Need some help with my Merc 1100, 110 H.P outboard. I know nothing about outboards so maybe someone who does can help me. I think my fuel filter is clogged, my boat runs and idles ok but it will not achieve full power, when I throttle up completely the engine will not get full power. It pushes me about 10 m.p.h. every once in awhile it will kick up and go (30-35 mph) but not every time.
There was old gas in it from last year which I thought might be the problem, so last week after I got back from PV (the engine was running good) so I thought it was just bad fuel, put new fuel and some fuel addative in the tank and thought I would be good to go, but yesterday on Bear Lake I had the same problem. Does this sound like a fuel filter issue? . The line from the tank to engine looks new and the bulb stays hard when the engine is running so I think the fuel is getting to the engine. Thanks for any help.
P.S I didn't catch anything at BL yesterday. In fact I hardly marked any fish on the finder on the east side. At least it was better than working.
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Mike, as we discussed by phone last evening, I agree it sounds like there is a good chance that you have a clogged fuel filter. Hopefully, someone can direct you how to get to the filter(s), and after it is repaired, you should consider installing a fuel filter in your fuel line. I did this on my boat and I have found it is far simpler to replace a filter that is in the fuel line than to have to tear the engine down to get to the filter. It would still be important to keep the filter(s) on the engine also, to trap anything that might get in the fuel beyond the filter in the fuel line. Also, if you put a filter in the fuel line be sure that you purchase a marine filter that is made for this purpose. A regular fuel filter made for a vehicle will filter out the mixed oil (Lee at Lee's Marine warned me of this).
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First off I am assuming your mixing your gas and oil and the motor is not oil injected.If not this is most likely the problem.
I ran into this problem when I first bot my boat,the previous owner did not run the fuel out of the motor when leaving the lake,with the motor in the up position this allows the fuel in the carburetor float bowl to drain out the air orifices in the front of the carburetors and when the fuel evaporates it leaves the oil behind and clogs the ports off.if you look at the carb. there below the throat of the carbs or in the center there tiny little holes,you can fix this with carb cleaner,but the hood has to be off and the boat needs to be on the water,take the intake cowling off the carbs,have someone run the boat at full throttle while you spray the carb cleaner into theses orfices(with the little straw that comes with the can of carb cleaner) at full throttle the carbs will suck the carb cleaner threw and you will instantly fill the power come back,make sure you hit all of theses orfices,be prepared for this extra power and dont fall out of the boat.the reason the additive doesn't work is the fuel is getting to the carb the float bowls are not able to breath and let the fuel go threw the system fast enough,so idle is great,full throttle isn't.always run the fuel out of your motor when you trailer your boat and this problem wont come back.I have done this for over twenty years and have had no problems with any of my outboards.5hp to 90hp also run seafaom thru your motor regulary.
later fnf[cool]
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You replied to me instead of Remo, but I will take advantage of the opportunity to ask you a question. How are you able to run the fuel out every time and not get a bunch of people excited who are waiting to launch or trailer their boats, on busy ramps like Strawberry and Jordanelle for example?
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lmfao.. dude you did that?
ok if your going to try something like that hook the motor to the hose at your house and try it.. i would not spray carb cleaner in my 2 strock motor tho!!! it will also remove the oil from the gas for a while even a short while can scare you cilnder walls...
befor doing any of that check your plugs. wires. and gas fittings. some times if you got a air leak in your gas line it will make the motor run bad to.. if that dont work take it to someone who can fix it..
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[#500000]Check out Iboats.com One of the forums they have on that site is nothing but mercury engine problems.......There are a myriad of things that could be wrong.......I am currently working on the same type of problem with my motor......You have to isolate them one at a time........I am rebuilding my fuel pump and cleaning the jets at present....WW.[/#500000]
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Kent,
I will put the boat on the trailer,as soon as I am on I will disconnect the fuel line,then jump up front crank the boat on and secure it to the trailer,by the time I am done doing that the gas is pretty much ran out and the motor dies,lift the motor drive up the ramp.I have yet to hold anyone up on the ramp,I am usally one of the fastest to get my boat out.
Fuzzy,
Yes I did this,and It didn't hurt any thing,I didn't spray the stuff down the throat of the carb and the there is very little that acctually gets to the float bowl,them orfices are small and it doesn't take more than a few drops in each one to clear them out,I did this after taking the boat to a shop,they charged me 175.00 and did the timing,changed the plugs,and drilled a couple of holes in threw the exhaust hole in the back of the motor(No clue why they did that)kinda pissed me off.but I got it back out on the lake and was disappionted to have the same problem,I called them back and told them,they said they had no clue what it could be and the motor ran fine for them? So next step was to find and fix the problem myself and after a bunch of research it looked like a carb rebuild,the boat only had ten hours on it there was no way This was the problem,when I had the cowling off I could see that one of the hole was clogged I spray carb cleaned threw it.and all the the others,took it back out and it was running better but not 100%,I had the hood off and the cowling,I sprayed a little bit in each hole and the boat came alive and has run like a top ever since,that was seven years ago.
I am not douting that the carb cleaner does desolve the oil,but as little as your putting in the orfice at full throttle it isn't going to take but a few milliseconds for the newer fuel to push the stuff threw.
the only other option is to take the carbs off and rebuild them,If you leave the gas in the carbs when storing your boat its going to happen and the shop is going to tell you you need to rebuild your carbs.
last note:I have been running the fuel out of every outboard I have owned,and I was taught to do this by my father and he did this for years and we never had any problems with any of are outboards,they started first pull every time,and my big boat starts no problem every year when I take it out of winter storage.
You guys can do what you want to do.I will do what I do.
Later,fnf
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well spraying carb cleaner in a running motor can not be a good thing.. try this next time take the jet's (thats want them little things with the hole's are called) out and clean them.. you can use a tourch cleaner or your carb cleaner on them and a lot safer than spraying cleaner into a running motor! [crazy]..
not trying to tell what to do just trying to save ya some pain and maybe a motor down the line..
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oactually its not the jets that had the problem,If it was the seafoam would take care of that problem,but I hear you on spraying carb cleaner down the throat of the carb,I am not doing this,I will try to get a pic of the front of my carbs and it may clear up what I am doing.
I wouldn't be doing this if I thought for a minute that it was going to hurt my motor.I'm not the type that has no knowledge of what I am doing,I have rebuilt more than my share of carbs and know what I am doing.but you bring up a piont,not all people may be getting what I am saying and they could cause damage to there motor.I thought I explained that I am not spraying carb cleaner down the throat of the carbs and do not recommend doing this.
thanks for you concern.
Tight lines.
later fnf[cool]
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I had a 115 merc that sounds like the same thing I did every thing fuel wise new fuel pump in line filter system went through all the carbs cleaned the jets but nothing seemed to help would run half throttle ok and at full throttle it seemed to lose a cylinder so one day had someone in my boat driving at full throttle and when it started to die I would put extra pressure through the bulb and the cylinder would fire and take off again when I watched this I noticed air being pumped through the clear filter and decided that I was sucking air somewhere to finish this I decided it was the main line inside the tankso when I took this off the line inside the tank was still attached but not sealed so I resealed the the line and it worked well. may not be the problem with yours but some thing to look at.
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I would suggest starting at the source and work forward. Some tanks have a check ball at the outlet of the tank. If there is a check ball try removing. Also if it is a plastic tank I have seen the screen on the uptake tube get clogged.
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Well Mike, inquiring minds want to know. Did you get your outboard repaired and if so what was the problem?
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