Be careful not to over-tighten the carb drain screw - to avoid either stripping the threads or breaking the head off the drain screw. I used a socket wrench in the video because the slot on the screw is worn. It’s better to use a slot screwdriver - less likely to over-tighten.
lots of ppl say to run a 4 stroke outboard dry, i'm no expert but i know enough about carbs to know that simple running it dry doesn't get all the gas out of the carb. your video is the first I've seen that shows how to drain the remaining amount, so thank u for showing us how!
Preface: I'm the service writer and parts clerk for a Mercury dealership; the engine shown above is virtually identical to a Mercury 9.9HP FourStroke. While the depicted method is quite valid, it's very risky to perform over the water since the likelihood of losing the screw is so high. However, on dry land it's one step you can take when putting it away for the season. A better method if you're trying to do this in the water is to run the engine out of fuel first without the fuel line attached, then plug in a spare fuel fitting to the adaptor on the cowl (no hose or tank, just a plain fitting). Run it up with about half choke, plunging back and forth to full choke as it starts to sputter. This serves two purposes: 1, virtually all fuel in the entire system will be purged this way and; 2, it will not produce excessive vacuum on the fuel pump diaphragm, which could potentially rupture if it is more than a few years old. Running the engine using ethanol-free fuel with fuel stabilizer will help prevent varnishing as well (the stabilizer is especially important if you're running a two stroke engine, since mixed fuel has a tendency to degrade fuel much quicker than non-mixed fuel). Ethanol-free fuel can sometimes be a bit hard to get, but the premium-grade gas at most gas stations will be ethanol-free; trust me, a few extra bucks spent on the better fuel for a small tank will probably end up saving you a carb cleaning later on. A couple of capfuls of fuel injector cleaner (Mercury's Quickleen will do nicely here) mixed into the tank of gas will help clean out any deposits that may build up, but if your engine is already at the point of not idling then a cleaner will not be sufficient.
OR, another option is not removing the drain screw completely (if you’re worried about losing it). It’s a bleed screw and the fuel will drain out of the carb just by loosening it - just not as fast as removing it entirely.
I found another solution for opening a clogged carburetor. Of course this solution works for new outboards , that sit for a month or two , when you forgot to drain the gas the way you explained in this video. 1) Loosen the gas intake hose clamp, and remove the hose from the carburetor. 2) using a bicycle pump (and suitable adapter), pump in air slowly and gently into the gas intake. At the beginning it will be hard due to the clog, but will be easier in the next pumps. When you start to feel the air is easily passing, put the hose back on.
Thanks very much for sharing I am looking at a used 9.8 I do wish you had a vid showing your dinghy performance with it, and detailed dinghy specs Meantime great and thanks again 👍
Actually I do have video of it planing in Ep. 33. It’s an achilles LSI 365. 12.5 ft long. Air floor. Long Beach CA Bay Cruise ~ Naples Island Alamitos Bay ~ Ep 33 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8E-R_xHpKp8.html Please give it a like and comment - that video doesn’t get much love lol.
Once you have done all of that give the pull start a few pulls to push air through the carb to remove the last bit of the residual fuel that is present...
When I had a carburetor I just let it run the fuel out without pulling the bowl screw. Very little fuel will remain in the bowl if you do that. Do yourself a favor and get the fuel injected Tohatsu. They start every time no matter how long you let it sit. Good advise though for those still running toilets.
Lol having a fuel injected outboard would be great, but it’s way down the list of things to spend money on - with a sailboat and two Jeeps (they keep my pockets pretty empty). I’ve had a few outboard mechanics blame the alcohol blend we have here in CA for the varnish. They recommend getting that last tablespoon of fuel out of the carb. I’m playing it safe after all the previous problems I’ve had with varnish. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the tip, I have a 20hp that doesn't stay idling without the choke. Any tips? They apparently just had the carb serviced, they replaced the needle valve.
I think most mechanics would guess there’s still a clog in the carb. Check out this short video on someone else’s channel. Hope it helps! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-c71_C9L7q1E.html
Must be nice having a smaller engine..I have a 15 hp tohatsu on the back of my sailboat and had to hang off the back to pull the carb and rebuild it 😑😑😑
Just ordered my 9.8 today. I’m putting it on a 12’ Jon boat so I wanted the lightest 9.8 I could find. Where I live in Georgia, around several lakes we have lots of gas stations in my area with ethanol free marine fuel. I hope this fuel will prevent me from having carb problems. On occasion it might go 2-3 weeks without running. Think I’ll be alright with non ethanol fuel is I don’t empty the carb every time?
You can still get varnish in your carb from gas that doesn’t contain ethanol. Some mechanics have told me ethanol makes it worse - but I have no idea if that’s true. I have a carb in my old Jeep and I had the same problem with a gummed up carb when I didn’t drive it enough (it’s fuel injected now). You might be able to get more info from a tech at Tohatsu, but I can tell you that my practice of draining the carb, if it’s going to sit more than 2 weeks, has ended my carb problems.
Thanks for watching! Our 9.8 can get up on a plane with my wife and I. We have a 12.5 Achilles with inflatable bottom. Whether it will plane with 3 people would just depend on the weight. Even if it doesn’t plane it will still move at a pretty good clip.
We have the Achilles LSI360E paired with the Tohatsu 9.8 and it gets into plane with the 3 of us. This outboard motor can be quite heavy to move by yourself. It’s manageable but I would not go heavier even though I would not have mind the 20hp. I can store the boat and outboard in the fifth wheel and easily enjoy water when we want to. Very happy with our combo.
Maybe a long shot seeing this, but we have the exact same motor and I can’t seem to find the air fuel mixture screw on this carb without taking it all the way off. Can you help me out?
@@walkerphillips4203 You may have already fixed your problem… I have not had your issue, so I don’t have any experience with it. But I found 2 articles that claim it can’t be adjusted. The first involves a Tohatsu 9.9 (?) and the person claims he’s a mechanic and does give some pretty convincing details. (particularly covering other carb issues) and Includes a parts/service diagram. https:www.justanswer.com/boat/5bbfk-adjust-fuel-mixture-tohatsu-9-9-hp-stroke.html The other is just a lay person. forums.ybw.com/threads/tohatsu-9-8-outboard-stalling.356296/ Even if you have an adjustable mixture screw - you can cause a lot of problems if you don’t know how to make a correct adjustment - particularly when the problem is actually something else. Let me know what you find out. Good luck!
@@tcsadventures thanks for this! Exactly what I needed for future work. Turns out the carb really was gunked up. It’s clean and running great now! Loved this video too, I’ll be taking these steps every time now!
@@tcsadventures start with choke on, while still on it dies after several seconds. restart doesnt even start it up. carb is clean. try to fix it myself before going to the shop and pay couple hundreds or more.
I don’t mean to ask overly basic questions, but I have no idea how much experience you have with outboards. I’ll go over how I start mine. Because I had previously drained the carb, I’m starting with a dry carb. I loosen the vent on the fuel tank, prime the bulb on the fuel line and pull the choke out. My outboard will always start on the 1st or 2nd pull. I don’t leave the choke on for more than a couple of seconds. I turn off the choke and give it a little throttle as I turn off the choke. I never run the motor for more than a couple of seconds with the choke on. My experience with having a motor that will only run by playing with the choke - is a gummed up carb from varnish because fuel sat in the carb too long. If your carb is clean, it could be that you need a fuel air mixture adjustment. I’m not sure what you mean by “brand new 2021”. You recently bought a 2021 model that was brand new or it was brand new in 2021 when you got it? I’m assuming the latter and it isn’t under warranty. I’m wondering if you are keeping the choke on too long - which can cause a number of problems.
@@tcsadventures thanks for the fast reply, i dont have much experience on outboards. this is my first outboard. i got a 2021 model brand new last year. normally pull the choke once its running i close it. once i close the choke it stop running. took the carb apart clean it with carb cleaner, dry it with a air compressor put everything back together. start and die, try to adjust the idling screw and adjust the choke screw.
Ok. I misunderstood your previous comment where you said you started it with the choke on and while on after several seconds it dies. I thought you meant that the choke was on several seconds and then dies. One thing that you can try which is inexpensive - either clean the spark plug or replace it. The plug could be fouled - particularly if you’ve been running the choke too long. Make sure the gap is set right on the plug. I think if you get the plug from an outboard shop it might already be set correctly.
