Fuel Pump

A fuel pump is a often  an essential component on a car, boat, or other internal combustion engine powered device. Fuel must be pumped from the fuel tank to the engine, which is then delivered under low pressure to the carburetor or under high pressure to the fuel injection system. Many times, carbureted engines use low pressure mechanical pumps which are mounted on the outside of the fuel tank; while fuel injected engines quite often use electric fuel pumps that are mounted inside the fuel tank. Certain fuel injected engines actually have two fuel pumps: one low pressure/high volume supply pump in the tank and one high pressure/low volume pump on or near the engine.

Carburetor

A carburetor is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. The carburetor consists of an open pipe through which the air passes into the engine. This pipe is in the form of a venture that narrows in section and then widens again, causing the airflow to increase in speed as it passes through the most narrow part. A butterfly valve called the throttle valve controls the flow of air through the carburetor throat and thus the quantity of air/fuel mixture the system will deliver, regulating the engine power and speed. The throttle is connected through a cable or a mechanical linkage of rods and joints.

The carburetor works with the speed of air, affecting its pressure -- when it moves faster, its pressure is lowered. Some think the accelerator controls the flow of fuel when a carburetor is used; however, the accelerator only starts certain carburetor actions, leading to the measuring of air as it is drawn into the engine. The speed of the airflow, as regulated by the carburetor, influences the pressure and regulates the amount of fuel that is supplied to the engine's air stream. If the device fails to get the mix just right, the engine will not run properly. When too little fuel is blended with the air, the engine runs lean, fails to run at all, or suffers damage; when too much fuel is allowed in, the engine floods, wastes fuel, emits too much smoke, or gets bogged down and stalls.

Cleaning a carburetor is a fairly simple procedure. First, detach your fuel water separator filter as indicated in the manual for your boat, inspecting it for gunk build up and other debris. Next, gently remove any stray debris with your hands. After you have found the debris, lay the carburetor aside on a towel, being careful to not let the filter sit for long, especially outdoors. Re-inspect the fuel water separator filter, and wipe the surface with a dry washcloth. After wiping, fill it with a carburetor cleaning formula, which you should fill all the way to just below the top of the opening. Start the boat engine with the filter back in place. Turn the engine off after 1 minute and check the filter; some cleaner should be running out of it. Restart the engine with the filter in place and run until all the cleaner runs out. Be sure to wait at least 15 minutes to give the engine time to cool. If this is done correctly, stalling will cease and other carburetor problems will decrease.