Outboard troubles

 

Now, just how much do you think can go wrong with a 2.5 HP outboard? This fairly new Suzuki 2.5 had given us great service right up until I flipped the dinghy last year going to the rescue of another boat. After that I had a bit of trouble with dirty gas (which an inline filter seemed to have cleared up but still, it didn’t run perfect. I tried the engine before we left Deaton Marine and it ran OK but down here, when I went to use it, the little beast wouldn’t run. So, off comes the carb again, all of the jets taken apart, cleaned and reassembled with little results. After about 2 hours of fiddling around I took the float needle valve out and found that the rubber tip of the valve had come loose! This is unheard of,,, in my 40+ years of working on engines I’ve never see this. I think that the ethanol in the marine gas might have ruined the rubber on the tip. Anyway we need another float needle valve so if any of you have the right one laying around on the kitchen counter, send it to us. ( ;

 

We will be in Fernandina Beach, Fl for the next few days while I find a replacement part. We are anchored just outside of the mooring field so the row in to the dock isn’t too bad. I think that I will find a lumberyard though, and build a new set of oars for the dinghy. These little dinky ones that it came with are about useless.