Carb clean and reseal

Alright, i posted a couple days ago how my boat bogs down when under a load. Well i decided to take the carbs off and clean them.

I took the carbs off and right away i see that the back of the throttle plate is all full of gummed up fuel as well as with the bottom of the fuel bowl. Next i need to dip the carbs and blow all the little holes out.

I need to know what company has the best carb gasket kits. I bought them from IBoats last year but the seals weren't the best in my opinion. the brand was sierra i believe.

and how do you adjust the carbs? The idle mixture screw?
Thanks in advance

 

The carb manufacturer most likely sells repair kit(s) which should be OE or better quality. If no longer in business, search the net to find out how others have fared with aftermarket parts.

There is generally very little wear in a carb. Most outboard carbs are fairly similar to motor cycle ones, just the engines tend to run at lower rpm and prop torque is more important. Carb cleaner from a can with the tube feed from the cap is your best friend for cleaning the parts and passageways. Never stick wire in a hole although lowish pressure air line blowers are also quite good - in combination with the cleaner. Last resort is an ultrasonic cleaning bath but this is more specialist and most likely not needed.

Keep things exactly where they were set, to start with. Only adjust as needed after cleaning, re assembling and running. Different parts of the carb adjust the fuel air mix over different parts of the rev range. Be careful of the idle mixture screw - you ned to know where it is currently set. Hence you must screw it in to the lock out position counting the half turns prior to removal. The main idle adjustment is usually a doddle, but you can easily get the mixture screw in the wrong place.

Only if there are problems after a good clean should you investigate further. Whilst apart you may like to check the float height, the float needle is not sticking, and the float is not porous. Recently had a Mariner 4 which 'stuck' the main needle valve in the shut position thanks to aromatic gum, and that was within a month of last use!.

See if you can find a good manual for the carb you have. Might see at least a parts list ie exploded drawing of it on the net.