carb cleaning?

[fish2live]

i have a 99 honda 4 stroke what is a reasonable price to have the carbs cleaned and synced up? one shop i talked to said 225.00 seames a little steep to me but, i really do not know.

[Bigeye30"]

I have no idea on the pricing, I do know that we have a Yamaha 100 horse that's going to be having the same thing done, I'm more concerned with the reputation of the shop that I bring it to than price, I guess last year when I figured out that this will be a spring project for someone, I was guestimating around 300, so I'd be happy with 225. Definately interested in hearing others input on this one/

[Tom7227]

$140.54 for a 90 Merc at Dimmerman's in Forest Lake last summer.

[marine_man]

$225 seems a bit high, but it's dependent on their labor rate. I would anticipate that the job would take 1 to 1 1/2 hours, and at $150/hour labor rate that's about right. How bad are your carbs? If their plugged 1 to 1 1/2 hours isn't that unreasonable.

marine_man

[fish2live]

i haven't pulled them just going on how it acts when idleing. talked to the guy at the shop i got the quote from and he said the handas have a lot of carb problems and since i have never had them cleaned or synced he thought it was time.

[DinkADunk]

I mix one can of seafoam and one gallon of gasoline in a portable tank and hook my kicker motor to it about once a month. I'll run the motor at WOT for a bit (5-10 minutes) and switch over to normal gas. The motor (9.9hp 4stk) runs fairly well for another month. You might want to try something similar

[fish2live]

thanks for the replies. i added chevron carb cleaner to the gas and will run this tank down and see how it acts on the next fill up.

[marine_man]

It's certainly worth a shot, but typically something that's better as preventative maintenance. You may be too late in this case if you already have idling problems.

But, it's worth a shot.

Good Luck!

marine_man

[CNY Lee]

I have a 2001 Yamaha 80hp 4stroke and mine will start good and then she wants to die and I have to play with the throttle to keep her running until it gets warm, then when I open her up she feels like she's running on only 3 plugs and then takes off like a bat out of [PoorWordUsage] and is good to for the rest of the day and runs great. The shop told me my carbs need to be cleaned and synced. Does that sound about right, I heard that the Yamaha's are known for the carbs and sync issues and was wondering what I could do to prevent this from happening again.

[marine_man]

That does sound about right..

With respect to Yamaha's and carb issues - that really comes down to gas and how new / old your gas is and how much junk is in the fuel you put in your tank and how much junk is in your tank.

I would say that Yamaha carb's are as good as anyone else's when it comes to performance. It's all about the gas. To avoid carb issues, if you don't use the boat often I'd run a fuel stabilizer in it.

Synching is an issue on most carb'd four strokes - it's something that typically needs to be done from time to time, depending on performance issues.

marine_man

[eurolarva]

I agree with the gas being the problem more then the carburetor design. Another important factor is what type of gas to use. I know a lot of people will argue octane and non oxy but the big thing is what ever gas you use continue to use only that gas. BP will use different additives then say SA or Conoco and these additives being mixed together can create a gell that will foul anything. If you buy 91 octane from BP for your boat always do so. I prefer using seafoam instead of Stabil but if the boat only gets ran a couple times a year you should use some kind of stabilizer all year. If you you run it a lot all year then when fall gets here start using the stabilizer.

[berfish]

I just brought my 1998 90hp Merc to a North Metro Marine store for a carb cleaning and tune up. I think they mentioned a sync as well. They said it would be around $200. I will let you guys know how my expience goes. My motor needed a fast idle to start...then once it started it would rev. way up because the idle had to be so high. Once it started and I put it back into nuetral I would have to let it warm up for about 2.5 minutes before I could shift it or it would kill. It would even do this when the motor was warm sometimes. I have heard different things from a few differend people regaurding this motor model and year. Some say that all the 90hp and 75hp mercs from that era are like that....really rough starting and idleing. Others say that those motors were the best starting motor they have ever had. Who knows....I just want to be able to start my boat when it is comeing off the trailer so I don't get blown into things at the boat launch.

[MuskieJunkie]

 Originally Posted By: beerfish

I just brought my 1998 90hp Merc to a North Metro Marine store for a carb cleaning and tune up. I think they mentioned a sync as well. They said it would be around $200. I will let you guys know how my expience goes. My motor needed a fast idle to start...then once it started it would rev. way up because the idle had to be so high. Once it started and I put it back into nuetral I would have to let it warm up for about 2.5 minutes before I could shift it or it would kill. It would even do this when the motor was warm sometimes.

Same motor (except slighly newer) same experience. Then once it's warm it operates like it should.

[berfish]

Got my boat back yesterday. Rapid claimed it would take a week and it was more like 3 days! So that was cool. They said my carb linkage was all messed up and my idle was not set right. They cleaned my gummed up carbs and adjusted the linkage and put new plugs in for just under $200. I went home to hooked it up to the water earmuffs on the garden hose and started the motor. It started after two chokes and tries. Then it ran fine. The real test is when I can get it in the water and get some resistance on the prop.

[davesfriend]

I am kinda woundering about this now. I have two Mercs on my boat. A 125 2 stroke and a 9.9 four stroke. Both of them seem really cold blooded. The two stroke espicially. Once I get them warmed up they start and run just fine. I heard that all Mercs are like that. Is there any truth to this, or do I need to have them looked at. I replaced all plugs and wires in the fall, run 91 non oxy. I just know that when I put it in the water it takes a little while to get em started. That and is the switch between 2 cylinders and four supposed to be a little rough? When she kicks to four to get it up on plane there is a hesitation then WHAM away we go. DO NOT let go of your coffee cup..

[GoggleEye]

Davesfriend, sorry to say but most mercurys are that way. At least in my expriences. They are just a really crappy boat motor. My buddy's mercury had the same exact problem you are having. My best advice would be to sell the motors and get a johnson or evinrude. A suzuki would be a good choice also. Mercurys are just extremely moody and unpredictable.

Anyone paying $200.00 plus for carb cleaning is getting ripped off!! I got these inflated estimates last year also for my 4 stroke 15 hp johnson and eventually found a guy in North Hudson, WI that cleaned my carbs for 50.00 and she runs like a top now.

GE

[marine_man]

 Originally Posted By: GoggleEye

Davesfriend, sorry to say but most mercurys are that way. At least in my expriences. They are just a really crappy boat motor.

So, are you speaking about all Merc's, or just his 125? The 125 isn't the greatest motor, and it seems like the 75-125 hp 2 stroke motors are cold blooded - just the way they are, no getting around it. On the fliip side, they're a pretty bullet proof motor mechanically.

 Originally Posted By: GoggleEye

Anyone paying $200.00 plus for carb cleaning is getting ripped off!!

If you can find a shadetree mechanic so to speak, yes, than $200 is a lot. If you're taking it to a dealer I don' think it's that far out of line for what they get. I'm not saying it's fair, but that's what they get.

marine_man

[GoggleEye]

I wouldn't call the guy I use a "shadetree mechanic", he builds racing engines and streetrods. You are right though, there are some shady mechanics out there, you have to be careful. I still think 200.00 is outrageous for a carb cleaning. I'll stick with the guy that does mine for 50.00.

GE

[davesfriend]

That's kinda what I figured. Cold blooded. Seriously though, mechanicaly they are awsome motors. A little moody yes. I wouldn't think of getting rid of them though. Thank you for the advice though..

[GoggleEye]

I know most mercury guys are pretty faithful to their motors, I am just on the other side of the fence with them due to how many miserable fishing trips I have had due to a mercury outboard. I just have no patience for their cold-blooded moodiness, especially after owning a Johnson and experiencing how smooth running they are, no matter what the temp is. I do like the looks of them if that counts for anything

[eurolarva]

I have an old Chrysler outboard and I called Twin City outboard and they quoted me $150 to put a kit in and clean the carb. The kit was $9 bucks from NAPA and it took me less then an hour of actual labor to do it. Dealerships have insurance hassles and high overhead for equipment and salaries. If they rebuild that carb and set it too lean and you fry your motor you are going to make them fix it. That is why I don't work on friends equipment. Don't want the hassles of being sued.

[Valv]

Dealerships have overhead expenses, usual hr rate is $ 75/hr to $ 135/hr. A $ 200 bill for the work is average cost.

Definitely a shadetree or garage mechanic will be cheaper, regardless of "how good they are", there are reasons for this.

Mercury as other brands have highs and lows, I know people that wouldn't touch a J/E even if they were free, everybody is entitled to their opinions, no need to get all worked up for this.

[marine_man]

I didn't mean to imply that your mechanic was shady - what I meant was that he didn't work at a marine dealer likely, and didn't charge $150/hour.

With respect to merc's some people swear by them, others swear at them...

marine_man

[GoggleEye]

Valv, nobody is getting worked up, it's just interesting conversation with some opinions thrown in there. I fish with plenty of people who have mercurys on their boats and I call them good friends. I don't look down on anybody for what kind of motor they have. Like Marine-man said, everyone has their preferences.

GE

[boatfixer]

 Originally Posted By: marine_man

With respect to merc's some people swear by them, others swear at them...

Put me in the swear by column. Then again, I have spent more time on the water with an Evinrude than anything else(Its what Dad owned for 20 years). Ford vs Chevy plain and simple.