I have a 1986 4HP Evinrude E4BRHLCD with external tank. have had repeated instances of very low power where cleaning of carb seems to have solved the problem for a little while. I finally checked the fuel in the tank and there appears to have been specs of dirt in it, so have cleaned the carb again and this time have also replaced the very old plastic tank and the fuel. that seems to have corrected the problem.
I was surprised that there didn't appear to be anything but a screen on the tank pickup to prevent dirty gas from getting into the carb. could an inline fuel filter be added to prevent such problems in the future? is the fuel pump on this 4HP typically strong enough to pump fuel through a filter?
I was surprised that there didn't appear to be anything but a screen on the tank pickup to prevent dirty gas from getting into the carb. could an inline fuel filter be added to prevent such problems in the future? is the fuel pump on this 4HP typically strong enough to pump fuel through a filter?
the fuel pump screen was a good clue. cleaned it and motor now runs fine - power seems back to normal for extended periods. a additional inline filter sounds worthwhile to forestall future problems.