Mariner 15hp 2 stroke - Page 2

paddlers · 26 July 2013, 19:05

I'm no expert but it sounds like carb issues !

Fenlander · 26 July 2013, 19:09

>>>Have I been spoilt by my previous outboards or does this sound OK?

No it's not OK. I've had 2, 4, 8, 15 & 25hp Matiners and all have been good starters with very reliable idle.

bingosucks · 26 July 2013, 20:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by paddlers

I'm no expert but it sounds like carb issues !

+1 you need to get them cleaned and set up correctly

bingosucks · 26 July 2013, 20:14

i would say samt is your man for sorting it out but your on the south coast , i found fareweather marine very helpful in fareham ,,,dont let a summer like this escape

Max... · 26 July 2013, 23:22

+1 again, *got* to be the carb, strip it and clean, easy non-specialist job and try it again.

Sunstreaker · 27 July 2013, 01:47

Last week the mechanic sprayed carb cleaner, I think it was Qucksilver Power train, onto carb & gave it a 15min run on the tank. Does this mean that carb is intermittently causing problems? As it only had six days of no use. With the previous alluded to carb clean, it's either not really been cleaned or its gumming up pretty quickly, which does not seem consistent with all the replies to this thread from fellow 15hp two stroke owners.
My other dilemma is whether to continue to seek out the problem or start too make noises with the dealer having lost confidence in the engine. I guess two strokes being simple units, there must be an "ah ha there it is" moment, or are some just lemons best got rid of?

Nick Hearne · 27 July 2013, 07:05

Get it back to the dealer this is not right!
I would be tempted to ask for your money back saying once engine is sorted happy to buy it back if he will give you garante it is in working condition for 3 months.

ShinyShoe · 27 July 2013, 07:11

Did the dealer use your fuel tank or his?

Spraying carb cleaner is not as good as ultrasonic cleaning.

You still running fuel stabiliser in your tank? You'll notice no-one else has said they do and no-one else has said they have a problem?

Before I went to a dealer I'd want a completely fresh tank of fuel from a different filling station... ...no point blaming the dealer if you are gunking up the carb.

ShinyShoe · 27 July 2013, 07:17

Oh and is it a plastic tank or metal and where are you storing it? Is it full to the brim?

Humidity right now is really high here, so risk of getting a lot of wet air in the tank airspace on a hot day then cooling down a bit and the wet condenses out leaving water in the tank. Stabiliser should help but may actually just mean there is water in the fuel to be burned off which is hard work...

paddlers · 27 July 2013, 08:22

The basics of cleaning a carb out seem to be removing the float chamber & thoroughly cleaning all the jets out (with an airline if possible) and reassembling to ensure that there are no leaks and the float's doing it's job!
I'm not a marine mechanic so prefer to let somebody who is fiddle about with the carbs because if they're any good it'll be done right !

It doesn't take much to block a carb up with dirty fuel/ gumming or water but running the carb dry if it'll stand for any length of time plus storing upright works (fingers crossed) for me.

Sunstreaker · 27 July 2013, 09:58

Thanks for the response guys. The tank is plastic 25L tank, and I stored it in a shed. I put 20L new shell petrol in last week. At the dealer last week it was run off my tank. When I purchased it the dealer was explicit that it was a previous customer they were selling it for and therefore gave no guarantee,I guess a brokerage type arrangement. Although I have receipts from dealer who I paid, so I guessing some consumer law covers me to some degree. I am hesitant to let it go as they are rare but if I spend all season driving the 60 mile round trip to the dealer I may have to discuss alternatives. Are there lemons out there?

Max... · 27 July 2013, 11:07

Spraying the carb in situ with a solvent does nothing, take the carb off, dismantle and clean thoroughly throughout and check for wear or issues - very easy, takes 30 mins, it's not engine specific, Google for 'how to' - that will sort it I'm sure.

Sunstreaker · 27 July 2013, 13:03

Dropped it back to dealer they said will do an ultrasonic clean. Maybe it did not have such a good clean up in the first place, possibly just carb spray.i will see what next weekend brings and give an update. At this rate it should be sorted by the time I need to think about winterising it!! Need to do RYA how to plan your boat time course level 1

bingosucks · 27 July 2013, 14:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunstreaker

Dropped it back to dealer they said will do an ultrasonic clean. Maybe it did not have such a good clean up in the first place, possibly just carb spray.i will see what next weekend brings and give an update. At this rate it should be sorted by the time I need to think about winterising it!! Need to do RYA how to plan your boat time course level 1

sounds like a load of old chuff to me , the carbs need stripping and degreasing properly the float and needle can then be set up correctly

never done this myself but if you spray some stuff up the carb then it will just burn this off ,check your plugs to see how gunked up they are

again i would reccomend samt or fairweather marine, you need to go old school for old engines

Sunstreaker · 27 July 2013, 15:25

Is 2006 an old engine? With an apparent 50hrs of having been run. I just took out the shed my old abused mariner 4, early 90s, last run in garden two years ago, lived on a sail boat, never flushed, kept it to practice my non existent mechanical skills. only had old petrol from decanted 15 hp tank when purchased, so at least a year old I guess. Got it running, so much easier using twist throttle as opposed to the idle knob. It didn't run smoothly but I don't blame it

bingosucks · 27 July 2013, 18:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunstreaker

Is 2006 an old engine? With an apparent 50hrs of having been run. I just took out the shed my old abused mariner 4, early 90s, last run in garden two years ago, lived on a sail boat, never flushed, kept it to practice my non existent mechanical skills. only had old petrol from decanted 15 hp tank when purchased, so at least a year old I guess. Got it running, so much easier using twist throttle as opposed to the idle knob. It didn't run smoothly but I don't blame it

naw im just old school it just gets me tata`s in a twist ,your losing the summer and cant get no answers

Sunstreaker · 28 July 2013, 17:56

When I was in the dealers showroom explains my predicament yesterday, I mentioned the 100:1 ratio as emphasised by the dealer mechanic on purchase and also as emblazoned on a sticker on the cowling. I noted a quizzical look followed by a brief exchange about oil preferences. I also note the mariner manual cites 50:1. This does seem to be the topic of some confusion with 15hp mariner mercury yamaha, as is mentioned in several threads. Anyone have a definitive answer?

Max... · 28 July 2013, 22:01

'Officially' the Yam manual states 100:1 after running in but I think 50:1 for commercial use which tells you something. It's been debated quite a lot on here, nearly all old school pre eco times 2 smokes were 50:1 so take from that what you will...

samt · 28 July 2013, 22:24

I've always ran engines on 50:1 rather than the stated 100:1 and never had any issues. Maybe a tiny bit more smoke. I believe the RNLI run all their engines on 50:1.

samt · 28 July 2013, 22:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunstreaker

Is 2006 an old engine? it

Depends how it's been looked after, abused or messed with.. I have a 1992 Merc 15 (same as your mariner) ticks over sweeter and smoother than a lot of new four strokes.

As everyone says, simply spraying power tune through the carb won't work. The carb needs to come off, it is not a difficult job. You still may benefit from new fuel pump diaphragms.

If the dealer does put the carb in an ultrasonic bath they should remove these as it won't do them any good, and when the fuel pump is dismantled these diaphragms and gaskets should really be replaced as they can easily be damaged or distorted. As you say the engines had little use (50 hours in 7 years) these flimsy rubber parts can go brittle, along with the primer. There is a service kit available for these carbs, not cheap, but that along with a proper clean and set up should get you going.