What happened over the winter?

[gpfishingdude]

Last year I had problems with the old 50 hp Merc. starting because it was flooding so I took the carbs off and had them rebuilt. I installed them and adjusted the carbs until it started and ran good on the muffs and seemed to throttle up smoothly and powerfully. Yesterday we took it to the lake and backed down the ramp. I cranked and then choked with the key and then cranked some more. It would start and die and after doing this for awhile it finally kept running and idleing very weakly. I pushed the button on the throttle handle in and managed to rev it up in reverse but every time I would go back to neutral and try putting it in gear it would die. We pulled the boat out and took it right in to a shop to be checked out and they said it will be about a week before they can look at it and call me. I stirred the gas up with a wooden spoon handle in case it had seperated during storage but I don't know if that helped or not because we hauled it in to be checked out before I tried it again. What all could have changed during winter storage that would make such a difference in the way it starts and runs?

 

[Laddies]

Re: What happened over the winter?

Sounds like you didn't run the fuel out of the carbs last fall, so they probably need to be cleaned again

 

[gpfishingdude]

Re: What happened over the winter?

I thought I had done everything right when I winterized it but the shop called today and said that the main thing that was wrong with it was that two of the plug wires were on the wrong cyclinders. I will mark them so I don't ever do that again. The service dept. said that it is a little better tuned now and should run like a top.