Yamaha carb cleaning recommendations

[shy]

Talking to Yamaha customer service in Atlanta about how to clean the carb on my T9.9 revealed things new to me. The rep suggested not to use the liquod carb cleaner imersion method. He explained the aluminum carb is specially coated at the factory and these cleaners will dissolve it. That exposes the carb to all kinds of problems, he says. What he is recommending is taking it to a Yamaha dealer or similar facility and cleaning the carb ultrasonically. In addition, he recommends injecting all the passages with a hypodermic needle filled with a cleaner like solvent green.

My engine is generally working ok now, except for a cold start problem. I suspect the fuel enhancement gadget called a starter set is defective. To that end, I am planning to replace it soon. The enhancement passageways could still be blocked, in which case I may need this super cleaning job.

As kind of a separate problem, I was able to order a replacement starter set online, but was told incorrectly that the supplier had it in stock. They didn't, so the part had to come from Yamaha California. They were nice enough to send it to me next day air when they got it. I should have ordered an accompanying o-ring for this starter from them, but my dealer in Racine Wisconsin said he could get it for me at the local distribution center in nearby Pleasant Prarie WI. Well, that order took over three weeks and I am now promised it will arrive in Racine this Monday.

I don't know who to blame for this delay. The dealer claims bad info from Yamaha on the part's being locally available. I hear all kinds of horror stories about parts shipping late and turning out to not fit, not only from Yamaha, but
other manufacturer's, as well. I never encounter problems like this with auto parts. What's wrong with these boat manufacturer's and dealers? Their computers are not kept up to date and orders are fouled up. Yamaha does not notify dealers when a part order is screwed up and most dealers do not have a system in place to follow up if that happens. As customers, we have to hound the people placing orders, because they don't seem to be on top of things.

Also heard that Sta-bil blue Marine product is not good. Carbs are opened up and a blue slime is seen inside. The red product is supposedly ok. I don't have enough experience with this problem myself to back it up, or not.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Yamaha carb cleaning recommendations

blue stabil is good, the red is bad.
not knowing anyting more than its a T9.9 I cant say nything about the enrichment other than its changed several times over the years.
kinda like if ya walked into an auto parts store and wanted a starter for a chevy impala and thats all the info you provide.
we do track orders and we can tell you whats in stock at the atl or CA wahehouse.
however it requires some action at the dealership level in keping programs updated AND useing the YMBS system.
parts manager pro sucks as does parts smart. most parts counters use those, the secretary at work uses YMBS and double chcks what is ordered.
I soak my carbs in combustion chamber cleaner,works better than most tank solutions today.
follow with a good blow out with crc 06064 carb cleaner,or its equivalent and its good to go.
remember to pull something through all the fuel lines as well or a week later you will be in the carb again.

 

[mulatoangel]

Re: Yamaha carb cleaning recommendations

Boil your carb in a crokpot sumerge in antifreeze it leaves the aluminum clean and the gum right out.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Yamaha carb cleaning recommendations

at 100 bucks+ for the starter set(electro-thermal valve) I would dang sure test it as per the service manual BEFORE i owned a spare.
they rarely fail.
they can, but they are easy to test.

 

[shy]

Re: Yamaha carb cleaning recommendations

It took a hassle to get the parts from Yamaha, but I finally received and installed a new starter set (Yamaha's version of a choke) on my T9.9
outboard. By comparing the old to the new part, I could see that the old part had a plastic piece broken off, but I was still not sure I found the problem.
This plastic piece was part of the plunger inside the starter that presses the needle out of the way to shut off the fuel enhancement flow. It could have been indicative of other problems. Although the shut off was not my exact problem, the plunger did not move when 12 volts was applied to it. Another reason to suspect this starter was not working. Fortunately, the new starter did the trick and the engine now starts right up.

In my first trial run, the engine worked beautifully, until I tried to re-start it after running it for one hour and keeping it off for another hour. I was
sailing and didn't need it. On the second start-up, the engine sputtered out after running a few seconds. I checked the fuel squeeze bulb and it
felt soft. After a few squeezes, it hardened up again and the engine then
started and ran ok for another hour until I got back to my slip. This is somewhat disturbing as I remember that in similar trials, the engine did not require the fuel bulb to be primed again. If this becomes an ongoing problem, I will have to take the engine in for a checkup.

By the way, Yamaha does not recommend soaking the carb in the fuel cleaners, but instead, cleaning it with an ultrasonic machine. The fuel
cleaner removes the coatings put on by the carb manufacturer, says
Yamaha. Any thoughts on this?

The other poster said blue Stabil was better for the gasahol problem. It is certainly marketed that way, but my source says it caused more problems than the older red Stabil product.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Yamaha carb cleaning recommendations

ok, I am not a master tech, I have not done this 30+ years, I do not go to the Yamaha seminars yarly, I do not go to Kennesaw GA for school at least once per year, and I dont sell only blue stabil and only red. Yamaha Combustion Chamber cleaner is marketed by Yamaha to clean carbon and fuel systems as well as O2 sensors. SOME commercial dip vats CAN destroy coatings and epoxies used in carburator manufacturing. from ALL makes.
should not have been a hassle to get anything,simply tell the parts guy at the dealership what you want.
however I dont stock them as the failure rate is incredibly low.


you take it from there.