carb problems ??

[luny1]

the other day ,while wakeboarding,i noticed that at about one-third throttle the boat would fall on its face then pick-up,,does that sound like carbs ?,,ALSO MY DAD SAYS THAT I SHOULD UNHOOK THE FUEL LINE,AND RUN THE CARBS OUT OF GAS AT THE END OF THE DAY WHAT DO YOU THINK ? I NEVER DID THAT BEFORE AND TILL NOW EVERYTHINGS BEEN OK... BTW MERCURY 90 OUTBOARD

[kenJ]

How often do you use the boat? How new is the fuel? Lots of things can cause poor performance. It is a good idea if the engine is going to sit unused for more than a week to run the engine out of gas. Fuel evaporates, especially in the summer heat and causes a varnish/sluge that will plug the tiny fuel passages and jets in modern carbs. Old fuel will also cause problems, if you are using the left over gas from last season that could be the cause. I'd start with a fresh tank of fuel. Add a bottle of Techron or other quality carb/injector cleaner and run the tank dry. If that doesn't help, think a carb rebuild is the next step. Also check that your fuel filter isn't partially plugged.

My neighbors outboard sat for over a year with fuel in it. It took a week of soaking in carb cleaner and several cleanings with compressed air and wire probes to find the jet that was varnished over causing her lack of power problems.