Honda 9.9 fourstroke problem

[Capt. Matt]

I'm having problems with an engine that seems to be suffocating. It is run
almost daily, so fuel is always fresh. It will no longer idle, and does not
like lower rpms unless I lift the cowling up a few inches, it seems to
"catch its breath" and run fine while cowling is lifted but I can't safely
operate this way. The seal around the pull starter has been removed to allow
for better airflow but this helped very little. From my understanding, the
carburetor is not a serviceable type and must be replaced so I'm hoping to
try all other possible solutions before investing in a new carburetor...
TIA!
Matt

[Jim]

Who told you the Honda 9.9 carburetor isnt serviceable? I have 3 of them and
get replacement parts from Honda all the time.

The local Honda agent photocopied the parts list and exploded breakdown for me.

regards,
Jim
From the Southern Bay Sailing Club website:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/southernbaysailingclub/
and the Chesapeake Bay, the best sailing area in the world!
To reply, remove "motion" from this e-mail address.

[Capt. Matt]

Good to know. Who told me they were not serviceable? My FORMER Honda Dealer.

"Jim" <winc...@aol.commotion> wrote in message
news:20021128195407...@mb-mg.aol.com...

[Jim]

I should amend that to say that the Honda dealer I used to order from had a
particularly experienced and "customer-friendly" saleswoman. When she quit,
that Honda dealer, who usually only serviced Honda lawnmowers and such (but not
Honda Marine products) refused to order any more parts for me. Stupid, but
hey... I found another dealer, and it's his profit loss.

[Garland Gray II]

So it runs fine at higher rpm?
"Capt. Matt" <good...@atlantic.net> wrote in message
news:hryF9.145$FL1....@news1.atlantic.net...

[Simple Simon]

It probably has some debris in the area
of the float needle valve that has the level
of fuel in the float bowl too high. This makes
it run too rich on the lower rpm range. Giving
it access to more air helps mitigate.

I have a Honda 9.9 and the carburetor float
bowl is held on with four screws. I say this
area of the carb is servicable. Cleaning the
float needle area is likely to solve the problem.

If you don't have one already, install a cartridge-
type fuel strainer/water seperator in the fuel
line between the tank and motor.

"Garland Gray II" <g.g...@cox.net> wrote in message news:RuAF9.52655$wc2.1...@news2.east.cox.net...

[JAD]

Matt, I have never owned an outboard that ran at it's best inside a
lazarette or "engine locker" without additional ventilation added.....LOTS
of ventilation. In a lazarette.....I ran them with the hatch tied up, or
whatever.....especially for two strokes.

Is your "cowling" the stock engine cover or an engine compartment cover? If
the latter, you may want to add as much ventilation as can be accomplished
to prevent this from happening again after your repairs.

Hope this is helpful......Joe

"Capt. Matt" <good...@atlantic.net> wrote in message
news:hryF9.145$FL1....@news1.atlantic.net...

[Surfman]

Try pulling the jet and shooting it out with a little compressed air.
I have had the same problem and this seems to work. A small piece of
gunk can really affect the ability to idle. Good luck.

[Ferg]

This may sound really obvious, but try replacing the spark plug before you
spend a lot of money on something else.

Last summer I had a troublesome outboard which I thought had carb problems.
I pulled it and squirted cleaner through the jets several times. It turned
out the spark plug was giving a weak ignition. It looked okay but it wasn't.

good luck,

John.

"Capt. Matt" <good...@atlantic.net> wrote in message
news:hryF9.145$FL1....@news1.atlantic.net...