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    Outboard experts

    Need some help here. 2005 Merc XR6 150 horse. Got a service in June 2021 right before I bought it: Plugs, water pump and synthetic lower unit lube.

    Ran fine through the fall then Christmas day I noticed a rough idle. We cruised at normal speed a few miles up the lake to troll a bit. On the ride back it shut down on me. No alarm or anything so I looked at my oil tank and it was low but not dry. Put oil in it and floated about 10 minutes then started up and ran another couple miles at cruising speed until it did it again. One more time I waited 10-15 then started again and made it home.

    Have not run it on plane much since then cause I've been fishing very close to my slip. Earlier this week it was surging some at low speed. Last night I decided to test it out and same story after running on plane. It shut down after I ran about half a mile at 35mph. Didn't want to start again so I just trolled back to the slip. It starts like normal again today.

    The mechanic I have used in the past no longer makes service calls and I don't have a trailer to take it in. He said he would not attempt a carb cleaning on the water anyway so I know I probably shouldn't do it. Anything else I can try?

    #2
    I had a similar problem with my 03 90hp merc. I cleaned carbs and it did not help. It ended up being a bad diaphragm in fuel pump.

    Edit: Would check fuel filter first: Easy and cheap
    Last edited by kruppa24; 01-13-2022, 11:29 AM.

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      #3
      Check vent line to fuel tank.

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        #4
        Originally posted by doghouse View Post
        Check vent line to fuel tank.
        This and check/replace fuel filter. Check for leaks in fuel Line and bulb. Does the bulb get hard when you pump it up. Assuming your alarm system is working you can rule out oiler system and waterpump.

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          #5
          New fuel filter was the first thing I did after the Christmas day event. Bulb pumps up firm. Not sure how to check the vent line?

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            #6
            I would dump double the amount of Sea Foam in the gas also and keep idling around and see if it clears up. Won't hurt anything while you are checking everything else. Sounds like a gas problem of some sort.

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              #7
              Originally posted by TexaRican View Post
              New fuel filter was the first thing I did after the Christmas day event. Bulb pumps up firm. Not sure how to check the vent line?
              Just loosen the gas cap. Probably have to take it to the water though. Does it idle forever or stall out after a while. Does it die suddenly or does it sputter and then die. You can try on the water and have someone pump the bulb when it starts to die.

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                #8
                Also this works on yamahas. Try it. Loosen the screws that hold the fuel pumps to the motor and squeeze the bulb up tight and watch for gas leaking behind the fuel pumps. It might have more than one. You can do this without starting the motor.

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                  #9
                  Does primer bulb go soft when this happens?

                  Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

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                    #10
                    Primer bulb will get soft when running. It's normal.

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                      #11
                      I will have to go back to the slip after work and see what is up with the vent and pump the bulb when it stumbles at idle. It does not like to idle in the normal nuetral throttle position unless it really warmed up. That was not the case before this started but it has always been a hard starter and needed lots of throttle to fire up.

                      As for alarms, I'm not convinced everything or anything is working. My volt meter and speedo work but the tac and fuel gauge don't. Tac has 12 volts to it and I tried moving the gray wire from one voltage regulator to the next with no luck. I've replaced all the accessory connectors to the cranking battery and cleaned terminals. Replaced corroded connectors on the two wires coming off the fuel tank sending unit and ohmed it out to verify it's working. Fuel gauge jumps to nearly full when the key is on and just stays stuck there. Definitely a gremlin somewhere in my wiring.

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                        #12
                        Originally posted by TexaRican View Post

                        Definitely a gremlin somewhere in my wiring.
                        I'd start here^. Then take a look at your switchbox. When it sputters and dies, check to see if your are getting fire to the plugs. Losing spark after warmed up is a tell tale sign of a bad switchbox. You can youtube some ways to test it, as it sounds like you can operate a meter.

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                          #13
                          How old are your fuel lines? They can break down inside and clog filters and ports, then after you stop the sediment settles and you'll run again. I had some in an old boat that were large enough they couldn't get into the fuel filter but they'd clog the inlet to it. When I pulled that line off and shook it out all sorts of internal crumbles shook out of it. I don't know about your specific engine but some of these have a high pressure and low pressure fuel pumps and can exhibit your type of symptoms when one has gotten weak.
                          Last edited by justletmein; 01-13-2022, 12:10 PM.

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                            #14
                            You could have a Power Pack or Stator going bad, as once it heats up similar things start showing up. I would try all of the fuel issues first before going I went to this dianosis though.

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                              #15
                              Make sure your gas tank is vented, change fuel filter, then add some ring free. Bulb doesn’t need to be hard when running. Carb repair would be next, then fuel pump and diaphragm.

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