. The alternative is to buy or rebuild your carburetors every season. Corn has no business in gasoline for sane people.
 
Jan 4, 2020
43
Hunter HC 30 Washington, NC
I try to stay away from ethanol in the boat motors, it can pull moisture. Never had issues in mowers and what - not. The biggest problem here is evaporation of fuel. The motor is in direct sunlight, this will evaporate fuel and leave varnish.
 
Feb 10, 2004
3,917
Hunter 40.5 Warwick, RI
Each spring I buy 3-5 gallons of E0 gas at a station near me. Price is about $1 more than the E10 junk. I use it in my outboard and all small engines. The following spring I dump any remaining E0 fuel into my lawn tractor and then buy fresh fuel.

You may find an E0 source near you at: Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

And I always run the outboard out of fuel at the end of each day.

Truly, E0 is the solution to fuel problems. Stop using E10.