1978 4.5 Mercury

I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 HP outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did replace the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I had to build a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard itself because of the fitting on the motor. It is a ¼” NPT. Bought new fuel hose and ball. If I put fuel in the carburetor throat replace cowling it will start on the first pull and run as sweet as can be for about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel pump, filter? Any input would be greatly appreciated J Bud

Get a carburetor kit or have the carburetor rebuilt. If you do it yourself pay special attention to the float needle and seat and make sure the jets are not clogged. With a repair manual it should take about 45 min to one hour to rebuild once you get it off the machine. Some carburetors only use a reed valve to pump fuel and these have a tendancy to rip or be perforated. Probably better that you learn to rebuild because generally you'll be rebuilding it on a yearly basis. Howard --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, "Buddy Burnett" <bburnett@...> wrote: > > > > I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 HP > outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did replace > the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I had to build > a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard itself because of the > fitting on the motor. It is a ¼" NPT. Bought new fuel hose and ball. If I > put fuel in the carburetor throat replace cowling it will start on the first > pull and run as sweet as can be for about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel pump, > filter? Any input would be greatly appreciated J > > > > Bud >

Hi Howard, Thanks for your input J I have rebuilt more carbs than I care to remember but I just don’t think this is a carb problem??? I will keep the group informed when I fix this motor and I will fix it J From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of hfein1 Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2011 7:49 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: 1978 4.5 Mercury Get a carburetor kit or have the carburetor rebuilt. If you do it yourself pay special attention to the float needle and seat and make sure the jets are not clogged. With a repair manual it should take about 45 min to one hour to rebuild once you get it off the machine. Some carburetors only use a reed valve to pump fuel and these have a tendancy to rip or be perforated. Probably better that you learn to rebuild because generally you'll be rebuilding it on a yearly basis. Howard --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Cal_Boats%40yahoogroups.com> , "Buddy Burnett" <bburnett@...> wrote: > > > > I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 HP > outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did replace > the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I had to build > a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard itself because of the > fitting on the motor. It is a ¼" NPT. Bought new fuel hose and ball. If I > put fuel in the carburetor throat replace cowling it will start on the first > pull and run as sweet as can be for about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel pump, > filter? Any input would be greatly appreciated J > > > > Bud >

My 25 cents is on it being a carb problem. Just my 2 cents :-) Allen On Sun, Mar 27, 2011 at 5:02 PM, Buddy Burnett <bb… [at] comcast.net> wrote: > > > Hi Howard, > > > > Thanks for your input J I have rebuilt more carbs than I care to remember > but I just don’t think this is a carb problem??? I will keep the group > informed when I fix this motor and I will fix it J > > > > *From:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] *On > Behalf Of *hfein1 > *Sent:* Sunday, March 27, 2011 7:49 PM > *To:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > *Subject:* [Cal_Boats] Re: 1978 4.5 Mercury > > > > > > > > Get a carburetor kit or have the carburetor rebuilt. If you do it yourself > pay special attention to the float needle and seat and make sure the jets > are not clogged. With a repair manual it should take about 45 min to one > hour to rebuild once you get it off the machine. Some carburetors only use a > reed valve to pump fuel and these have a tendancy to rip or be perforated. > Probably better that you learn to rebuild because generally you'll be > rebuilding it on a yearly basis. > > Howard > > --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, "Buddy Burnett" <bburnett@...> wrote: > > > > > > > > I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 HP > > outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did > replace > > the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I had to > build > > a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard itself because of the > > fitting on the motor. It is a ¼" NPT. Bought new fuel hose and ball. If I > > put fuel in the carburetor throat replace cowling it will start on the > first > > pull and run as sweet as can be for about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel > pump, > > filter? Any input would be greatly appreciated J > > > > > > > > Bud > > > > >

We will know tomorrow J Allen’s money is on “Carb gone bad” J Bud From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Allen Edwards Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2011 9:13 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: 1978 4.5 Mercury My 25 cents is on it being a carb problem. Just my 2 cents :-) Allen On Sun, Mar 27, 2011 at 5:02 PM, Buddy Burnett <bb… [at] comcast.net> wrote: Hi Howard, Thanks for your input J I have rebuilt more carbs than I care to remember but I just don’t think this is a carb problem??? I will keep the group informed when I fix this motor and I will fix it J From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of hfein1 Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2011 7:49 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: 1978 4.5 Mercury Get a carburetor kit or have the carburetor rebuilt. If you do it yourself pay special attention to the float needle and seat and make sure the jets are not clogged. With a repair manual it should take about 45 min to one hour to rebuild once you get it off the machine. Some carburetors only use a reed valve to pump fuel and these have a tendancy to rip or be perforated. Probably better that you learn to rebuild because generally you'll be rebuilding it on a yearly basis. Howard --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Cal_Boats%40yahoogroups.com> , "Buddy Burnett" <bburnett@...> wrote: > > > > I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 HP > outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did replace > the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I had to build > a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard itself because of the > fitting on the motor. It is a ¼" NPT. Bought new fuel hose and ball. If I > put fuel in the carburetor throat replace cowling it will start on the first > pull and run as sweet as can be for about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel pump, > filter? Any input would be greatly appreciated J > > > > Bud >

Sounds right. If you can run it by wetting the throat, but it dies either your not getting fuel into the bowl because the fuel pump is out, or not getting fuel to the bowl because the float is stuck up, or because there's a clog between the bowl and the throat. I had a bit of green gooey goop in a carb orifice in my 4.5 once. From: Buddy Burnett <bb… [at] comcast.net> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Sun, March 27, 2011 9:16:38 PM Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Re: 1978 4.5 Mercury We will know tomorrow J Allen’s money is on “Carb gone bad” J Bud From:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Allen Edwards Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2011 9:13 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: 1978 4.5 Mercury My 25 cents is on it being a carb problem. Just my 2 cents :-) Allen On Sun, Mar 27, 2011 at 5:02 PM, Buddy Burnett <bb… [at] comcast.net> wrote: Hi Howard, Thanks for your input J I have rebuilt more carbs than I care to remember but I just don’t think this is a carb problem??? I will keep the group informed when I fix this motor and I will fix it J From:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of hfein1 Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2011 7:49 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: 1978 4.5 Mercury Get a carburetor kit or have the carburetor rebuilt. If you do it yourself pay special attention to the float needle and seat and make sure the jets are not clogged. With a repair manual it should take about 45 min to one hour to rebuild once you get it off the machine. Some carburetors only use a reed valve to pump fuel and these have a tendancy to rip or be perforated. Probably better that you learn to rebuild because generally you'll be rebuilding it on a yearly basis. Howard --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, "Buddy Burnett" <bburnett@...> wrote: > > > > I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 HP > outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did replace > the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I had to build > a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard itself because of the > fitting on the motor. It is a ¼" NPT. Bought new fuel hose and ball. If I > put fuel in the carburetor throat replace cowling it will start on the first > pull and run as sweet as can be for about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel pump, > filter? Any input would be greatly appreciated J > > > > Bud >

Hi, Bud. You could have a stuck pin at the fuel intake, but I'll put $5 on Allen. I am getting ready to take 3 and a half old Johnson/Evinrude 6 engines to a fellow CAL 25 racer who is rebuilding outboards as a retirement hobby. Told him if he got a working engine out of the lot I would buy it from him. It is the dickens getting these things down a folding stairway from my attic. Seems I was younger when I put them up there. Those 6s were original equipment on the CAL 25. Best of luck. A running engine is a joy forever (or at least for however long it does run). Cheers Charlie Annapolis From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Buddy Burnett Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2011 10:17 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Re: 1978 4.5 Mercury We will know tomorrow :) Allen's money is on "Carb gone bad" :) Bud From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Allen Edwards Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2011 9:13 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: 1978 4.5 Mercury My 25 cents is on it being a carb problem. Just my 2 cents :-) Allen On Sun, Mar 27, 2011 at 5:02 PM, Buddy Burnett <bb… [at] comcast.net<mailto:bb… [at] comcast.net>> wrote: Hi Howard, Thanks for your input :) I have rebuilt more carbs than I care to remember but I just don't think this is a carb problem??? I will keep the group informed when I fix this motor and I will fix it :) From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com<mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com<mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com>] On Behalf Of hfein1 Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2011 7:49 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com<mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: 1978 4.5 Mercury Get a carburetor kit or have the carburetor rebuilt. If you do it yourself pay special attention to the float needle and seat and make sure the jets are not clogged. With a repair manual it should take about 45 min to one hour to rebuild once you get it off the machine. Some carburetors only use a reed valve to pump fuel and these have a tendancy to rip or be perforated. Probably better that you learn to rebuild because generally you'll be rebuilding it on a yearly basis. Howard --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com<mailto:Cal_Boats%40yahoogroups.com>, "Buddy Burnett" <bburnett@...<mailto:bburnett@...>> wrote: > > > > I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 HP > outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did replace > the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I had to build > a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard itself because of the > fitting on the motor. It is a ¼" NPT. Bought new fuel hose and ball. If I > put fuel in the carburetor throat replace cowling it will start on the first > pull and run as sweet as can be for about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel pump, > filter? Any input would be greatly appreciated J > > > > Bud >

Charlie has put $5.00 on the carb J From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Husar, Charlie [USA] Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2011 11:03 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Re: 1978 4.5 Mercury Hi, Bud. You could have a stuck pin at the fuel intake, but I'll put $5 on Allen. I am getting ready to take 3 and a half old Johnson/Evinrude 6 engines to a fellow CAL 25 racer who is rebuilding outboards as a retirement hobby. Told him if he got a working engine out of the lot I would buy it from him. It is the dickens getting these things down a folding stairway from my attic. Seems I was younger when I put them up there. Those 6s were original equipment on the CAL 25. Best of luck. A running engine is a joy forever (or at least for however long it does run). Cheers Charlie Annapolis _____ From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Buddy Burnett Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2011 10:17 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] Re: 1978 4.5 Mercury We will know tomorrow J Allen’s money is on “Carb gone bad” J Bud From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Allen Edwards Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2011 9:13 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: 1978 4.5 Mercury My 25 cents is on it being a carb problem. Just my 2 cents :-) Allen On Sun, Mar 27, 2011 at 5:02 PM, Buddy Burnett <bb… [at] comcast.net> wrote: Hi Howard, Thanks for your input J I have rebuilt more carbs than I care to remember but I just don’t think this is a carb problem??? I will keep the group informed when I fix this motor and I will fix it J From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of hfein1 Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2011 7:49 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] Re: 1978 4.5 Mercury Get a carburetor kit or have the carburetor rebuilt. If you do it yourself pay special attention to the float needle and seat and make sure the jets are not clogged. With a repair manual it should take about 45 min to one hour to rebuild once you get it off the machine. Some carburetors only use a reed valve to pump fuel and these have a tendancy to rip or be perforated. Probably better that you learn to rebuild because generally you'll be rebuilding it on a yearly basis. Howard --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <mailto:Cal_Boats%40yahoogroups.com> , "Buddy Burnett" <bburnett@...> wrote: > > > > I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 HP > outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did replace > the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I had to build > a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard itself because of the > fitting on the motor. It is a ¼" NPT. Bought new fuel hose and ball. If I > put fuel in the carburetor throat replace cowling it will start on the first > pull and run as sweet as can be for about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel pump, > filter? Any input would be greatly appreciated J > > > > Bud >

On 3/27/2011 4:04 PM, Buddy Burnett wrote: > > I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 > HP outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did > replace the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I > had to build a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard > itself because of the fitting on the motor. It is a ¼” NPT. Bought new > fuel hose and ball. If I put fuel in the carburetor throat replace > cowling it will start on the first pull and run as sweet as can be for > about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel pump, filter? Any input would be > greatly appreciated J > I left some modern gas in the tank for my old Johnson fishing motor over the winter. In the spring it started starving for gas--you had to keep pumping the fuel bulb to make it go. I finally traced it to the steel fuel pick-up in the tank--the alcohol in the gas attracted water and that rusted the steel. I applied epoxy as a repair and the motor is happy. In my experience, when an engine runs when gas is dumped in the carb, it's a sure sign of carburetor plugging. Sometimes if you start it that way and quickly pop your hand over the carb air intake, an offending particle gets sucked through and it will run again. This often works for lawn mowers, which operate in a very dirty environment. Chris Campbell > >

On 3/27/2011 11:03 PM, Husar, Charlie [USA] wrote: > > Hi, Bud. You could have a stuck pin at the fuel intake, but I'll put > $5 on Allen. > I am getting ready to take 3 and a half old Johnson/Evinrude 6 engines > to a fellow CAL 25 racer who is rebuilding outboards as a retirement > hobby. Told him if he got a working engine out of the lot I would buy > it from him. If he ends up with an extra carburetor from the batch, or even just the plastic cam follower that operates the throttle valve, tell him to quote me a price. It would be nice to have an extra carb and also to see whether the wear on the plastic part is making my old motor unhappy. Chris Campbell

Thanks Chris, I checked and my “pickup tube is new and plastic J Also am taking carb apart later today to rebuild J as to rule it out. From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 2:06 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] 1978 4.5 Mercury On 3/27/2011 4:04 PM, Buddy Burnett wrote: I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 HP outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did replace the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I had to build a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard itself because of the fitting on the motor. It is a ¼” NPT. Bought new fuel hose and ball. If I put fuel in the carburetor throat replace cowling it will start on the first pull and run as sweet as can be for about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel pump, filter? Any input would be greatly appreciated J I left some modern gas in the tank for my old Johnson fishing motor over the winter. In the spring it started starving for gas--you had to keep pumping the fuel bulb to make it go. I finally traced it to the steel fuel pick-up in the tank--the alcohol in the gas attracted water and that rusted the steel. I applied epoxy as a repair and the motor is happy. In my experience, when an engine runs when gas is dumped in the carb, it's a sure sign of carburetor plugging. Sometimes if you start it that way and quickly pop your hand over the carb air intake, an offending particle gets sucked through and it will run again. This often works for lawn mowers, which operate in a very dirty environment. Chris Campbell

Chris has put a fiver on the carb J From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 2:09 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Re: 1978 4.5 Mercury On 3/27/2011 11:03 PM, Husar, Charlie [USA] wrote: Hi, Bud. You could have a stuck pin at the fuel intake, but I'll put $5 on Allen. I am getting ready to take 3 and a half old Johnson/Evinrude 6 engines to a fellow CAL 25 racer who is rebuilding outboards as a retirement hobby. Told him if he got a working engine out of the lot I would buy it from him. If he ends up with an extra carburetor from the batch, or even just the plastic cam follower that operates the throttle valve, tell him to quote me a price. It would be nice to have an extra carb and also to see whether the wear on the plastic part is making my old motor unhappy. Chris Campbell

On 3/28/2011 2:20 PM, Buddy Burnett wrote: > > Thanks Chris, I checked and my “pickup tube is new and plastic J Also > am taking carb apart later today to rebuild J as to rule it out. > The generalized lesson is that any system that sucks gas is vulnerable to a tiny leak that lets air in. My brother was moving to Kalamazoo and I was nominated to follow his rented truck in the 1966 Plymouth station wagon (a grand vehicle, by the way). But three blocks from the old house it started losing power. It would start, run, and stall out. Rusted fuel line. (Remember, in those days the fuel pump was on the engine and sucked gas, unlike the new ones that are in the tank and push it.) Chris > >

On my carb, I had to actually take the jets out before boiling out the carb to get a really well running engine. Allen On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 11:20 AM, Buddy Burnett <bb… [at] comcast.net>wrote: > > > Thanks Chris, I checked and my “pickup tube is new and plastic J Also am > taking carb apart later today to rebuild J as to rule it out. > > > > > > > > *From:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] *On > Behalf Of *Chris Campbell > *Sent:* Monday, March 28, 2011 2:06 PM > *To:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > *Subject:* Re: [Cal_Boats] 1978 4.5 Mercury > > > > On 3/27/2011 4:04 PM, Buddy Burnett wrote: > > > > I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 HP > outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did replace > the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I had to build > a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard itself because of the > fitting on the motor. It is a ¼” NPT. Bought new fuel hose and ball. If I > put fuel in the carburetor throat replace cowling it will start on the first > pull and run as sweet as can be for about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel pump, > filter? Any input would be greatly appreciated J > > > I left some modern gas in the tank for my old Johnson fishing motor over > the winter. In the spring it started starving for gas--you had to keep > pumping the fuel bulb to make it go. I finally traced it to the steel fuel > pick-up in the tank--the alcohol in the gas attracted water and that rusted > the steel. I applied epoxy as a repair and the motor is happy. > > In my experience, when an engine runs when gas is dumped in the carb, it's > a sure sign of carburetor plugging. Sometimes if you start it that way and > quickly pop your hand over the carb air intake, an offending particle gets > sucked through and it will run again. This often works for lawn mowers, > which operate in a very dirty environment. > > Chris Campbell > > > > > > >

I'd also recommend you yet some aerosol carb and throttle body cleaner (with a little spray tube) and verify you can blow air thru all passageways..I did that last time I had the same problem and a bit of green goop blew out one of them, ran fine after that... From: Buddy Burnett <bb… [at] comcast.net> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, March 28, 2011 1:20:29 PM Subject: RE: [Cal_Boats] 1978 4.5 Mercury Thanks Chris, I checked and my “pickup tube is new and plastic J Also am taking carb apart later today to rebuild J as to rule it out. From:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 2:06 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] 1978 4.5 Mercury On 3/27/2011 4:04 PM, Buddy Burnett wrote: I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 HP outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did replace the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I had to build a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard itself because of the fitting on the motor. It is a ¼” NPT. Bought new fuel hose and ball. If I put fuel in the carburetor throat replace cowling it will start on the first pull and run as sweet as can be for about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel pump, filter? Any input would be greatly appreciated J I left some modern gas in the tank for my old Johnson fishing motor over the winter. In the spring it started starving for gas--you had to keep pumping the fuel bulb to make it go. I finally traced it to the steel fuel pick-up in the tank--the alcohol in the gas attracted water and that rusted the steel. I applied epoxy as a repair and the motor is happy. In my experience, when an engine runs when gas is dumped in the carb, it's a sure sign of carburetor plugging. Sometimes if you start it that way and quickly pop your hand over the carb air intake, an offending particle gets sucked through and it will run again. This often works for lawn mowers, which operate in a very dirty environment. Chris Campbell

On 3/28/2011 3:02 PM, The SV Emergency Exit Crew wrote: > From experience I can sure tell you that you do not want to break the > little plastic part that links the vertical shaft from the tiller to > the throttle arm - the one that looks like a little crane. As far as I > could tell its exclusive to that motor. My very elderly (about 1967) Evinrude is all metal except for the little plastic lever that follows the cam on the breaker plate (under the flywheel). The throttle control---the part that you twist for fast/slow-- rotates that breaker plate to change the ignition timing, and the little plastic lever gizmo follows a cam that opens the carburetor throttle when the breaker plate rotates and advances the timing. But the little plastic gizmo has a groove worn in it so it doesn't open the carburetor throttle as much as it should. A picture is worth a thousand words, isn't it? I've pondered trying to patch with epoxy just to see if it makes any difference. Chris Campbell >

But that is not always enough. On my carb, that didn't do it (I tried it). Removing everything from the carb and soaking in a gallon of parts cleaner is what did it. Unscrewing the jets required grinding down a screwdriver to just the right size btw. Allen On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 11:51 AM, The SV Emergency Exit Crew < sv… [at] yahoo.com> wrote: > I'd also recommend you yet some aerosol carb and throttle body cleaner > (with a little spray tube) and verify you can blow air thru all > passageways..I did that last time I had the same problem and a bit of green > goop blew out one of them, ran fine after that... > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Buddy Burnett <bb… [at] comcast.net> > *To:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > *Sent:* Mon, March 28, 2011 1:20:29 PM > *Subject:* RE: [Cal_Boats] 1978 4.5 Mercury > > > > Thanks Chris, I checked and my “pickup tube is new and plastic J Also am > taking carb apart later today to rebuild J as to rule it out. > > > > > > > > *From:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] *On > Behalf Of *Chris Campbell > *Sent:* Monday, March 28, 2011 2:06 PM > *To:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > *Subject:* Re: [Cal_Boats] 1978 4.5 Mercury > > > > On 3/27/2011 4:04 PM, Buddy Burnett wrote: > > > > I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 HP > outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did replace > the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I had to build > a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard itself because of the > fitting on the motor. It is a ¼” NPT. Bought new fuel hose and ball. If I > put fuel in the carburetor throat replace cowling it will start on the first > pull and run as sweet as can be for about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel pump, > filter? Any input would be greatly appreciated J > > > I left some modern gas in the tank for my old Johnson fishing motor over > the winter. In the spring it started starving for gas--you had to keep > pumping the fuel bulb to make it go. I finally traced it to the steel fuel > pick-up in the tank--the alcohol in the gas attracted water and that rusted > the steel. I applied epoxy as a repair and the motor is happy. > > In my experience, when an engine runs when gas is dumped in the carb, it's > a sure sign of carburetor plugging. Sometimes if you start it that way and > quickly pop your hand over the carb air intake, an offending particle gets > sucked through and it will run again. This often works for lawn mowers, > which operate in a very dirty environment. > > Chris Campbell > > > > > >

My routine after sailing, is to use a vinyl bucket which attaches to a hose, submerged around the prop to flush the salt out of the cooling system. Once I get the motor running, I unhook the fuel line and let the motor run until it's out of gas. Other than having to replacing the impeller at six years, after I plugged the cooling line with a broken impeller blade and killed the motor on the way to a race (fortunately I didn't sieze the engine, I then noticed it had stop spitting water, whew!) I haven't had to do a thing to the engine. I think, if you run the fuel dry, and change the cooling system impeller every three years, you won't have to do much to maintain a 2 cycle outboard...or a 4 cycle outboard, unless you also have to periodically adjust the valve lash clearance? BTW I'm on my third outboard, a Suzuki 4, and I can't recommend it too highly. Any old codgers out there that remember the Suzuki X-6 Hustler that would blow every other bike away in the late sixties? Jerry --- On Mon, 3/28/11, Allen Edwards <al… [at] PaloAltoPhoto.com> wrote: From: Allen Edwards <al… [at] PaloAltoPhoto.com> Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] 1978 4.5 Mercury To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, March 28, 2011, 11:47 AM On my carb, I had to actually take the jets out before boiling out the carb to get a really well running engine. Allen On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 11:20 AM, Buddy Burnett <bb… [at] comcast.net> wrote: Thanks Chris, I checked and my “pickup tube is new and plastic J Also am taking carb apart later today to rebuild J as to rule it out. From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 2:06 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] 1978 4.5 Mercury On 3/27/2011 4:04 PM, Buddy Burnett wrote: I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 HP outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did replace the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I had to build a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard itself because of the fitting on the motor. It is a ¼” NPT. Bought new fuel hose and ball. If I put fuel in the carburetor throat replace cowling it will start on the first pull and run as sweet as can be for about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel pump, filter? Any input would be greatly appreciated J I left some modern gas in the tank for my old Johnson fishing motor over the winter. In the spring it started starving for gas--you had to keep pumping the fuel bulb to make it go. I finally traced it to the steel fuel pick-up in the tank--the alcohol in the gas attracted water and that rusted the steel. I applied epoxy as a repair and the motor is happy. In my experience, when an engine runs when gas is dumped in the carb, it's a sure sign of carburetor plugging. Sometimes if you start it that way and quickly pop your hand over the carb air intake, an offending particle gets sucked through and it will run again. This often works for lawn mowers, which operate in a very dirty environment. Chris Campbell

Ex- X-6 owner here. Harleigh Ewell From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Gerald Sobel Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 5:37 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Outboard Maintenance, was:Re: [Cal_Boats] 1978 4.5 Mercury My routine after sailing, is to use a vinyl bucket which attaches to a hose, submerged around the prop to flush the salt out of the cooling system. Once I get the motor running, I unhook the fuel line and let the motor run until it's out of gas. Other than having to replacing the impeller at six years, after I plugged the cooling line with a broken impeller blade and killed the motor on the way to a race (fortunately I didn't sieze the engine, I then noticed it had stop spitting water, whew!) I haven't had to do a thing to the engine. I think, if you run the fuel dry, and change the cooling system impeller every three years, you won't have to do much to maintain a 2 cycle outboard...or a 4 cycle outboard, unless you also have to periodically adjust the valve lash clearance? BTW I'm on my third outboard, a Suzuki 4, and I can't recommend it too highly. Any old codgers out there that remember the Suzuki X-6 Hustler that would blow every other bike away in the late sixties? Jerry --- On Mon, 3/28/11, Allen Edwards <al… [at] PaloAltoPhoto.com> wrote: From: Allen Edwards <al… [at] PaloAltoPhoto.com> Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] 1978 4.5 Mercury To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, March 28, 2011, 11:47 AM On my carb, I had to actually take the jets out before boiling out the carb to get a really well running engine. Allen On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 11:20 AM, Buddy Burnett <bb… [at] comcast.net> wrote: Thanks Chris, I checked and my “pickup tube is new and plastic J Also am taking carb apart later today to rebuild J as to rule it out. From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Chris Campbell Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 2:06 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] 1978 4.5 Mercury On 3/27/2011 4:04 PM, Buddy Burnett wrote: I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 HP outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did replace the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I had to build a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard itself because of the fitting on the motor. It is a ¼” NPT. Bought new fuel hose and ball. If I put fuel in the carburetor throat replace cowling it will start on the first pull and run as sweet as can be for about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel pump, filter? Any input would be greatly appreciated J I left some modern gas in the tank for my old Johnson fishing motor over the winter. In the spring it started starving for gas--you had to keep pumping the fuel bulb to make it go. I finally traced it to the steel fuel pick-up in the tank--the alcohol in the gas attracted water and that rusted the steel. I applied epoxy as a repair and the motor is happy. In my experience, when an engine runs when gas is dumped in the carb, it's a sure sign of carburetor plugging. Sometimes if you start it that way and quickly pop your hand over the carb air intake, an offending particle gets sucked through and it will run again. This often works for lawn mowers, which operate in a very dirty environment. Chris Campbell

I used to borrow my friends X-6. He would take my Austin Healey (which I still have and is older than my boat) and I would take his X-6. Fun bike. He out a bit of nitro fuel in the gas tank once (model airplane fuel). He was riding along and when the nitro hit the engine the thing popped a wheelie. I do the same routine with running the carb out of gas with my emergency Honda generator that we keep around the house. It sits for years and then starts right up. When I first got it, I had to clean the carb to get it to start. I used to do the same running out of gas thing with Papoose but if you run the engine every few weeks, it isn't necessary. Allen On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 2:36 PM, Gerald Sobel <so… [at] yahoo.com> wrote: > My routine after sailing, is to use a vinyl bucket which attaches to a > hose, submerged around the prop to flush the salt out of the cooling system. > Once I get the motor running, I unhook the fuel line and let the motor run > until it's out of gas. Other than having to replacing the impeller at six > years, after I plugged the cooling line with a broken impeller blade and > killed the motor on the way to a race (fortunately I didn't sieze the > engine, I then noticed it had stop spitting water, whew!) I haven't had to > do a thing to the engine. I think, if you run the fuel dry, and change the > cooling system impeller every three years, you won't have to do much to > maintain a 2 cycle outboard...or a 4 cycle outboard, unless you also have to > periodically adjust the valve lash clearance? BTW I'm on my third outboard, > a Suzuki 4, and I can't recommend it too highly. Any old codgers out there > that remember the Suzuki X-6 Hustler that would blow every other bike away > in the late sixties? > Jerry > > --- On *Mon, 3/28/11, Allen Edwards <al… [at] PaloAltoPhoto.com>*wrote: > > > From: Allen Edwards <al… [at] PaloAltoPhoto.com> > Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] 1978 4.5 Mercury > To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > Date: Monday, March 28, 2011, 11:47 AM > > > > On my carb, I had to actually take the jets out before boiling out the carb > to get a really well running engine. > > Allen > > On Mon, Mar 28, 2011 at 11:20 AM, Buddy Burnett <bb… [at] comcast.net<http://mc/compose?to=bb… [at] comcast.net> > > wrote: > > > > Thanks Chris, I checked and my “pickup tube is new and plastic J Also am > taking carb apart later today to rebuild J as to rule it out. > > > > > > > > *From:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com<http://mc/compose?to=Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com>[mailto: > Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com <http://mc/compose?to=Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com>] > *On Behalf Of *Chris Campbell > *Sent:* Monday, March 28, 2011 2:06 PM > *To:* Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com<http://mc/compose?to=Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com> > *Subject:* Re: [Cal_Boats] 1978 4.5 Mercury > > > > On 3/27/2011 4:04 PM, Buddy Burnett wrote: > > > > I purchased a Cal 21a few days ago and it came with a 1978 Mercury 4.5 HP > outboard. I have tried to make this motor run to no avail??? I did replace > the spark plug and replaced a fuel supply line on the motor. I had to build > a fuel line connector from the tank to the outboard itself because of the > fitting on the motor. It is a ¼” NPT. Bought new fuel hose and ball. If I > put fuel in the carburetor throat replace cowling it will start on the first > pull and run as sweet as can be for about 7 seconds. Is this the fuel pump, > filter? Any input would be greatly appreciated J > > > I left some modern gas in the tank for my old Johnson fishing motor over > the winter. In the spring it started starving for gas--you had to keep > pumping the fuel bulb to make it go. I finally traced it to the steel fuel > pick-up in the tank--the alcohol in the gas attracted water and that rusted > the steel. I applied epoxy as a repair and the motor is happy. > > In my experience, when an engine runs when gas is dumped in the carb, it's > a sure sign of carburetor plugging. Sometimes if you start it that way and > quickly pop your hand over the carb air intake, an offending particle gets > sucked through and it will run again. This often works for lawn mowers, > which operate in a very dirty environment. > > Chris Campbell > > > > > > >