Reply To: 1972 Evinrude Lightwin 4hp

[Don]

No reed valves seal perfectly…  I really kinda doubt they are to blame.  The engine fires briefly on staring fluid, so that says to me there is a fuel supply/delivery issue.  Have you had the carb apart?  Perhaps the float needle is stuck closed.

Try this:

Connect the fuel line and pump it up.  Now, loosen the high speed needle packing nut and remove the needle from the carb?  Fuel should come dribbling out.  If not, fuel isn’t making it up to the carb, or the inlet needle is stuck.  Try pulling the fuel line off the carb, then pumping the fuel bulb.  Fuel should come pouring out of the disconnected fuel line.

If fuel flows out of the fuel line, then it is a carb issue.

If no fuel flows from the fuel line while pumping the bulb, then you have some sort of delivery issue, probably  the tank/line/connector.