78 evinrude engine flooding?

[switzer140]

I have an 1978 evinrude 140. Normally i have no complaints engine runs great starts fairly easy every time. All that is true after i was experiencing some hard start/ flooding issues the beginning of last year. At that point i rebuilt the carbs and have not had any complaints or issues since. Until last weekend the family and i were out on the lake and engine was fine. We stopped in a cove so the kids could get out and swim i had the engine trimmed pretty far down and left it like that while we were there, at least a few hours. Once we were ready to leave i tried to start and if coughed and cranked. It immediately brought back memories of the beginning of last season and i knew it was flooded. It got to the point i thought either the starter was going to go out or the battery was going to be dead. All the sudden it fired back to life and we were able to make it back to where we need to go. Any clue what could cause this or what i could do to prevent it from happening again. It was definitely a scary moment not knowing whether we were going to be able to get it going. Could being anchored out in the waves with the engine trimmed down like that have anything to do with it?

 

[emdsapmgr]

Did you re-prime the fuel hose bulb prior to re-starting? Possible some of the fuel in the line ran back into the tank. If that was what happened, it could take a lot of cranking to suck the fuel back up to the carbs again. If it's built-in tank, have a look at the anti-siphon valve atop the tank.

 

[switzer140]

i did not try to re-prime the engine at first however after trying to start it a few times i tried squeezing the bulb and it was still firm. Im not sure what you mean "built in tank", i assume you mean it is not portable if that is the case yes my tank is mounted in the rear behind the seat. not sure what anti siphon valve i would be looking for my tank has the fuel filler hose, a vent hose to a vent, and the fuel line to the engine i know there is no valve there it's just a hose on a barb running to the fuel bulb then to the engine.

 

[emdsapmgr]

Most all built-in tanks have an anti-siphon valve. It's screwed into the fuel pickup atop the tank. Looks like a normal hose barb. It's what the tank end of the fuel hose is attached to. You can unscrew it and see if the ball valve inside it is sticking (open) or not.

 

[switzer140]

hmm good to know, ill have to take a look. seems as though it is not a fuel delivery issue rather too much fuel. once i got it started it was pretty smokey as if it was burning off a lot of fuel?

 

[emdsapmgr]

It is possible that the carbs leak a little fuel once the engine is shut down. Esp if the engine is tilted up slightly. More common on the older crossflows. Any excess fuel will pool at the bottom of the airbox. Once, restarted, the excess fuel will get sucked (recirculated) into the bottom cyl through the airbox drain hose. When that happens (a startup problem only) the engine will smoke a lot until that excess is burned off-perhaps: 30 or 40 seconds.