My skiff and it's 40 Merc Mariner have been stored covered in the backyard for the last 3 seasons without use. This Spring I noticed oil all over the lower unit. It seems to be coming out of the carbs, and in checking the bowl drains, I found them to be full of the 2-stroke oil from the oil reservoir. I am wondering what it is that could have failed during storage and allowed oil to come out of the reservoir and fill up the carbs...to the point where the airbox (noise attenuator) was dripping oil when I removed it....
The engine was fogged till it stalled out and was covered over and stored on the boat in the 'down' position. The gas line was of course removed for storage as well. The oil reservoir was full and now is down about a third of the way. Whatever happened, happened in the last couple months---May or June. With the gas hooked up, it'll run but smokes like it's getting way too much oil and soon quits. The only way it idles (badly) and will stay running (smoking like crazy) is if I push the key in to choke it some. That was the other day. I left the engine in the 'down' position and now find a small puddle of oil under the lower unit and all covered in oil again. I took the cover off and sure enough, the airbox is dripping oil and when removed, you can see oil in the carbs again...
Could a sunken float in one of the carbs allow oil to flow in from the oil reservoir?
Or would something in the oil injection have to fail?
