Kicker stalls shortly after starting

[John Bacon]

My kicker motor (5hp Mercury branded Tohatsu four stroke) starts but stalls shortly after.  Usually, it will not continue running after I push the choke button back in.

Once I was able to get it to run for several minutes.  I had twisted the tiller grip to wide open trottle and pushed the choke almost all the way in.  I am not sure what that does in terms of throttle plate position.  It ran for several minutes with the RPMs continually increasing and decreasing.

If I prime the bulb, I see fuel dripping out of a drain line.  I assume that this is from an overflow port in the carburator.

I tried replacing the spark plug.  I had had similar issues in the past and was told that that was the solution.

Does anyone have any other ideas on the cause?  Fuel filter?

Thanks in advance.



 

[Fisherman]

Clogged up main jet in the carb.  If it dies when you push the choke in,  then it's not getting enough gas.   Replacing spark plug(s) on a 4 stroke to solve a problem is not right.  I've run the same plugs upwards of 4-5 years, and when things are tuned right, they remain light brown, no carbon, no oil fouling.  Take the carb apart, and clean the internals with car cleaner, don't waste time and energy trying to spray it from the outside.  Good luck

[Terry]

Yeah I would say a carb problem 

[BITEME]

Is it carbed or injected how old is the gas was it sitting for long have you tried SEAFOAM in the fuel spray it in the intake try to run it the best you can with the additive and bunny ears or in the water let the seafoam get right in it I would say 1/2 an hour or so running then let it sit for a day check for any cracked suction lines the SEAFOAM should sort out and sticking issues don’t dismantle anything until you try this 

Just my 2 cents

 

cheers

peter

 

[RandyLinden]

I agree with making sure that everything is in proper working condition and for some reason these kicker engine carburetors get messed up quite easily. I think it might be because they are tilted up and the fuel drains out of the system leaving only the bowl with residual gas and over time this deposits some ugly crap that can mess up the carburetor. So I would suggest a thorough carb cleaning to begin with. 

Starting and running these smaller kickers is a bit of a trial and error exercise you will need to find out what works with your particular engine. I suggest that the primer bulb is squeezed to be firm then  choke to start, squeeze the primer again to make sure its firm, don't turn the choke off all the way, set it to maybe the half way on point or where the engine sounds like it likes it... You may need to run it for a bit with the choke partially on, usually to a point where the engine has some heat in it and no longer needs any choke. I often see it where the choke is completely shut off too soon and the engines just stall out, wait a bit and even drive a while then slowly ease the choke off as the engine warms up.

Good luck!

[Freshtrax]

Fuel line issues gave caused 80% of all issues I have ever had with an outboard.    I would replace from tank to motor. 

[John Bacon]

On 8/6/2023 at 10:56 PM, Freshtrax said:

Fuel line issues gave caused 80% of all issues I have ever had with an outboard.    I would replace from tank to motor. 

Thanks, I think I can rule out the fuel line in this case.  My kicker can run on either an internal or an external tank.  I have issue regardless of which I choose.

I haven't had a chance to clean the carb yet.  I did add Seafoam, but I think that's more of a long term solution than a quick fix.

 

[BITEME]

Have you tried running it both ways external and internal with the same result are those line teed internally some where     potential leak

did you check for a fuel filter  could be dirty and restricted

external tank check the o ring  air leak

is the ball the right way on your external tank  just asking

all linkages intact choke and throttle

if loose or stripped  just asking

have you played with any set screws.  Your a guy

 

cheers

peter

 

[pics]

I just took a carb apart from my log splitter and it actually had rusty parts inside.  The ethanol in gas is going to cause a lot more of these issues.. you may be able to get it to run better with seafoam but I'm betting that the carb will need a more thorough cleaning.. I use simple green (the purple stuff only) and it is fantastic for de-greasing and cleaning carbs.. even better if used in conjunction with an ultrasonic unit