Need help with 1989 Mercury

[Orlip]

I have a 1989 Mercury 60 hp. I am having a problem with it stalling. At fist it will die down and if I pump the ball quick it revs right back up, if not it quits. It does not do this a lot but enough. Other than that it seems to run fine and mainly does this at a slow rpm, boat moving at 4-5 mph. I have replaced the fuel line, fuel connector and ball. Could this be the the fuel pump? I purchased last year so don't know any history on repairs.

Thanks for any advise.

[boatfixer]

Next time try posting in the Boats and Motors, you may get a quicker repsonse, thanks

Yes, it sounds like a fuel delivery problem and quite possibly the fuel pump. There may be an air leak somewhere, but what you describe is a classic example of a bad fuel pump. A diaphram kit is ctually the cheapest (parts wise) to fix. You could try another fuel and bulb, but I'd rebuild the pump. The kit will be around 8-10 bucks. Stick a new filter in there while youre diconnecting lines.

[phelps]

I had the same issue with my 90HP Merc. Replaced/rebuilt every fuel intake part from the gas tank to the motor, still having issues. Mechanic from up north told me that he read there were possible issues with the bulbs losing pressure if they were laying flat (i.e. in the splash well), he told me it was worth a try running the motor a while with the bulb "vertical". This was 2 years ago, problem fixed.