Outboard Motor Que.?

[Huntinman]

I have a '89' Mariner 30 hp outboard. My que. is I just bought boat and motor last spring. This duck season I had a lot of problems with fowling out the plugs, like every other time out at least. I tried uping the octane, had oil/fuel ratio at manf. spec and I still had problems. It wouldn't be that bad but being on a LARGE lake and putting into the launch because it's not sparking right really sucks, time after time, not to mention setting decoys, and the motor stalls every time you let off the gas. Anybody know what could be wrong and if any way I can fix it. Any and all info. is greatly apprciated. Thank You!

[kingfisher 11]

Hunt. I had this happen before. I kept changing the plugs, found out later it was the hose from the tank. I even took it to a marina to have it looked at since it was new. Come to find out there was a recall on the ball. The same thing happened on another motor and found out the hose was bad for other reasons.

Are are you running the MFG specified oil? This can also cause problems

[The Whale]

Please excuse my ignorance of this topic, but, what does the gas line have to do with fouling out the plugs ?


Whale

[ESOX]

The first thing I would do is tune up the engine, worn points or a bad condensor will cause a weak or erratic spark that makes you more susceptible to fouling. (I'm assuming that an '89 30hp doesn't have electronic ignition.) Check the plug wires and coil cases for cracks, remove the coils to look for cracks or gaps in the potting on the back. Also check to make sure you are using the right plugs, if the ones in there are a colder plug, you'll always have a fouling problem regardless of how hot the spark is.