I intend to replace my fuel line this morning anyway. It has eroded badly in the sunlight and is leaving black stuff all over the tank and everywhere else. It is overdue for replacement. I was unaware of the liner collapse issue. I am going to try everything I can before trying to mess with the carb since it is so concealed by the bottom shroud of the motor that the bowl at the bottom and the lower part of the carb are completely inaccessible. It looks like a real nightmare to do anything with the carb the way it is situated . It is definitely a fuel delivery problem since I had replaced the CD ignition and both plugs last year.

If you had just invited me over to fish for the weekend when the young ladies had the big party next door you probably wouldn't have been in this predicament. Just saying.

Yeah, you have to pull the starter recoil (9/16 bolt) to get at the port side carb bolt on these. You can leave cord hooked up and just hang starter out of the way. I have several 15s from this era, one in the tank right now actually. I usually try everything b4 pulling carb. If new hose doesn’t work you could try draining carb. Removing the plastic silencer/intake is not difficult and gives you access to starboard side of carb. You can then disconnect fuel line to carb without removing carb or starter recoil. By tipping motor back and forth, since barb is above bowl, you can drain the gas out of carb through the hose barb. It can take a while to drain because you’re dealing with the float operation as well. When line is disconnected I like to pump bulb to purge all old fuel out of line and fuel pump. If you catch the fuel in a container and it looks bad or has water, you found your smoking gun.

I like to pack a rag or paper towels around carb area when taking off the black silencer so if I drop a screw it doesn’t fall to bottom motor cover.


9/16 starter bolt.

Hose on starboard side of carb to drain without removing starter or carb.

Let us know the results.

Were you running non-ethanol or corn squeezing’s ? Sounds like high speed jet is plugged !

I used seafoam and sta-bil for years but this starbrite stuff is the bomb! I use it in all my small stuff here and outboards and snowmachines in Canada as well. Haven’t had a fuel related issue in years. Snowmachines started after covid, 3 years plus.

I also started using that
I was sold when I had foolishly left my lawn mower sit out in the yard all winter under a pile of snow.
just exactly how it was when I had finished mowing down the garden with it a couple weeks before the snow started and I got busy.

I had started using startron that year the next spring fully expecting to have to drag it in and toss it on the bench and work on it , I thought well I will just pull through and turn it over a few times it started on the 2nd or 3rd pull wasn't even pulling hard.

These guys have covered everything. Excellent info!!!

The only thing I can add, and this happened to me, is...if it is an issue with the fuel line taking a crap, rubber from the inside might be plugging a jet or orifice. If the easy stuff doesn't work, take the carb off and (with a compressor) blow out all the holes that you can find. Forward and backwards. Over a white t shirt.

The third time I did this, a little black speck (part of the rubber hose that had disintegrated) blew out onto the t shirt.

so even Startron has limits
this was all with Ethanol gas other than the VP racing small engine fuel
these guys are goofy but it was an interesting test only Stabil 360 was really in the running at 18 months but several made it to 16 months fine

look at the jars vented vs non vented and you can really see why


stabil360 is about 6 minutes in and Startron is about 11 minutes in.

everything needs fresh fuel often definitely more than once a year

start with no ethanol and then add one of the better products , then change fuel at least every 6 months and run carbs dry when shutting down engines and you can avoid a lot of issues

in my chain saws I just dump the gas every other month if I haven't used it alwasy no Ethanol gas
those tiny carbs are not worth trying to save gas
1 gallon of mixed gas in 18 more in my 98 1500 truck seems a good way to use it up.

No ethanol and startron has lasted over three years for me more than once. Never had stuff start as good as it has since I started using it around 10 years ago.

A guy from Starbrite saw me posting on a snowmobile site years ago and pm’d to see if I wanted to try a free bottle. It wasn’t in stores yet. I said sure. Now it’s everywhere. It’s all I use now.

Like I said I think it is great stuff , I also do not use it with ethanol gas

I buy only the 91 no E gas that comes from a pump with a separate hose for it for my boat and small engines

I just don't buy enough for either to try and keep changing gas out every couple mounts

if I had a mower I ran every day and was going through 5+ gallons a week I would probably run the same gas I do in the trucks , but my trucks don't sit and are getting 20 gallons every few weeks at the longest.

I have a 50 HP Johnson, with the Automatic oil mixer, that will cut back the RPM when the oil level gets low.

what year ?

I ran a 40merc at a place they didn't trust the auto oiler so they mixed everything , clamped off the oiler tube , and put just enough in it so it wouldn't alarm

over time it leaked a little bit through then the low level buzzer came on , an hour back across the flowage siren going the whole time but at least it didn't shut down the engine.

I think that was a 1994 or 95

Bass Pro spring special, '89 Johnson motor, last year it came with power trim, and a '90 hull, first year with the square gunnels. Runs as good as it looks.

we had a 89 Evinrude , but dad got the 88spl , it was a non oil injected 90hp they did the x8 for a few years sold them as a commercial outboard

I think I have seen a 28 , 38 , 48 , 88

Wow, you guys, excellent advice from all! I replaced the hose and nothing changed but it needed replacing anyway. Looks like I will have to mess with the carb next. (crap!) I did put a little clip on the choke to hold it in any position so I won't have to hold it by hand to run full speed. for the time being. I won't need to use it until trapping season now so have plenty of time to tinker. If and when I can fix it, I will share that information.

You could take the cover off the new fuel pump and check the screen. If there was junk in old hose it may be caught in screen restricting flow, choking causes carb to suck fuel harder so might be making up for restriction. Easy check with no special tools.

I had an infloor tank in my boat. Had the same ( non ethanol fuel ) in it for 6 years with zero issues. No snake oil additives. My motorcycles get stored 6 months out of the year. They only get non-ethanol. It’s worth the extra $ !

Not draining and cleaning the carb, but rather jerry-rigging it will end up leaving you stranded at the worst possible time, and location. You are simply delaying the inevitable.
Fix It!

Years ago I would pull and clean/kit the carb on the first sign of trouble. Most of the times on my old Johnson 25s and 15s the issue would return almost immediately. Now I rarely pull a carb. I check all the above first and usually get them back to running good. I don’t have any experience with newer or other brands of outboards. I do have over 20 Johnson/Evinrudes from 3hp to 115 and 1954 to ‘84. It seems like the carbs in the old girls are more forgiving than the newer stuff. Except for ethanol issues, nothing like ethanol imo.