update on merc 5.7 260 stalling problem

[Godfirst]

Well after taking the boat to several shops it seems to have a remedy, my original post I was taken for about 1500 dollars and problem was not fixed, by the way I'am disputing the charge. This shop was great real hard to find a good shop out hear in the Inland Empire southern ca with the reccession. Basically the problem was old fuel and clogged fuel filter with a carb adjustment was all it needed ran real good at all rpm's, but as everyone knows the real test is when you take it on water. Does anyone reccomend to drain their fuel at the end of every season? What is a good fuel stabilizer?
Thanks Duane

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: update on merc 5.7 260 stalling problem

Fill the fuel tank add Stabil or SeaFoam both work great.

Use the search function for fuel stabilizer and this has been discussed many times.

 

[JustJason]

Re: update on merc 5.7 260 stalling problem

As per Mercury, the recommendation now is to either....

1. Burn up as much fuel as possible and add stabil to the rest.

2. Fill the tank to 90% capacity and add stabil.

I always recommend option 1 whenever possible... and here's why...

Gas just doesn't have the shelf life it used to.

The fact of the matter is, that as of right now, you have no idea of when you will next take your boat out in the spring. It may be March, it may be May/June.... you just don't know.
In the event that the winter layup is a long one, and the fuel spoils.... It's a whole heck of a lot easier and cheaper to pump out and dispose of 5 or 6 gallons of bad fuel then it is 50 or 60 gallons.

My recomendation is to pump out what you can and save in cans for the snowblower over the winter.

 

[chiefalen]

Re: update on merc 5.7 260 stalling problem

Maybe i get jumped on for this maybe not, but it's what i do.

I fill it all the way to the brim with gas, period.

No nothing added, my experience that stay-bil just clunks up the carb.

That not a word clunks i bet but it's what i find in small engine carbs here all the times clumps of garbage with gunk. Hence clunks. And what they all did cause i ask, is add something to the gas.

Now take this advice for what it cost ya. In my own inexpert opinion of course.

 

[ziggy]

Re: update on merc 5.7 260 stalling problem

good you found your problem.
might depend on what your fuel tank is made of as to weather ya wanna fill it up or empty it.
my fuel tank is metal. when i got my boat. it'd been sitting for 15 year supposedly. i had very fine rust partials that plugged up my fuel filter too. even would get chucks of rust at the inlet to carb fuel screen. after replacing my fuel filter repetitively over two season. my last fuel filter change looked half respectable. so. i like to fill my fuel tank to the brim too. anything i can do to keep the rustys down inside my fuel tank i think will be a plus. not letting condensation happen by keeping it full i think helps. i just use regular stabil. so far i've not had issue with this method...

 

[Godfirst]

Re: update on merc 5.7 260 stalling problem

They are very good points. Thanks for the info

 

[Silvertip]

Re: update on merc 5.7 260 stalling problem

Chiefalen -- while I do agree that fuel is not as stable as it used to be, fuel does not go so bad that it cannot be used in just a couple of months. And I also dispute your statement that fuel conditioners and stabilizers caused the "clunks" as you call them. Up here in the tundra our boats, lawn mowers, tractors, chain saws, weed whackers, and even our collector cars routinely sit for 4 to 6 months without being run. We have ethanol blended fuel (E10) here and have had for more than a decade and it simply is not an issue. Adding Stabil to fuel for storage (run the engine to get the mixture into the fuel system) and then using SeaFoam during the season helps prevent any fuel related issues. Now the clunks you see are the really the crud that is loosened when people actually add fuel conditioners to a fuel system that was already screwed up because of neglect. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fuel or the treatment itself. If you want to do your customers a service, tell them now that the system is clean, continue to use Stabil or SeaFoam.

 

[Fishermark]

Re: update on merc 5.7 260 stalling problem

Another note on Stabil - I agree wholeheartedly with Silvertip to only use the product with good fuel and a clean system. When I bought my boat years ago it had a full tank of gas - around 110 gallons. Not knowing any better I added the appropriate amount of Stabil to the tank. It turns out that the product emulsifies the fuel / water mixture which simply means the water is now combined with the gas and doesn't settle out. That's fine if you have very little water. It turns out I had a BUNCH.

What would have been a simple issue of sucking the water out of the bottom of the tank turned into having to pay a company to dispose of over a hundred gallons of gas - and then buying another hundred gallons of fresh gas. Live and learn. But bottom line - No more Stabil for me! But I boat year around anyway and the fuel doesn't get a chance to get stale.