Re: ‘62 5.5 evinrude

[amuller]

My first thought is: Does pumping the primer bulb do anything? You should be able to get it hard and keep in hard, and this should pretty much bypass fuel pump issues.

Second: Have you checked for a weak spark? It’s possible to have a spark that will start and idle, but crap out on the higher cylinder pressures of hard running. A good approach is to check for a spark at least, say, 1/4" to ground. I notice you mention replacement of coils, wires, and condensers, but not points. Points rarely *need* replacement but they have to be clean and properly adjusted, and the cam clean, smooth and lubed so they stay adjusted. So I suggest checking for a good hot, long spark on both cylinders, and, if not, pop the flywheel and check out the ignition.

You don’t mention having changed the water pump impeller. People may avoid doing this on these motors as the power head has to come off and it’s a chore. Are you sure you have water flow and it’s not overheating? Also note that these motors have a spring clutch shock absorber in the drive line. It’s fairly common for these to separate a bit and create a lot of friction. Something to check for while doing the pump.

Good luck. These are nice little motors. I got a 64 a couple of years ago and it ate up more hours than I was expecting before it was set up.