I am wondering if I need to drain the gas from my tank and clean it out. Does anyone ever clean a gas tank, is it something that is sometimes done? What is easiest way to drain it? How could you clean it? It's a 1997 Bass Tracker with 40hp Tracker (Mercury) motor.

 

My motor is hard to crank. I have had some periods of time when it cranked and ran well but it can get ornery. Like now, after not using it much at all for 2 years. Wondering if crud got stirred up.

 

Other than that, does anyone know if it's easy to replace the fuel filter? I bought this boat used a few years ago and I am not sure but I don't recall doing that.

Sounds like an old fashion tune up is needed.

You should be able to empty the tank using the squeeze bulb. You'll have to get a replacement because to use it, you'll need to cut the fitting that connects to the motor. Then it will act as a siphon.

 

Your problem probably lies in the carbs. Chances are the fuel lines are not ethanol rated. They break down internally and will plug up everything.

I took the plugs out and they look bad. Weird, they don't have a side electrode such that it forms a gap with a center electrode. I don't know what this type of plugs are called. They are Champion L78V (833M is another number). I will replace. They are $3/ea at auto parts store and $6 at Basspro.

 

Like most rigs these days, for this motor, you put the oil in the top into a reservoir and it mixes it with the gas in the motor, it does not use a premix. Do you think this oil could go 'bad?' It's been in there 2 or 3 years now! (Comes in a silver gallon jug from Basspro, it is Quicksilver Premium 2Stroke oil.) I suppose there is a way to drain it out and refill. Wonder if I can find an online manual!

 

They are called Gapless Plugs.  If you do a lot of idling and running at lower speeds, they tend to foul easier, you would do better with a gaped plug  If you pretty much run at the higher rpms, a lot, the gapless seem to perform better.

 

The oil will not go bad.  The gas can go bad very quickly, depending on how it's stored.  I don't store one with gas in it, not even a few months.  I pump it out and purge the system, or pump it out and run it every couple of months on a gallon container of gas. 

When I get a motor like that, the first thing I do is completely drain and flush the fuel system.  Then I rebuild the fuel pump (if it's a type that can be rebuilt, not all are) and rebuild the carbs and if you don't know how, it's basically a waste of time and money just to take them apart wash them out and put them back together.  When putting the carbs back on, I do a perfect synchronization of them. 

I generally go ahead a slap a new set of plugs in and check ignition voltages.   

After doing the power head, I stick and new water pump in and service the lower unit.

Anyone know the method to drain and purge all fuel out of my motor? I have not found it from a google search. (I really don't want to sacrifice my squeeze bulb line unless I have to.) I can siphon the gas out, but beyond that, what?

Remove the main jet access screw from the carb bowls. 

Pull the fuel hose off the engine side of the primer bulb.

Use low pressure compressed air to blow in the hose, it will blow everything out the jet screws.

 

Actually since you are doing this just to get it running, Pump the tank out, put fresh gas in it and then just use the primer bulb to pump fresh gas through it until sufficient amount comes out the carbs to make sure it purged of old fuel.

 

Look at end carb bowl screw, if they are black and grungy looking on the end inside the carbs.  You definitely need to pull the carbs and rebuild them.

 

Siphon or use an electric fuel pump to pump out the tank.   

I see an inline fuel filter in the 1997 Tracker (Mercury) motor and it doesn't look like it has hose clamps, it looks like cable ties! If Tracker used these in 1997, that means this fuel filter has never been changed. Do you snip these off and replace or how do you get these off to change filters?

Zip ties? Just because they are zip ties doesn't mean the filter hasn't been changed. But yes, you can just snip those off and use zip ties or hose clamps when you replace the filter.

Don't use regular zip ties on fuel line.

This 2005 Merc I'm working on uses the same fuel line zip ties OMC used.  They are not regular zip ties, those can cause a leak where the come together.  The ones OMC uses and the ones used on the 2005 Merc had what looks like two ramps under the square part to apply pressure.  This prevents the void and possible fuel leak.  These are also better than gear type hose clamps

Sorry about that, it's yours and you can use what ever you like, but I would not use regular zip ties.

 

 

 

27 minutes ago, Way2slow said:

Don't use regular zip ties on fuel line.

This 2005 Merc I'm working on uses the same fuel line zip ties OMC used.  They are not regular zip ties, those can cause a leak where the come together.  The ones OMC uses and the ones used on the 2005 Merc had what looks like two ramps under the square part to apply pressure.  This prevents the void and possible fuel leak.  These are also better than gear type hose clamps

Sorry about that, it's yours and you can use what ever you like, but I would not use regular zip ties.

 

That is what was on my primer bulb in my 03 Merc, but it was just regular zip ties on the fuel filter. Wonder if I should try to find some of those?

I've seen tons of regular zip ties used, a lot of people don't even know about this type.  I have also seen regular zip ties cause problems.  Where the biggest problem comes in is on thinner hose or hoses that don't fit real tight.  I've seen some hoses that fit so tight, the clamp is just a safety precaution if it happens to swell.  It lets the hose pinch up right at the joint where that ramps is, gear clamps can do the same thing, but even worse.  A couple of years ago a friend was having problems with his boat surging, like if was running out of gas.  He had replaced the fuel filter, fuel pump and rebuilt the carbs and was still having the problem..  Suspecting it was sucking air some place, I used an air hose to pressurize the gas tank so any leaks, anywhere in the fuel line would show up.  He had replaced his primer bulb and use regular zip ties to install it and the end on the gas tank side was leaking, letting it suck air.   

I know there are probably a million regular zip ties out there on fuel lines that have never given a problem, but I've seen numbers of them leak a little when you pump the primer bulb up firm, and I had just as soon not take a chance of having fuel vapors inside the cowling on my motor.

If you use regular zip ties put 2 on 180* apart.