A strange event occurred the evening of July 3rd that sent my 5-hp Tohatsu 4-stroke to the sea bottom at my slip, to about 12 ft of depth. It was recovered using SCUBA the next morning, July 4th. Of course, we all "know" that the thing should be taken to a service facility immediately, or else "pickled." I can assure everyone that no Tohatsu service center was open on July 4th around Long Beach. In fact, not until Monday, July 10, as it would have worked out for me. So that left me with a DIY rescue of the outboard, although not really being equipped at home with the "facilities" to saturate the thing w/diesel fuel after several flushes, etc.
Nevertheless, I rinsed it thoroughly with the shroud cover removed, changed the motor oil several times, drained the carburetor and flushed it with clean gasoline, purged the fuel filter similarly, removed the one spark plug and saturated/rinsed the cylinder repeatedly w/WD-40. And, after a couple of days, fired the thing off where it "ran" for a second or two then quit. I was very happy to get it to start at all considering the gloomy forecast one reads on the internet if it is not taken to a service center soon after first "pickling" it.
By July 19 I was finally able to take it to an authorized Tohatsu service center in Costa Mesa where they replaced the carburetor, the fuel filter, and the air box; changed the motor oil and gear oil again, installed a new spark plug, and got it "running." But I still had difficulty with it running very well even after several outings in the dink on the Bay. I decided it would probably never run even as well as it did b/f it went to the bottom which, frankly, was not all that well--a 2000 model year.
BUT--due to my frequent reading of the postings of the folks here on SBO, I decided to try some of the EtOH-free "super fuel" that I've read mentioned to see what would happen. There's one place in So. Cal. where you can buy this stuff--Westminster, which is near Long Beach. I bought VP C9. A 96-octane, ethanol-free, non-oxygenated, unleaded gasoline.
I ran the outboard today in the tank and the difference is NOTICEABLE. The engine would actually idle at a nearly zero throttle. I have not seen that for a while. Great stuff, but--you guessed it--$64 for a 5-gal container full. Can't wait to try it out on the Bay.
I'd love to use it from now on--but......$$!!
KG
https://www.race-dezert.com/home/vp-introduces-c9-for-performance-seasonal-storage-22137.html
Nevertheless, I rinsed it thoroughly with the shroud cover removed, changed the motor oil several times, drained the carburetor and flushed it with clean gasoline, purged the fuel filter similarly, removed the one spark plug and saturated/rinsed the cylinder repeatedly w/WD-40. And, after a couple of days, fired the thing off where it "ran" for a second or two then quit. I was very happy to get it to start at all considering the gloomy forecast one reads on the internet if it is not taken to a service center soon after first "pickling" it.
By July 19 I was finally able to take it to an authorized Tohatsu service center in Costa Mesa where they replaced the carburetor, the fuel filter, and the air box; changed the motor oil and gear oil again, installed a new spark plug, and got it "running." But I still had difficulty with it running very well even after several outings in the dink on the Bay. I decided it would probably never run even as well as it did b/f it went to the bottom which, frankly, was not all that well--a 2000 model year.
BUT--due to my frequent reading of the postings of the folks here on SBO, I decided to try some of the EtOH-free "super fuel" that I've read mentioned to see what would happen. There's one place in So. Cal. where you can buy this stuff--Westminster, which is near Long Beach. I bought VP C9. A 96-octane, ethanol-free, non-oxygenated, unleaded gasoline.
I ran the outboard today in the tank and the difference is NOTICEABLE. The engine would actually idle at a nearly zero throttle. I have not seen that for a while. Great stuff, but--you guessed it--$64 for a 5-gal container full
. Can't wait to try it out on the Bay.I'd love to use it from now on--but...
...$$!!KG
https://www.race-dezert.com/home/vp-introduces-c9-for-performance-seasonal-storage-22137.html
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