TOPIC: Enrichner vs. choke

Hey guys,

I have a 1971 Mercury 115 (that's supposedly been bumped up to the 135hp by a mechanic) that has a later enricher setup installed. How is this supposed to work? The solenoid is getting power but it sure doesn't seem to be working, the boat pretty much refuses to start.

I've been gimping by with starting fluid this summer, but this is my dads boat and he's not mechanically inclined enough to deal with this issue. I'd like to get it fixed for him now that I have it at my house for the winter.

Worst case, I have a parts motor that I won't see until spring I could steal the choke setup off of.

Thoughts?

Thanks everybody!

Where does the fuel supply to the enricher come from ? ----Where does the hose FROM the enricher go.

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I have installed the OMC primer valve on the inline 6 and no more " hard to start " after that little modification.

The feed to the enrichner comes off of the top carb bowl. It appears as if he's epoxied barbs into the intake ports on the side of the motor. I think the idea is to dump the contents of the top carb bowl right into the motor??

If this is typically a good working system I'll figure out why it's not working and get it repaired. Thank you!

Interesting way of installing the enrichner.
It should work though, provided you pressure up the prime bulb and start spinning the engine with the starter before you hold the choke button down (or ignition key 'in') until she fires off. If you attempt to start the Merc for about (10) seconds and she doesn't start, re-prime the bulb to firm and try again.
Stop using starting fluid before you break a reed and ruin your day.
To test the enrichner system to see if it is actually working, separate one of the small hoses going to the transfer ports, pressure up the prime bulb, and then with ignition 'on' engage the enrichner by pushing in the choke or ignition key.
Fuel should come out of the open hose with some pressure, not much, but some.
If all the delivery hoses were significantly shorter it might help if there is a delay in seeing fuel squirt out of the open end of the hose during testing.
Doc

Alright, maybe that was the whole issue. I was holding the choke button before I tried cranking it over. I was actually using carb cleaner not starter, but I get your point.

I'll test it out tonight and see what happens.

Is it common to use zipties on the fuel lines of these motors? This thing has a leak at almost every zip tied fuel joint it has.

i love zip ties.. i have a nice zip tie gun for pulling them tight.. and let me tell you,, they are tight.. now do i thing you can get them tight enough by hand without the tool.. not really..and those cheap plastic zip tie guns are just that.. cheap junk.. this is what you want...

Yeah it makes sense things would work better with a zip tie gun.

Looking at your plumbing I suspect that lines are too long. The pulse of fuel from the enrichener valve is too small to travel the distance. There is no fuel pressure when the engine is not running so pushing the choke button before cranking does nothing. I the fuel bulb does not pump up hard then you will not have any pressure when you hit the choke. With your setup I would want to squeeze the bulb while cranking, tough to do I know but the fuel will get there then. I set up a similar system but with an electric fuel pump so I always had pressure. I also set up a system with a push bulb/button from a weed eater engine. A couple of pumps on the button and the system is full and fuel squirts into the intake.

Okay I think we're getting to the bottom of things finally. The Enricher DOES pee gas out when I test it. I did find that this motor has a lot of fuel leaks (some of which I have addressed already) and that's making priming a real chore. I cannot get a "hard" bulb. I can get a firm one but that's about it.

I get fuel leaking at many connections. On closer inspection I have no idea how old these fuel lines are and they all need replacement. The concern I have now though, is that fuel dumps out of the carb throats when I prime it too much. Is that normal?

I had a swollen float in one carb this summer that I replaced because fuel constantly ran out of the carb throat. I was going to do the other pair. Do I need to do needles too? Or is the primer just strong enough to overpower the carb floats?

Thanks guys.

carb kits are easy to do.. i just ordered 3 kits today myself for mine.. basic kits were like $16.95 ea. with needle and seats.. if your lines are old and leaking... replace them all now and be done with.. that zip tie gun i posted the link for is a great deal.. thats cheaper than what i paid for mine..if i didnt already have one i'd snap that thing up..

I snoozed on the zip tie gun and now it's gone. I'll probably buy one though. I tried to get a hose tight without it and it's futile. I really think the gun is a need for this type of work.

I am going to have to get this boat put away for winter soon. Ill get my parts ordered and hopefully I can get a few hours in of wrenching before I have to put it away for good.

Thanks guys.

Another question. Just looking at the system the ex owner rigged up leads me to believe his logic may have been flawed. There's no way fuel is going to get all the way up into the number one cylinder without any "pressure assist". A gravity drain from the top bowl is just too low.

I tested the system again tonight with the little hoses pulled off the side of the motor. It was then that I realized that the lower cylinders are getting fuel and 1-4 really aren't. I need to get this thing on muffs so I can legitimately see how it works. My guess is it's going to flood 5/6 and send doodley to 1-4.

Does anyone have any photos of a properly setup OEM enricher setup on an I6 Merc? I'm heading out of town tomorrow AM and will have some time to think about this over the next couple days.

Thanks everybody.

Docs pic shows the standard set up.

AND, standard "generic" zip ties don't work since they don't seal all the way around! The Merc zip ties made especially for this purpose have a curved base to them to make a perfectly round seal when tightened.

Neither the prime bulb or the enrichner should over-power the needles & seats and allow flooding out the fronts of the carburetors when the Merc is upright in the run position.
I would encourage you to replace the needles & seats with the current style that have a rubber tip on the needles rather than a rubber washer in the base of the brass needle housing.
I would also replace the floats.
Then, properly adjusted needle linkage will stop the flooding.
The enrichner pictures I posted show where the factory system is connected to the #1 carburetor float chamber & where the enrichner hose is connected to the balance tube system on the front of the crankcase. The actual enrichner is factory placed to port of the carburetors on a boss cast onto the crankcase cover. That boss is not there on the older originally choke models. That is why I positioned my enrichner where I did.
I agree with daveswaves in that the fuel from the enrichner will likely not travel through the small tubing as far as it needs to in your set-up, unless you eliminate all the fuel leaks, pressure up the prime bulb, and spin the starter for a good (5+) seconds before pressing and holding down the choke.
You can test this by removing all the small hoses at their transfer port ends, and then perform the test to see if fuel will squirt out of all the small tubes.
The reason for spinning the starter before activating the enrichner is
to allow the fuel pump(s) to build & maintain the fuel pressure created by priming the bulb, so that when the enrichner is engaged there is fuel pressure to squirt it through the tubing. The enrichner is simply an electric solenoid that opens so that fuel can pass through it when the choke button is pushed.
doc

When fuel is drawn of the bowl is it under pressure ???

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On the OMC primer the fuel comes from between the fuel pump and the carburetor and that certainly has pressure !!

Thanks everybody this has been really helpful. Ill get some carb parts ordered and deal with that leakage first. I may have to up the hose size which is okay because I am 99% sure the guy used vac. line and we all know how well that holds up to fuel.