Where to start? 6hp Mercury

Not sure where to start. I've had my 1996 mercury 6 running fine for a while now. Was getting an air leak into the fuel line so I removed the quick disconnect and just put a straight barb fitting and clamps in place instead - this was a while back and its been running good for some weeks now.

Last night I drove 90 mins to a new lake (where DNR expects the next state record Flathead and Bass to be caught) only to have a motor that wouldn't start.

It's always started in 1-2 pulls with choke for me. I feel like the pressure from the gas can may have flooded the carb - not really sure how to drain the fuel out of the carb tho. Nothing really sticks out to me as an obvious drain.

If draining the carb works, I'll just put a metal disconnect on the fuel line to keep it from flooding when not in use. Otherwise, not really sure where to start? Motor ran good 48 hrs ago, started right up ran no problems at full throttle, idle, whatever... would have taken it anywhere. 12 hrs ago it wouldn't start, at all.

If you really suspect that it's flooded, then open the throttle wide, no choke and pull it about 10 or 15 times. If you hear it kick once or twice, keep going. Be prepared to slow the throttle down quickly if it fires.

That should move most of the extra fuel out of your carb and motor. If that doesn't work, flooding isn't likely your problem. Try starting it using your normal procedure. After a 12 hours, there's a good chance that the extra fuel has already worked it's way out of the carb and system.

Good luck!

Another thing you can do if you suspect the carb is over full is to tilt the motor all the way up and let it stay that way for a couple of minutes. That should allow any excess fuel to drain from the carb. You could also try removing the plugs and turning the motor over a few times to get rid of excess fuel/flooding.

Now back to your statement about "flathead". Are you saying you have a land locked (no current) lake that has a population of flathead catfish living in it? If so, what lake is this?

Pretty sure I'm about to take the motor to the shop - I did get it running, using starting fluid. Can keep it running with occasional bursts of starting fluid, so it's gotta be a fuel delivery issue.

Fuel pump is my next guess.

It's acting exactly like it did before I replaced the defective quick-disconnect fittings at the motor. They were leaking air and thus not siphoning fuel from the tank. Difference then is that I could keep it running by pumping the primer bulb (and the fuel filter wouldn't stay full.)

That's not the issue this time, primer bulb stays firm and the fuel filter is full. So either my fuel pump is out or I need a carb overhaul. And based on the suddenness of which this happened, I'm leaning towards fuel pump.

The shop I took it to last time did me a real good price - had sticker shock in a positive way (Under $70 when I was expecting ~$200) so I'll be supporting their business in the future for these little things.

I suppose "lake" might not be a proper term for it then, as its a reservoir. River/Creek fed lake with a dam on the other end. Lake Monroe/Monroe Lake/Monroe Reservoir near Bloomington, IN. Talked to an old guy fishing when I was out there - he's caught several 50+ lb cats this year out there, with pics to show. All were released back into the lake.

If your primer bulb stays firm, and there is no change, then it's not your fuel pump. Going to be a carb issue. Probably sucked up a piece of gunk (How are your fuel lines?) into the jet and stalled it out. Or your float is stuck in the up position, preventing fuel getting into the carb. Tap on the bowl once or twice with a screw driver and then see if you can pump a bit more fuel with the primer bulb. If you find the bulb can get one more squeeze, then your needle valve needs to be replaced.

Shouldn't be too difficult to figure out either way.

as an FYI, DON'T use starting fluid with a 2-stroke engine. It clears all of the residual oil off of the crank and pistons, causing you to run with a dry engine. If you want to check out the carb in a similar manner, fill a spray bottle with pre-mixed fuel. It will accomplish the same thing and won't ruin your motor.

Good luck!

kofkorn said:

If your primer bulb stays firm, and there is no change, then it's not your fuel pump. Going to be a carb issue. Probably sucked up a piece of gunk (How are your fuel lines?) into the jet and stalled it out. Or your float is stuck in the up position, preventing fuel getting into the carb. Tap on the bowl once or twice with a screw driver and then see if you can pump a bit more fuel with the primer bulb. If you find the bulb can get one more squeeze, then your needle valve needs to be replaced.

Shouldn't be too difficult to figure out either way.

as an FYI, DON'T use starting fluid with a 2-stroke engine. It clears all of the residual oil off of the crank and pistons, causing you to run with a dry engine. If you want to check out the carb in a similar manner, fill a spray bottle with pre-mixed fuel. It will accomplish the same thing and won't ruin your motor.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

+1 Sounds like a carb issue would be the most likely cause of your headaches.