Carb float question

[PensacolaJason]

I had my boat out the other day and it ran great for a while, but when I would drop it back to idle it would die on me and then I'd have to work with it for a bit to get it going again and then it would run fine at middle to high speed. The only issue I would have was when I would lower it to idle.

When I was trying to idle it one time I noticed a small gas slick in the water surrounding the motor (1996 Evinrude 130hp - E130TLEDM). I popped the motor cover and air box off and found that the overflow hole on the front of the carb was pouring fuel. What I know, or at least think I know, is that this means that my needle isn't seating like it should causing the fuel to continue filling up the carb bowl until it has nowhere else to go.

I got home and took the carb apart. I inspected the float, needle and seat and everything looks fine to me. I even turned the carb upside down and blew into the fuel inlet bar and could not get any air through, so I know it's seating at least when held upside down. My main question is that I've seen contradicting information about how to adjust the float height on these plastic carbs with the float in the bowl. On videos, I have seen people use the hinge pin screw to adjust the float height so that it is even with the lip of the float bowl. So they'll tighten the screw all the way, flip the carb bowl upside down and then slowly loosen the screw until the float is even with the lip of the carb bowl.

In my manual I get contradicting directions, it says to "secure the float assembly with the phillips head screw and tighten it securely" and make float level adjustments by bending the tab.

When I tighten that screw all the way down, my float sits down so far into the bowl that even an extreme adjustment to the tab over the needle valve doesn't seem to make the float level with the lip of the float bowl when in the closed position.

Am I doing something wrong? Should I only be adjusting float level using the tab over the needle or should I be using the hinge pin screw for the adjustment as well?

 

[oldboat1]

To my eye, the float looks OK. Drop seems about right, although you could measure based on spec in your manual. Flipped upside down, the float looks like it's pretty level -- you might raise the edge opposite the hinge just a bit.

The vents in you carb might be plugged. Poke the carb cleaner plastic nozzle into every opening, and give it a shot.

 

[F_R]

Screw should be tight. Yours looks pretty good to me. Might need a minor bit of tweaking of the tab for the upside down level.

 

[PensacolaJason]

Screw should be tight. Yours looks pretty good to me. Might need a minor bit of tweaking of the tab for the upside down level.

When I tighten down that screw all the way, my float doesn't drop enough to make it level with the bowl lip when inverted unless I really bend the hell out of the adjustment tab. One thing I recall is that the seat assemblies did not have the plastic washer on them when i did the carb rebuild recently. I put the plastic washer on them because it came wit the new kits. Should I not use them, would that plastic washer cause my seat height to sit too high so that my tab adjustment is way too much? I don;t see any mention of that plastic washer in the manual, but honestly, the manual doesn't go into a lot of detail on rebuilding the carbs anyway.

 

[racerone]

Take the washer out and see how it all looks.----No washer shown in the parts book.-----Plastic housing would seal it !

 

[PensacolaJason]

I think taking that plastic washer off did the trick.Now I can tighten that float assembly screw all the way in and just a slight adjustment to the float tab allows me to level it in the closed position with the lip of the float bowl.

 

[PensacolaJason]

UPDATE: I wanted to update this post for anyone in the future that comes across it with the same question. The little plastic washer for the seat is not needed on most of these plastic carbs. It's in the package to be used on metal-body carbs on some of the lower HP engines. I was able to confirm this with a Johnson/Evinrude mechanic.