3.3hp Mariner running poorly

[aaronvan]

Hello everyone,OK,so yesterday I was out fishing for about 5 hours,the motor ran great,on the way in I opened it up a little(about 3/4's) and after about 10 second's it started coughing and sputtering,It almost acted like the choke was open.I limped it back and tied the boat up.I restarted the motor and it continued to run awfull.It will not stay running unless I play around with the throttle,and even when it is running it sounds gross.
Any ideas where to start?
thanks
Aaron

 

[Plainsman]

Re: 3.3hp Mariner running poorly

I'd start with compression, spark and fuel. Does priming the bulb while it's running make it run any better?

 

[aaronvan]

Re: 3.3hp Mariner running poorly

thanks for the reply,It has a internal tank(no priming bulb),lots of spark,and although I havnt done a compression test,when I pull it, it seems strong.Is is possable that it may have sucked up a stick or dirt or something?I know this may sound silly,but I was told I probally sucked up something.

 

[Plainsman]

Re: 3.3hp Mariner running poorly

It is possible that some junk in the fuel tank came loose. What year is the motor? You may want to rebuild the carb.