Fuel problem, please help.

[Blue_Runner]

Thanks RW - I fully expected him to say $500.

One thing is I had pretty much already isolated the issue by running on a spare tank....the fact that I could squeeze the ball and keep it going above 4500 helped too. I wrote down all of the things I did on a note and gave it to him when I dropped it off. Not to say he wouldn't have known to look at the fuel pumps first anyway but I like to think I saved him a little bit of time. Who knows?

My dad had him do some work on his 40hp evinrude recently. Rebuilt the carbs and changed the impeller in it for $265!

[THEFERMANATOR]

Geez, I REALLY need to raise my prices. I did an annual on a YAMAHA 225HP 4 strokme a month ago for a guy for $375 which included the oil(CASTROL SYNTEC), filter, water pump kit, MERCURY racing synthetic gear lube, cleaned and inspected prop seal and shaft, decarbed it, and did all the other goodies to it as well as ran a new harness for his electric jackplate.

[macojoe]

THEFERMANATOR Geez, I REALLY need to raise my prices. I did an annual on a YAMAHA 225HP 4 strokme a month ago for a guy for $375 which included the oil(CASTROL SYNTEC), filter, water pump kit, MERCURY racing synthetic gear lube, cleaned and inspected prop seal and shaft, decarbed it, and did all the other goodies to it as well as ran a new harness for his electric jackplate.

I payed $1200 for complete tune and work up, VST, Filters, new water pump, gear oil, oil change and filter, computer read, ect... ect...

[phester]

Blue, I had a similar ethanol problem two seasons ago....same thing, ethanol fouled the diaphram in the fuel pump......238.00 pay out....not to bad. I have since changed every fuel line in the boat and use the Startron fuel additive to combat ethanol issues.

[spareparts]

as far as a service on the four strokes, your looking close to $300 in filters alone(and the gaskets to seal the vst), here lately it seems if you don't do all of them, your right back at the beginning. I swear, I've never seen so many fuel related issues, I had more injectors cleaned in the last 6 months than I had in the last 24 years(yes I know, they weren't fuel injected back then)

[THEFERMANATOR]

I didn't do the VST as he has good pre-filters on his engine. Just the basic annual was all I did. The parts came out to about $200 of that though.

[Blue_Runner]

Phes, cool deal....I would love to change all my fuel lines before it becomes a problem.

Ferm - I'm so used to B.O.A.T (bust out another thousand) every time I have a problem that the $200 seems like chump change....he did lubricate my trailer jack and coupler. Also sprayed down the engine with 656 lube. He said it is a good idea especially if run in saltwater because eventually things will start sticking.

Spare - I would love to have a 4 stroke. The fuel savings would counter the maintenance costs but it would take a long time to justify the price difference from what I paid for my 2 stroke. I would get at least 1 more mpg. I get 2 - 2.5 now. With a 4 I should get anywhere b/t 3 - 4 mpg. Would add a little more weight on my girls donk-a-donk though. Which could make the scuppers angry.

MJ - OUCH! But had to be done! Been there done that...bought 2 t-shirts!

RW - thanks!