Pinhole leak in Carburetor?

[Reener]

Hi there...We have a 94 Mercury Force 90 hp outboard on a 15 1/2' All American Larson. Apparently it was sitting in a farmer's field for a while as the insides were full of grass, mouse droppings and fur which we have cleaned out. We bought a new lower fuel filter (white plastic) and installed it. Tonight while looking over the motor we noticed that when the fuel bulb is squeezed, gas leaks from a pinhold sized hole in the carburetor. Could this be the cause for the motor to be bogging out? We have had it up to 33 mph with three adults and it runs real smooth once you get it going but once you stop and try to start it again it's a bugger to get going again. We had a compression test done on it and were told it was fine. Any suggestions? Summer is too short in Northern Canada to be fooling around with this...I want to go fishing!

Thanks for any advice you can offer...it's much appreciated.

Reener

 

[Karl_Childers]

Re: Pinhole leak in Carburetor?

yes, that carb problem must be addressed for it to run right and prevent engine damage. Where is the hole located On the carb?

 

[jimg984]

Re: Pinhole leak in Carburetor?

may fix with JB WELD a two part expoy fraom any auto supply or a hardware
make sure is a pin hole and not a vent for carb

 

[Reener]

Re: Pinhole leak in Carburetor?

The pinhole is located on the left side of the carb on top side. It looks as though it has a brass pin in the hole and it is leaking around it. Does this help?

 

[AMD Rules]

Re: Pinhole leak in Carburetor?

There shows two carb models available for that motor depending on serial number .... can you point out where that leak is on one of these pics?

 

[Reener]

Re: Pinhole leak in Carburetor?

Wow...you don't fool around do you? hehe To be honest with you I am the female in this equation and the old man is at work on night shift so he won't be back until 0700 tomorrow. If you don't mind I will leave this up for him and he can have a look and I will get back to you then...is this ok? I really appreciate your help! It is 21:47 here now so I don't know where you are or what time zone you are in but I hope you can continue to help us! Thanks so much!

Rena

 

[AMD Rules]

Re: Pinhole leak in Carburetor?

I follow up on all threads I participate in. Catch'ya tomorrow.

 

[Reener]

Re: Pinhole leak in Carburetor?

Ok...I don't know if this is going to go through as an attachment or not...grrr...anyway, I marked the area that has the pinhole leak...I guess we won't use the motor for the weekend and do yard work instead of fishing which is pretty frustrating! Please let me know if you can see this attachment or not and if not I will try it again ok? Thanks again for your help!

Rena

p.s. When we had the boat out on the lake last weekend, as we were first putting the boat in the water, we had to keep the motor up because there was a pile of rocks directly in front of the boat launch that we had to avoid. As we were backing out an alarm sounded and continued to squeal until we were able to get the motor to go all out. Could this alarm have been a signal that there was a leak in the carb and perhaps we should have stopped right there?

 

[Karl_Childers]

Re: Pinhole leak in Carburetor?

No, the alarm you heard was most likely an overheat alarm because you had the motor too far out of the water and it was not picking up any water to cool the engine with.

You say fuel is leaking around what looks like a brass freeze plug, right? I think that is a plug from when they manufactured the carburetor. You see, as it was explained to me, noone has ever made a drill bit that goes around corners so they have to drill all the way through in some spots and insert a plug where needed. Does that make sense? So it sounds like that plug has worked its way loose, and now you are leaking gas from the looseness. I believe your best solution is to remove the carb and clean it thoroughly, at which time you should inspect it thoroughly as well for CRACKS as this might be another problem. As someone had stated before, JB weld is some incredible stuff, but for a small fee a machine shop or qualified welder might be able to fix it up the right way. Most boat mechanics won't touch this one with a 10 foot pole, and if they do will recommend a new carb which will cost 200+ bucks. It's your dollar and your boat, but know that a leaking carb is like a bomblooking for a place to happen. If you have ever rebuilt a carb before, boat carbs are about as simple as they get, so don't be intimidated

 

[Reener]

Re: Pinhole leak in Carburetor?

Thanks so much for your help my dear! We will be working on it tomorrow so wish us luck and I will let you know the results...your help is very much appreciated!

Take Care,
Rena

 

[AMD Rules]

Re: Pinhole leak in Carburetor?

If the pinhole looks like its meant to be plugged, I wouldn't epoxy weld it but rather use some sealant on it. Even better would be to get a carb kit and clean them all up. Perhaps replace the brass plug to re-seal it properly. My first thought was that it was a vent port and your float or needle/seat is malfunctioning allowing for elevated fuel levels.

Probably wise to rebuild & clean the carbs, and make sure it is working okay.

May or may not be your 'bogging' and starting issue, but you need to fix the obvious things before moving ahead.

Good luck.