fishinwrench

Really? Hell I grew up hunting, fishing, hiking, and riding dirt bikes along railroads. It was always assumed free reign. Never once had a problem. In Georgia the power lines were open land, anybody could do anything they wanted along the power lines. The law wouldn't even mess with you. You could run them for a hundred miles totally unbothered. Railways were the same way when I was younger....or so we thought. The world sucks now. 😕

Just spin the whole pump around. The inlet can go in any of 4 positions. You said you couldn't blow through it though.....so something ain't right.

Yes there are 2 springs, 2 diaphragms, and 2 plungers. Very fiddly and a PIA until you've done it about a dozen times.

Yeah that's no good. Somebody may have attempted to overhaul the pump and assembled it wrong. There's a tab on the plastic part of the pump with an arrow....and it says "UP". Anytime your fuel tank is sitting lower than the motor...it matters.

I just installed one of those cheapies from Amazon on a 6hp for a guy today. I had to take it apart to swap out the back piece because the Chinese one was too thick for the mounting screws......other that that all of the internals look, feel, and smell identical. My test tank is still frozen so I can't test it yet, but I have no reason to believe that it won't pump fuel just as good as the OEM ones. Just don't throw your old one away, because you might need to use the thinner aluminum back piece from your old pump. The 4-6-9.9-15 all have the same pump. The 18-20-25 do have a different part# but I have had all of them apart many times.....and if theres a difference I sure don't know what it would be. Just make sure that the pump mounts with the fuel outlet nipple in the DOWNWARD position. Adjust the inlet cap nipple so it is either down or off to either side. Never Up. If either nipple is oriented upward then you'll have an air bubble that you can't purge out.

Railroads are a public right of way. Why would you want the land given back to people who have been dead for ages ?

That's awesome. Who is They? Is it a state department doing it?

The backfiring is probably a lean sneeze. Open up the idle mixture screw 1/4 - 1/2 turn and if that doesn't fix it then the carb needs to be cleaned, and float level reset. As I said before..... it needs the entire fuel system serviced. That is just a carb cover, doesn't really function as a filter. It has foam in it to capture fuel droplets and hold them while they evaporate. Just blow any excess oil out of it.

Did you know that they (whoever they is) are turning the old Rock Island rail line into a bike trail ? Someday I'll be able to pedal from my house to your house. Not that I would....but I'd be able to. 😊

Then I'd forgo the crankcase stuffing. Drop down a prop size.

I kinda thought so. Good catch, hu? 😊

Some models have a separate vacuum nipple. Yours gets its vacuum via the back mounting area (pill shaped gasket). They sell a fuel pump rebuild kit, but those pumps are kinda fiddly.....just replace the pump. www.marineengine.com for parts. As for the pic....looks like a carb 😎. The remote idle mixture link rod is on the wrong side (should be going straight up instead of slanted off to the side). Just pull the white plastic bushing straight off, flip the outer knob to the other side, and realign it.

Hey wait a sec......is it my eyes, the pic, or are the reed stop plates upside down on that reed block in the bottom pic ?

And yeah, those Merc linkage clips are a POS. I hate them.

They work on the theory that pushing the Reed blocks further into the crankcase "takes up space" inside the crankcase, thereby putting the crankcase into a state of vacuum sooner, and actually increasing initial intake vaccum during that split second that the reeds open up. The downside if using synthetic or carbon fiber reeds is that it creates extra stress on the reed petals. And if the motor ever backfires... .or gives a hard snort while cold starting....you may very well split a reed or blow a hole in the fuel pump diaphram. I have stuffed crankcases on some manual start Evinrude 2-cylinder motors to help "wake them up" a bit, but I'm a bit leery on doing it on anything with electric start. It's a volume vs. pressure thing, and to be honest I'm not sure that taking from one and adding to the other is a good idea. As with all performance upgrades there is always a reduction in reliability. Sometimes worth it....but more often not.

You mean BOTH hoses, right? 😊

The brown stuff on the choke lever is 50 year old grease. I was thinking that 1973 was CDI ignition, but it isn't. That one has points/condenser/coils under the flywheel (which probably need to be checked out). That fuel supply hose and clamp are ancient. Fuel pump is more than likely in bad need of a rebuild. Those are really good motors, a testament to what a REALLY good 2-stroke outboard should be....but yeah she's crying for some love.

Oh to live on a prairie 🤗 30 miles around HERE would be a bit much. These hills have no mercy and are twice as far up them than they are down them......both ways.

There's no outboard shops around there?

Grab your wrenches, side cutters, and a screwdriver, and get busy! 👍 You've got this 💪

As a general rule when I get my hands on a motor of that age here's what I do, or what I recommend.... If there's a fuel system problem then go ahead and rebuild/refresh/synchronize the ENTIRE fuel system (carbs, fuel pump, fuel supply line and ALL fuel hoses) and make sure the fuel tank and it's fittings are 100% good/clean/tight. Just go ahead and eliminate all possibility of a fuel system related issue for the next 5-10 years. Refresh the cooling system completely. Don't just slap in a fresh impeller. Refresh the housing, the water tube grommet, thermostat, and any associated gaskets while your there. Gearcase seals? Absolutely! Those things are probably 30-40 years old and made of rubber. Refresh them and fill with fresh gear lube. Don't wait for a seal to blow.....gearsets aren't cheap. New spark plugs....the RIGHT ONES, Champion's, not the NGK crossovers that O'riellys are going to try to sell you, and gap them at .030 Now, if you've done it all right, and the powerhead and ignition system is good, you've got a motor that will start and run dependably .

Not since September. Currently we are 5' low, so it would be real skinny and covered in ice right now.

See Al ! Y'all should have gotten out of the boat on those fast spots instead of blowing through them. 😊👍 I honestly haven't been on it since 2017 but I've talked to several that have, and I have seen videos that were made since then. I think there are still plenty of fish there, and the hiking/wading looks like it is a bit easier now. On the NFoW if you are right on the verge of getting swept off your feet then odds are you are standing in a good spot to catch a fish.

You can make it STOP ? I've learned that if I do what she's harping on me about, the NEXT THING will be even more difficult/expensive/time consuming. So by procrastinating I at least have a chance at taking a knee and running out the clock.

Those weight conscious guys would drive me crazy. Fussing over 1/4oz. Lighter gearsets, or being indecisive about a seat post because it weighs 6 grams more than his last one. There are actually guys that want the decals and valve stem caps removed to reduce weight. You aren't one of those guys are ya? I pump a BEAST 29er Trek Marlin. That sucker weighs as much as a refrigerator 😂