Re: is it damaged?
I'd like to address a fine point about starting those. If it has an accelerator pump, put the motor in Fwd, pump the throttle a few times, return it to idle, put it back in Neutral, then start. If it doesn't have an accelerator pump, the pumping part won't help. But it is very important for that throttle to be all the way down to idle. If it goes above, it defeats the enrichening circuit and just gets the normal running mixture. This could also happen if the idle is set too high. It's also important that the throttle not be advanced too soon as that will stop the enrichening and it won't reestablish enrichment even if the throttle is brought back down to idle. Then it'll die and you start all over again. Of course if you have a manual choke instead of an automatic one, this doesn't apply.<br /><br />The lagging problem sounds like California Emissions. They twist the mixture so lean that there can be a dead spot on acceleration. The dealer's hands are tied on that one and all he can legally do is try different carbs until one works. He faces stiff fines if he messes with that idle mixture screw.<br /><br />The excessive oil could come from water or gas gettng into the oil. That much and I'd have to say it was gas, but it should be very noticably gassy in smell. The oil will absorb some water before turning milky, but I wouldn't think enough to way overfill the crankcase. Then I'd expect to at least see some coffee and cream coloring.<br /><br />Have the dealer set the motor up to run, hopefully in a test tank rather than on muffs. Go through everything you do and let them see exactly how you start it. They might notice something obvious to them, but something you never gave a thought.<br /><br />The fuel connector on the motor should have a pin that retains the connector with a clip on the hose end. It would be right alongside the inlet. The pin should be pointy with a notch near the point where the clip tucks in. I haven't seen one do it, but that pin could pull out or the point break off.<br /><br />Always use stabilizer in your gas. That motor won't burn it up quick enough to keep the gas from going stale. Disconnect the hose from the motor during long periods of non-use. That's pretty universal on any motor using a portable tank. Make sure the vent is open on the tank during operation. During downtime I'd leave it just a little cracked so pressure can't build-up. If we're talking months, by all means close it.<br /><br />How far does the motor sit in the water? The further down, the more water it has to push out the exhaust which is underwater. There's a relief port, but that doesn't breathe much. That can make them hard to start as well. I wouldn't want to see the anti-ventilation plate underwater by more than a half a foot.<br /><br />Make sure the motor is sitting good and level. They seem to start harder if they're trimmed much from vertical.<br /><br />The oil/carb thing is probably coming from the breather. That comes from too much oil in the crankcase, or transporting it incorrectly. It can lie on it's front, back, or on one side. The only way it can't be laid is with the carb side down. There's usually a sticker on the lower pan that shows how to transport it.<br /><br />One more thing I'd like to touch on that the dealer might not have thought of is your fuel supply. What is it and where dies it sit? If the gas gets hot from sitting in an enclosed compartment that gets hot in the sun, then you can expect problems starting and running. If the tank is setting way below the powerhead, the fuel pump might have problems drawing gas way up to the motor. It shouldn't be any lower than it would be if the motor was on a rowboat. I know sailboat hulls go way below where the motor sits, usually quite a bit more than a rowboat. That's primarily what those motors are designed for, so you have to keep some of those aspects in mind.<br /><br /><br />Like Rodbolt, I'm not concerned about the dilution and the bearings. There was still plenty of lubrication there. But I know where you are coming from and right now every creak and pop is suspect. You'll always think that motor is junk and nothing at this juncture is going to give you any faith in it. I hope they are able to resolve the problem(s). When you get it back, if it performs well you might consider selling it and getting yourself something else. That's the only way you're going to get any peace of mind. If it still has the problem(s), make sure to forward that information to prospective buyers. It might run perfectly fine if used in another applciation.<br /><br />Good luck.
