need help diagnosing an annoying issue

[fish_hntr]

On my kicker, a 1999 Evinrude 9.9 four stroke, it will not stay running for more than 10-15 minutes without squeezing the bulb as it starts to sputter and die. It started at higher altitude while fishing Electric lake 2 years ago and did it a few times at the gorge last year, plugs are new with fresh oil change last spring. Could it be a carb or fuel pump issue?
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[nofish2]

I had a similar problem with my 2004 Johnson 8 HP four stroke. I would have to keep squeezing the ball to keep it running. I took the carb off and took the float bowl off it, found the clip that holds the float to the needle wedged between them and it would not let them move freely.

I reinstalled the clip, put it all back together and it has ran great. I was careful taking it apart and didn't have to replace any of the gaskets.
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[wiperhunter2]

It could be a fuel pump issue but one of the most common problems like this is a leaky hose, not letting gas out but letting air in. check all you fitting, where clamps are attached, sometimes it can be the squeeze bulb that is bad especially if it is stiff and had to squeeze.
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[MRJ]

It could also be a closed or plugged air vent on the gas cap. Sometimes it is the simple things that get us.
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[Bduck]

[quote wiperhunter2]It could be a fuel pump issue but one of the most common problems like this is a leaky hose, not letting gas out but letting air in. check all you fitting, where clamps are attached, sometimes it can be the squeeze bulb that is bad especially if it is stiff and had to squeeze.[/quote]

I agree with Curt, I had an issue with an older Johnson 9.9 2stroke & an Onan generator in a motor home. Both issues were fixed with fuel pump changes.
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[fish_hntr]

[quote nofish2]I had a similar problem with my 2004 Johnson 8 HP four stroke. I would have to keep squeezing the ball to keep it running. I took the carb off and took the float bowl off it, found the clip that holds the float to the needle wedged between them and it would not let them move freely.

I reinstalled the clip, put it all back together and it has ran great. I was careful taking it apart and didn't have to replace any of the gaskets.[/quote]

Worth a check, probably needs to be cleaned anyway.
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[fish_hntr]

[quote wiperhunter2]It could be a fuel pump issue but one of the most common problems like this is a leaky hose, not letting gas out but letting air in. check all you fitting, where clamps are attached, sometimes it can be the squeeze bulb that is bad especially if it is stiff and had to squeeze.[/quote]

Definitely worth a check, the boat is a 99 Lund so the hoses/bulb have seen a lot of use and days in the sun, my reading did come across both a bad bulb and pump.
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[fish_hntr]

[quote MRJ]It could also be a closed or plugged air vent on the gas cap. Sometimes it is the simple things that get us.[/quote]

It's plumbed off the main tank that is always vented, but I did have that issue with my previous boat that had a 2 stroke main motor and 4 stroke kicker.
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[BearLakeFishGuy]

replace the little "o" ring inside the connector on the gas line that clips onto the motor. This o-ring shrinks or cracks over time and I had to replace mine a few times on my outboards. It fixed the same issue you said you were having. If you squeeze the bulb and a little gas comes out where the gas line clip secures to the motor, then its definitely this o-ring. I used a crochet hook to remove the old ring and lubed it up with WD-40 to squeeze the new o-ring back into the connector.
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[fish_hntr]

[quote BearLakeFishGuy]replace the little "o" ring inside the connector on the gas line that clips onto the motor. This o-ring shrinks or cracks over time and I had to replace mine a few times on my outboards. It fixed the same issue you said you were having. If you squeeze the bulb and a little gas comes out where the gas line clip secures to the motor, then its definitely this o-ring. I used a crochet hook to remove the old ring and lubed it up with WD-40 to squeeze the new o-ring back into the connector.[/quote]

Do you recall the size of the O ring? I may just have a spare female connector.
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[Koko21]

Like someone mentioned, dont forget to check your gas cap and that it is venting properly.

I had the exact same issue and spent a bunch of time switching the little parts and bulbs only to find the problem was my gas tank lid not letting the air vent properly.
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[BearLakeFishGuy]

No, each motor manufacturer is different. I asked Lee at Lee's Marine and hooked me up with the proper o-ring for two old Johnson outboards (even though Lee is a Merc dealer). Cost less than a buck each. Also, as others have mentioned, make sure to check the vent on the gas can.
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[wall3y3]

Here is another thing to consider that I did not see mentioned. DO NOT use higher octane gas. Higher octane gas will cause the symptoms you describe and the higher in altitude you go the worse it will get. As a side note if you live in Utah and you buy high octane gas for your car that says high octane only you are wasting your money.
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[Kent]

Is your recommendation because this is a small outboard or for all outboards in general? Lee of Lee's Marine has recommended that I use mid-grade gasoline in my 150 hp Mercury outboard.
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[wall3y3]

Well the small motors are particularly finicky about this, two strokes are even worse but again anything but regular at our altitude is a waste. The higher the octane the less volatile the gas is (harder to burn) which seems counterintuitive but the reason for high octane fuel is high compression engines. With a high compression engine you will get premature detonation with lower octane fuel (knock) which is really bad for the motor. The higher you go the less oxygen the harder it is to burn so as you go up you want lower and lower octane. It does not really cost the gas companies more to make higher octane fuel but people think that it has a higher number it must be better. In Utah if you had a race motor with super high compression then yeah you may need higher octane but any factory vehicle is fine with regular gas - yes you do need it in high octane vehicles at sea level if you have knocking. The fact that gas stations even sell it here is pretty much a racket.
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[catchinon]

I totally agree with you about using regular in most cars, no matter the elevation. But my turbo engine requires premium. If I don't use Chevron premium it flips out and goes into a sort of limp mode. The codes it throws are ambiguous so I just stick with the premium because it works.
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[fish_hntr]

[quote Koko21]Like someone mentioned, dont forget to check your gas cap and that it is venting properly.

I had the exact same issue and spent a bunch of time switching the little parts and bulbs only to find the problem was my gas tank lid not letting the air vent properly.[/quote]

As I mentioned the main tank is permanently vented so that should not be the issue.
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[fish_hntr]

[quote wall3y3]Here is another thing to consider that I did not see mentioned. DO NOT use higher octane gas. Higher octane gas will cause the symptoms you describe and the higher in altitude you go the worse it will get. As a side note if you live in Utah and you buy high octane gas for your car that says high octane only you are wasting your money.[/quote]

We only use 88 octane ethanol-free in the boat.
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[wiperhunter2]

This is not likely the issue but along with ethanol-free gas, I also run Seafoam in every tank of gas, I use one OZ per gallon. It keeps the carbs clean and cylinder head free of carbon, it's good stuff.
Did you ever replace you squeeze bulb and check your clamps? How about replace you fuel pump?
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[fish_hntr]

[quote wiperhunter2]This is not likely the issue but along with ethanol-free gas, I also run Seafoam in every tank of gas, I use one OZ per gallon. It keeps the carbs clean and cylinder head free of carbon, it's good stuff.
Did you ever replace you squeeze bulb and check your clamps? How about replace you fuel pump?[/quote]

Boat is still in storage, likely until after the baby comes May 2nd.
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