F20 not starting

[istock123]

Hello,

Last year I bought a small tiller skiff for putting around in the Chesapeake. It had been sitting a while, and the 2006 F20 would not start, but the price was right so I bought it anyway. I cleaned the carburetor four times before it would run right, then had one day on the water before the season ended last year. It ran ok with muffs on this summer on fresh gas before it stalled about a mile from the dock on the first trip out. I got it to start again but only after a half hour of pulling and a bunch of starter fluid. I cleaned the carb again but couldnt get it to start, so I bought a brand new one, which ran for an hour on muffs fine. But it wouldn't start on the water, and I have no idea what to try next.


Gas is getting to the carb, fuel pump seems to work, it will run for a second on either so I imagine that the plugs are good. Any idea what else I should try?

Thanks for any help,
Ian

[99yam40]

old gas or water in fuel?

[panasonic]

Are you finding any dirt in the NEW carb you installed? When the engine quits does it shut off suddenly or bog down and die slowly?
There are many things that can be wrong so you need to describe what you have done exactly. Did you rebuild the fuel pump, change filter...ect

[istock123]

Thanks for the ideas. Last time the motor shut off I was throttling down from 3/4 speed ... the engine slowed, stopped, and wouldn't start again. Here is what have tried (or not) so far:

- New carb : it looked pristine inside but I gave it a cursory cleaning just in case. The old one went through the ultrasonic cleaner before it started working right.

- Fuel pump : I have not opened the pump.

- Fuel line and bulb : these look fairly new but I don't know if they are yamaha. When I take the fuel hose off the bottom of the carb and put it in a Mason jar, then squeeze the bulb, fuel shoots out with significant force.

- The fuel in the tank is less than a month old, but there was probably a little bit (1/4 gallon maybe) of the old gas still in the tank when i filled it up. And it was a little cloudy when i put it in the jar. Should dump the tank and start completely fresh every season? Every trip?

- Gas and filter : there is a small filter that I cleaned out. I also let the gas that I pumped into the Mason jar sit for about an hour and there was less then about 1/32 inch water in the bottom. I figured that was ok but maybe I am wrong.

- Gas tank : that also looks relatively new, and is the kind that does not have a vent that I can open or close. It seems to "pressurize" by itself after having gas in it for a little while.

- Sucking air : this is one I am still a little worried about because neither the new carb or rebuild kit came with the two gaskets that go between the carb and the head. Do you think air can be leaking in there? I order a sheet of gasket material and will try that soon.

[99yam40]

Any water that gets into the carb or tank is bad.
water does not flow well in a carb and the motor will not run on water
is this e fuel?

if it is and has any free water in the system means the rest of the fuel is bad.
the e sucks up the water and drops out, knocking the octane rating out of wack

[panasonic]

As said already water in the gas is no good..Is it Egas you are using?

Sounds to me like you are running out of fuel because your fuel tank is not venting. Try leaving the cap open slightly. Tank has to vent properly.

Maybe if you know someone else who has a portable tank that is working properly, borrow it and try it on your boat.

Would not hurt to rebuild the fuel pump...cost about $30 and get the proper gaskets for the carb.

[rejesterd]

I would get the contaminated fuel out of the engine and the tank. So that means drain the carb bowl, empty the fuel filter cup, and run off of a new auxiliary tank with fresh fuel in it. Cloudy fuel means there's water in it.. that should not be run through the engine if you can help it.

If it took a long time to start it with starting fluid, that means you probably also have a spark issue. I would replace the plugs and take a look at the condition of the old ones.

If none of that helps, do a compression test. You should replace the carb gaskets for sure, but cloudy fuel is a bigger problem (and likely contributing more to your issues).

[istock123]

Just wanted to follow up for anyone finding this post. The problem was bad fuel ... apparently fuel stabilizer isn't the maricle I thought it was and plugged up the carb idle jet when I ran it through. Dumped the old gas and put a 10 micron filter on it for next time.

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Just wanted to follow up for anyone finding this post. The problem was bad fuel ... apparently fuel stabilizer isn't the maricle I thought it was and plugged up the carb idle jet when I ran it through. Dumped the old gas and put a 10 micron filter on it for next time.

What stabilizer did you use??