Cleaning/rebuilding a Honda 9.9 Carb

[SVlagniappe]

I have a 2 year old Honda 9.9 outboard with probably no more than 10 hours on it. Unfortunately, I left some gas in the carb the last time it was used, and it won't start. I'm assuming it's gunked up. Is this something a reasonably handy fellow can repair with a copy of the service manual?

I'm inclined to want to try, for the personal knowledge as much as anything, but would like some reassurances that it's within my abilities.

[waterdog52]

Go for it, read about the procedure, go through the process in you head. Get some B12 auto parts store. Ease into it, use good tools to avoid stripping out heads of srcews and jets. Good luck.

[captiantim68]

Those crabs are easy to do make sure you have extra clean workspace things will not rool off.

The main thing to check is the float level in those, and the needle tends to stick on the float causing a flooding condition.

Tim

[pdqaltair]

There is also a good chance, since the engine is quite young, that you won't need a full rebuild. Remove the carb bowl, make certain the flat needle is not stuck (common), spray EVERYTHING inside with 1/2 can of carb cleaner, fill the bowl with gas, and reassemble.

[GaryHLucas]

I have never worked on a Honda outboard. It will be interesting to know if they are anything like a Honda lawnmower engine. It took exactly one wrench, a 10mm to take off the cowling, remove and completely disassemble the carb! Beautiful way to build something. I tried to emulate that concept in machines I used to build for commercial greenhouses, needed just two wrenches.

Gary H. Lucas

[MtHopeBay]

an important lesson I learned in small engine repair school (associate of science degree) was make sure the problem is really the carb before you work on it or you'll have two problems: the original one and the carb. Are you sure that the reason the engine won't start is the gunked up carb? If you haven't had the carb apart, how do you know it's gunked up?

If you haven't worked on carburetors or had some training in it, don't.

Mike

[SailingWebGuy]

My carb was pretty gunked up. I removed the flame arrester and could see the varnish inside. Soaked it in gas for about a week and it seems to have removed most of it. I did the same thing with my fuel pump. When I first inspected it, it would not push any fuel through. I soaked it and now it pumps nicely. I haven't yet reinstalled the two to see if they're working properly.

This is kind of a half assed fix and I know it will bother me if I don't get it rebuilt or replaced as new. I originally plopped em both in gas and tabled them to be taken care of later while I rebuilt the rest of the engine. But after seeing the once frozen up fuel pump now squirting out generous amounts of gas, I kinda have a feeling that they'll both work when I reinstall them (maybe I'll get lucky).

[dabnis]

Had the same problem with a Honda 2 HP. Before ripping it apart
you might try mixing up a 50% mixture of gas & Berryman's B-12
fuel additive and with the choke on pull it through many times. If It
doesn't start let it set for a few days and try again. If it works you are
home free, if not disassembly is needed. Also check the filter if there is one.
Be careful with the B-12, it can melt paint and some plastics. Ongoing
use of B-12 per the instructions may help prevent future problems, it
has worked for me for many years.

Dabnis

[MtHopeBay]

Dabnis has good advise and you haven't done anything wrong. I would also suggest spraying carb cleaner into the air intake while turning it over with the spark plug out and isolated so it doesn't spark and blow you up.

There are little metering jets and air passages in the carb that are the most likely places to get "gunked up". Dabnis suggestion would get the fuel jets and the cleaner in the air intake would get the air metering passages.

When you put things back together, use new gaskets and make sure all surfaces are clean.
Mike