200 HP Evinrude/Johnson Carb Kit and Rebuild

[KVH]

A few questions for the experts: 1) My manual says that no wires or rods should be pushed into any of the carb passages, and that because the carb bodies are plastic, corrosive chemicals should be avoided. Will standard aerosol carb cleaner do the job? Really, no rods, wires or other objects? 2) My manual also states that two orifices in the carb are fixed--just tightened in--but the idle orifice and screw are adjustable. Do I just count turns and be sure to set them all the way I found them before cleaning? 3) Why do the parts kits come with new float valve seats? Shouldn't brass seats last about forever? 4) Same question on the floats. It seems new floats are nice, but what if the old ones all look new and are set correctly? Replace anyway? 5) I'm not seeing 1/8th or 2.5mm fuel line for the primer solenoid. Can you recommend where to find replacement fuel line that small if I need it--as I'm not finding it anywhere. and, finally, 6) the little zip ties on the fuel lines. Is there really a tool that works to ratchet those even tighter? Thanks all.

 

[racerone]

There is very little that goes wrong with these carburetors.-----What is your motor doing / not doing?-----Most boat shops have these small diameter fuel line on a roll.-----crowley marine-----evinrudeparts.ca-----Are 2 places that would have these fuel lines.

 

[dingbat]

A few questions for the experts: 1) My manual says that no wires or rods should be pushed into any of the carb passages, and that because the carb bodies are plastic, corrosive chemicals should be avoided. Will standard aerosol carb cleaner do the job? Really, no rods, wires or other objects?

Rebuilt mine last fall. Didn’t need cleaned. Running E10 carb bodies perfectly clean

Jets very short. Just blew out with air

2) My manual also states that two orifices in the carb are fixed--just tightened in--but the idle orifice and screw are adjustable. Do I just count turns and be sure to set them all the way I found them before cleaning?

Manual gives you a “base” number of turns. Will need to make final adjustments on the water

3) Why do the parts kits come with new float valve seats? Shouldn't brass seats last about forever?

Seats and needles wear over time

4) Same question on the floats. It seems new floats are nice, but what if the old ones all look new and are set correctly? Replace anyway?

Why not?
Takes all of 30 seconds to bend a float to the proper height

5) I'm not seeing 1/8th or 2.5mm fuel line for the primer solenoid. Can you recommend where to find replacement fuel line that small if I need it--as I'm not finding it anywhere. and, finally,

Don’t remember needing 1/8” fuel line. It’s either 1/16” or 5/32”. Ordered from Evinrude parts supplier with 3 day delivery

6) the little zip ties on the fuel lines. Is there really a tool that works to ratchet those even tighter? Thanks all.

Yes, but I use of pair of small needle nose plier to “roll” then tight

Oh, and don’t forget to pull and clean the throttle bodies. Found more crud there than in the carbs

 

[Chris1956]

Check the carb bowls for warpage. Those plastic ones often warp and then leak.

Some of those carbs have the idle mixture needle in the throttle bodies. They often have covers over them. These covers can be removed and the idle needle and passages cleaned, without removal of the needle.

Some carbs have an intermediate air orifice. These need to be cleaned.

 

[racerone]

In many places the shop rate is $2.00 / minute !-----And in the interest of shop efficiency new parts can be cheaper than cleaning them.--Complete kits save the shop " waiting / running around " time.---Customers do not like to see " labor only " invoices !-----Working at home is different.----I have cleaned / inspected many carburetors with no need for new parts.

 

[cyclops222]

What evidence do you have that you need to tear apart the carbs ? If you just feel like doing it ? Take it apart and have real problems after you reassemble it. You can make a simple problem into a endless series of .....What Ifs.

Been there and screwed up perfectly good engines.
Both of my Evinrude 1990 engines need less take aparts as I got tired of causing endless problems.

 

[dingbat]

What evidence do you have that you need to tear apart the carbs ? If you just feel like doing it ? Take it apart and have real problems after you reassemble it. You can make a simple problem into a endless series of .....What Ifs.

It's not if, it's when the carbs need attention.

I've never had any issues with the "spaghetti" gaskets, but even the viton (brown) bowl gaskets and float needles don't make it more than 5-6 years before they start leaking/seeping fuel and need replaced. The nitrile (black) gaskets and needle that came OE made it two years.

 

[cyclops222]

E 10 with the Ethanol solvent in it can attack some plastics.
Can you afford the 0 E gas ? Might stop the problems ?

 

[KVH]

There is very little that goes wrong with these carburetors.-----What is your motor doing / not doing?-----Most boat shops have these small diameter fuel line on a roll.-----crowley marine-----evinrudeparts.ca-----Are 2 places that would have these fuel lines.

Constant starting problems over 25 years. Now worse than ever. Takes 30 minutes or more to start. Blow a lot of oil on first start up. I know I’ve left old gas in the carbs too frequently. My guess is the orifices and idle passages are all plugged and bunked up. My primer valve seems fine, but I’m going to check it as well. It’s likely not the problem because if I direct prime with the red pointer up I still can’t start. Do I really need to take apart the throttle bodies? Heck, I’ll be working at the lake until dark if I do that.

 

[racerone]

Do you push the key in and HOLD IT IN while cranking it over ??----Do you advance / open throttle ?-----Have you inspected starter motor ?-----All that cranking may have damaged it.------The primer valve puts fuel directly into the motor.-----This fuel bypasses all the jets and metering circuits !!-----So test the primer valve.----Test starter motor.----Review your starting procedure.

 

[KVH]

Do you push the key in and HOLD IT IN while cranking it over ??----Do you advance / open throttle ?-----Have you inspected starter motor ?-----All that cranking may have damaged it.------The primer valve puts fuel directly into the motor.-----This fuel bypasses all the jets and metering circuits !!-----So test the primer valve.----Test starter motor.----Review your starting procedure.

Yes I do all that, but I’ve not disassembled the primer solenoid. I have a new OMC one, so maybe after 29 years I ought to just replace it. But if I’m driving all the way to the lake, it seems I ought to clean out the carbs. They have to be terrible. I’ve left gas in them for months, over and over. But do I really need to pull the throttle bodies? I can’t blow them out clean?

 

[dingbat]

E 10 with the Ethanol solvent in it can attack some plastics.
Can you afford the 0 E gas ? Might stop the problems ?

I would rather spend an hour, hour and a half every 5-6 years changing gaskets than spend almost $250 a tank (150 gallons) more for E0 at the marina and then have to deal with moisture issues again.

Do I really need to take apart the throttle bodies? Heck, I’ll be working at the lake until dark if I do that.

There are gasketed pockets for the mixture screws on the side of the throttle bodies. Plates need to be removed to clean the port and install new gaskets.

You can certainly skip the step and hope...... didn't work out for me. Found white crud in two of the ports. Had to tear the carbs back off and drive an hour each way to get new throttle body gaskets.

 

[cyclops222]

How many tanks of gas have run thru the sparkplugs in the engine ? Pull them out See if they are coated a lot with black oil. You might just need new sparkplugs. Check and reset gaps BEFORE installing.

 

[KVH]

I replaced my plugs last time and nothing changed. Checked gap, too. I'm convinced it's a fuel problem though I'll admit chasing the wrong things many times in my life.

 

[KVH]

I would rather spend an hour, hour and a half every 5-6 years changing gaskets than spend almost $250 a tank (150 gallons) more for E0 at the marina and then have to deal with moisture issues again.


There are gasketed pockets for the mixture screws on the side of the throttle bodies. Plates need to be removed to clean the port and install new gaskets.

You can certainly skip the step and hope...... didn't work out for me. Found white crud in two of the ports. Had to tear the carbs back off and drive an hour each way to get new throttle body gaskets.

Can you explain a bit more? Is there a lot involved in removing those throttle bodies? Just hoses? The entire engine cowling?

Where did you find new gaskets for the throttle bodies? I see part numbers in the old OMC site, but I’m not sure I found a distributor yet who carries those gaskets.

Can you explain a bit more as to the location of those mixture screws and the relationship to the blocked ports in the throttle bodies that you refer to?

When you performed this work, were you required to reset the mixture? I’m not sure I’d be very good at that. Did you just count screw turns and try to get everything back to original?

Thank you.

I would rather spend an hour, hour and a half every 5-6 years changing gaskets than spend almost $250 a tank (150 gallons) more for E0 at the marina and then have to deal with moisture issues again.


There are gasketed pockets for the mixture screws on the side of the throttle bodies. Plates need to be removed to clean the port and install new gaskets.

You can certainly skip the step and hope...... didn't work out for me. Found white crud in two of the ports. Had to tear the carbs back off and drive an hour each way to get new throttle body gaskets.

Maybe I misunderstood. Are you saying you can clean up those pockets w/o removing the throttle bodies? That seems easy enough, and my kits appear to have those pocket gaskets.

Are you also saying that you leave the idle screw alone, or do you remove it to clean out that passage as well and then reinstall it to the same setting?

 

[Chris1956]

1/2 of the idle pocket covers on the throttle bodies are easy to get to as they are on the outside. The other throttle bodies have the pockets on the inside and must be removed to get to 'em.

Most carb kits will come with the two cover gaskets per throttle body, plus the gaskets and seals for the carb bodies.

I have had luck removing the idle mixture pocket covers, spraying the needle and passages with gumout and installing new gaskets. I did not need to remove the idle needles.

 

[dingbat]

Can you explain a bit more? Is there a lot involved in removing those throttle bodies? Just hoses? The entire engine cowling?

No hoses
4 bolts on top throttle bodies. 2 bolts on lower throttle bodies

Where did you find new gaskets for the throttle bodies? I see part numbers in the old OMC site, but I’m not sure I found a distributor yet who carries those gaskets.

Just googled the part number 0332319. Turned up 3 pages of results

Can you explain a bit more as to the location of those mixture screws and the relationship to the blocked ports in the throttle bodies that you refer to?

See post #16

When you performed this work, were you required to reset the mixture? I’m not sure I’d be very good at that. Did you just count screw turns and try to get everything back to original?

I counted the number of turns each screw was out on disassembly.
Shop manual give you a “base” number of turns.
It started and ran no problem
Had to do a bit of "on water" tweaking after the fact

 

[KVH]

I spoke to an experienced mechanic about the ongoing difficulty starting my 200 hp Evinrude. He agrees with much of what one or more of you has said, but I want to run the added thoughts by you all. Here goes.

He told me to put all my rebuild kits, carb cleaners, new gaskets and primer solenoid parts back on my shelf, and not to race forward assuming my carbs need to be rebuilt. He said that because my boat sits idle for so long between runs, and because it blows huge clouds of oil on start up, but takes over 30 minutes just to catch and start, the problem is oil and gas sitting in the carb bowls and filling or spoiling all the fuel lines at the carbs.

He told me that draining the carb bowls as I did last time at the lake is not enough. He says I need to drain the bowls completely, then squeeze the fuel bulb repeatedly until new gas has entered all the lines, cleared them out and opened up clogged or oily passages. he said I could easily go through over a quart of fuel doing this.

In short, he said that merely draining my carb bowls was doing very little.

What he says sounds logical. He feels strongly based on work with Evinrudes and Johnsons from the same years, 1995--1996, that my problem is not as complex as I've been anticipating.

I know opinions can vary, but I've always been one to go too far in "fixing" things, and even though it could be a long drive and some disappointment, I don't think I'm going start pulling my carbs apart just yet.

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[dingbat]

I spoke to an experienced mechanic about the ongoing difficulty starting my 200 hp Evinrude. He agrees with much of what one or more of you has said, but I want to run the added thoughts by you all. Here goes.

He told me to put all my rebuild kits, carb cleaners, new gaskets and primer solenoid parts back on my shelf, and not to race forward assuming my carbs need to be rebuilt. He said that because my boat sits idle for so long between runs, and because it blows huge clouds of oil on start up, but takes over 30 minutes just to catch and start, the problem is oil and gas sitting in the carb bowls and filling or spoiling all the fuel lines at the carbs.

He told me that draining the carb bowls as I did last time at the lake is not enough. He says I need to drain the bowls completely, then squeeze the fuel bulb repeatedly until new gas has entered all the lines, cleared them out and opened up clogged or oily passages. he said I could easily go through over a quart of fuel doing this.

In short, he said that merely draining my carb bowls was doing very little.

What he says sounds logical. He feels strongly based on work with Evinrudes and Johnsons from the same years, 1995--1996, that my problem is not as complex as I've been anticipating.

I know opinions can vary, but I've always been one to go too far in "fixing" things, and even though it could be a long drive and some disappointment, I don't think I'm going start pulling my carbs apart just yet.

Any thoughts appreciated.

Hey, it’s worth a try.
Got nothing to loose

 

[racerone]

Fact----Extra smoke on start-up is normal.-----All is well with the re-circulation system.-----Said it many times---" oil and 2 stroke lubrication is not well understood "-----Answer this ?---With sparkplugs in the engine , does spark jump a gap of 3/8" on all leads , on a test device , yes or no?----Is the electric primer valve working and confirmed OPEN when cranking the motor over?----Is starter motor in good condition ?----Battery load tested?---Flywheel magnets checked?-----Simple trouble shooting will sort this motor out.