Evinrude Outboard Help - Experts

[Doug Stanek]

Hi



I am having sporadic issues with my outboard. Here are my facts below and a description of the problem.



used about 50 hours per season



use only regular unleaded gas

use seafom

new plugs

wires two years old.





1993 Evinrude 48SPL. Rebuilt powerhead two years ago. Ran fine up until this spring.



Now whenever I go full top end speed for an extended time (longer than 3-4 minutes), when I come back down to very low speed, or to stop - the motor quits dead. Once it quits I cannot restart, at least not without a huge effort to restart - maybe 3-5 minutes of constant engine turning over then it might start. sometimes it never restarts. have to use the trolling motor to return to the ramp. I checked the motor cap and it is not hot in the least and water is flowing freely while running. If I run 3/4 speed it never does this.



the next day it always starts just fine, like no problem ever happened.



the other day when it did this I got back it out of the water and took the plugs out. they were somewhat patchy black but didnt really look wet or gassy. in fact they appeared to be dry.

cant say it smells like it is flooding though.



as a related issue, this boat has always had problems with the primer bulb going soft, especially on hot days. you can priome this bulb and run for about 30 seconds and then it goes soft and the engine is running erratically, starving for fuel, then I pump it back up and she runs fine. Lateley I always have to reprime the bulb when running, a couple of times, then it runs fine. I have changed the primer bulb and checked all areas for leaks but nothing is visible. BUT when this problem occurs, I go to check the primer bulb and it is good and firm...



this is driving me nuts. Any help or advice on where I should look would be greatly appreciated.



thank you doug

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Sounds electrical to me....but as a precaution, do you re pump the bulb or check it when it wont start? I had a friend who shall remain nameless, who had a fuel pump go out and it did the same thing but would restart. Also something to do with the fuel filters. What have you checked so far?



TOXIC

 

[Rusty Williams]

The pick up tube in your gas tank has a crack or a bad gasket where it come out of the tank and the hose attaches. I had the same problem with a Go Devil engine...changed the fuel pump twice but didn't cure it. the exact same symptoms ( run wide open...die...fraction less than wot...run perfect all day). I changed gas tanks ( 6 gal) problem solved.



RW

 

[Doug Stanek]

toxic: not sure where (if any) the fuel filter is on the 48SPL. When it exhibits this problem, oddly the bulb is firm.



RW: did yours have trouble restarting too??

 

[TROY WAINRIGHT3]

I had the same problem with an old johnson. problem was the vro pump.Parts guy laughed and said its so common that they say that vro stands for very rarely operates.

 

[Greg Meyer]

No VRO on the 48(or any) SPL they are all pre-mix engines...



Before I would look into electrical issues I would "dissect" the fuel system starting with the hose and buld... How old is it... replace it, maybe... Also, how about "overheating" (new waterpump, maybe)? Hot outboards are harder to start than we think... Sounds like the hose/bulb/fittings... But, then since it happens only after runs at WOT I would at heat or carb issues... Heat "could" also affect the coil packs... What happens if you run WOT for an extended period and then let it cool completely down to "room temp"?

 

[Rusty Williams]

Yes it did. I had to choke the crap out of it to get it to refire. Sometimes it would go for a few miles...others it would die again in a few feet. But the new tank cured the problem.



RW