Outboard carb problems

[egmorpeth]

Have a 4 horse Nissan. I let the carburetor gum up and had it cleaned. But still can't seem to get it running good. It won't idle worth a flip and today I could only get about half the rpm's that I should get. Also had to run with the choke 3/4 to keep it going. I'm tempted to buy a whole new carb. Any ideas would be helpful.

 

[Alec]

Sounds like you still have dirt in the main jet. You're going to have to take off the carb and locate the jet, a brass tube with tiny holes in it. Unscrew it and look carefully at the holes for even a miniscule spec of dirt. Remove the dirt with a stiff nylon bristle from a brush (do not use metal!) and my guess is that your problems will go away.

 

[SycloneDriver]

clean it again

Take the carb off and take it apart. Use carb cleaner and compressed air, not canned air, to clean it. Your problem will likely go away. I have only had one carb that I have been unable to fix, a new carb was only $90.

Good luck

 

[Merlin Clark]

I'd take it back to the shop that failed to do the job they were paid to do and ask for either the money back or to have it serviced properly.
I'm getting tired of not getting the service I pay for.

 

[Benny17441]

Yes, take it back to the shop and tell them it has not been fixed. A small outboard engine can be tested in a drum filled with water so there is no reason to release an item that has not been properly tested. Now in all fairness the new composition of gasoline is creating havoc in carburetors and the deposits are very hard to clean up. For some cases the best practical solution is to install a brand new unit and take steps to prevent the problem from recurring. Do take it back and have the mechanic take another whack at it on his dime.

 

[Sumner]

I'd also try the cleaning, but on the off chance you do take the new carb route think about a different one. Not sure which Nissan 4 HP you have, but if it is a latter model 4 stroke you could get the 6 HP carb and you would now have the extra HP for about the same price. We have bought 2 outboards from onlineoutboards and they do have parts if you go that way.

Also be very careful and don't blow compressed air into the carb if it is still assembled. Depending on the float type you could collapse the float.

Good luck,

Sum

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[egmorpeth]

Thanks for the help. I will take it back and ask the shop to clean it again. Very annoying to not have an idle speed while docking. I forgot about the option for a bigger carb. Thanks for the tip Sumner, I'll keep it in mind.

 

[nickt7]

Hello All,

I agree, hopefully they will provide another cleaning. I have a 9.8 Tohatsu that had the same low idle issues. I took off the carb, disassembled it and cleaned all the internal jets with carb cleaner spray. It appears the fuel today creates deposits that clog the carb and a cleaning is needed at times. The cleaning has worked wonders for me.

Cheers

 

[John23883]

Try the spark plug

I had the same problem and worked on the carb twice. Still couldn't get it to idle and run right. My son-in-law said, change the spark plugs, they're cheap. I would have bet you $1,000 it was the carb. Had one spare plug and picked one of the two. It ran like new! I looked at the plug and it had a crack in the cerarmic right where the plug was discolored from the wire boot. It has worked fine ever since.

 

[seadaddler]

Clean Jets

My Yamaha ran like crap and would not even start some times and so gave it a shot before bringing to a shop for repair.
I took the carb off and unscrewed all the jets and used a tiny wire in and out of the jet holes.
It has been running great ever since.
Nick