Boating is fun?

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friendly_jacek

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Maybe I’m too old for that fan. Last summer my family was too busy with summer courses etc. and no boating. Last time the boat was used was 2 years ago. It was winterized very well and I didn’t expect any problems. To play it safe, I drained old gas (even though it was stabilled x2) and got some fresh 100% gasoline, 91 octane ($4.09 per gallon). Then I checked the battery (on solar charger all the time). Oops, 10.5V. Then I load tested it. It went to zero. Granted the battery was over 10 year old (OEM) and I expected to go bad.

I went to get a new one at Advance Auto ($91-coupons). I charged the battery some as it was not the freshest (01/14). I cranked a bit to get the gas in the carb etc. Then I attempted to start using the gas pumping ritual/dance that worked in the past. Nothing x 10 (I charged the battery to full in between the cranks).

Oops, almost noon already, I was supposed to be in the bank before they closed. Later, I pulled the plugs. Look clean, almost new NGK, but 3 of 4 wet with gas. I flooded the thing! Then I cleaned the plugs and tried to start the flooded engine. After several tries, one cylinder started but action lasted several seconds after it would die backfiring and coughing.

Again, one plug dry, 3 wet. ???? Maybe I had the ignition wires crossed? I checked against my notes that always worked and everything looked OK. I went online and found merc manual. Weird, the firing order is different. I pounded that a bit and decided if I wired like the manual had, not even one cylinder would fire. At least I knew there was a spark in one cylinder. I checked the distributor, clean; wires, fine.

Then I thought about carb, did it foul again despite draining it completely last winter? I spriced some carb fluid inside and tried starting several times. Noting, one cylinder action again.

What else? I had a set of spare plugs. Why not? I remover the plugs (again) dropping some tools in the engine well. Guess what. The engine started! Looks like 3 of 4 plugs went bad (shorted), Weird.

But, what’s that noise? Sounds like sparking. There are sparks flying from the coil to the ground. Great! I called WestMarine and of course they don’t have it in stock. No one in town has it either! I ordered one online and decided no boating this weekend. I decided to spend the rest of the day changing oil, filter and gear oil.

I’m not going to bore you with the description how the filter got stuck, it took not one, but 2 screwdrivers (one bent) nailed though it to budge it. I cut my finger on sharp shards of metal in the process. When it was time to pump gear oil in the outdrive, the hand pump lost prime and I had to fight with it to get it started.

Anyhow, I spent over $200 and entire day of hard work and the boat is not any closer to the water. Sorry, I had to vent.

Happy Memorial Weekend to everyone!
 
Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Any pictures of it? At least it didn't sink on you.


That gave me a flash back to my younger days. When I was 15 and again when I was 16, I spent the summer on Table Rock Lake in Missouri.

One of those two years, my step dad spent a fair bit of time pulling the out drive on an old Century. Not sure if the bearing was bad, or the seal at the transom. Anyway, he finished the job, put the boat in the lake and we had fun. The next day I was out cruising the docks (my step dad and his dad had several boats on different docks) and I found the Century about 1/3 submerged in it's slip. I jumped in and turned on the bilge pump and went and got my step dad. They were able the pump it out and drive it back to the dock. Yep... All that work he did, he got to re-do.
 
Well.....not being used for two years certainly didn't help the situation. Any combustion engine needs to be used regularly to stay in good running order.
I'm sure you knew that....sorry about your day. Sounds frustrating and a big let-down.
 
That's nothing, its just from lack of use.

A couple of friends of mine just bought a Luhrs 36 and hit something leaving AC, broke the starboard engine mount, motor moved forward about 6in, prop destroyed the strut and the drip less stuffing box broke, causing the boat to take on massive amounts of water, 2ft in the engine room 30 miles offshore, managed to jurry rig some rags over the shaft so the pumps could catch up to get in.

$20k at least later..if not more...almost got to try out that new life raft...
 
Originally Posted By: clinebarger
If the fuel pump diaphragm is ruptured, The bypassed fuel will dump directly in the carburetor.


No, it's not that. That was the first thing I checked.
 
Originally Posted By: hattaresguy
That's nothing, its just from lack of use.


You are absolutely right. The engine has about 100 hrs or so in 10 years and I had all kinds of weird failures. One year all 3 solenoids failed withing the span of couple of months. When I posted about it on iBoats.com, no one believed.
 
Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
Originally Posted By: clinebarger
If the fuel pump diaphragm is ruptured, The bypassed fuel will dump directly in the carburetor.


No, it's not that. That was the first thing I checked.


You would see fuel in the sight hose.
 
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Any pictures of it? At least it didn't sink on you.


That gave me a flash back to my younger days. When I was 15 and again when I was 16, I spent the summer on Table Rock Lake in Missouri.

One of those two years, my step dad spent a fair bit of time pulling the out drive on an old Century. Not sure if the bearing was bad, or the seal at the transom. Anyway, he finished the job, put the boat in the lake and we had fun. The next day I was out cruising the docks (my step dad and his dad had several boats on different docks) and I found the Century about 1/3 submerged in it's slip. I jumped in and turned on the bilge pump and went and got my step dad. They were able the pump it out and drive it back to the dock. Yep... All that work he did, he got to re-do.


No automatic float switch?
 
I do not believe 3 of 4 plugs were bad unless they were mishandled. Have the carb rebuilt.

Its it a 4 cyl Mercruiser? A 430 I think. That was a weird engine even if running properly, especially the charging system.
 
Well If it makes you feel any better...

I have a 1987 Rinker 21ft with a 185hp Mercruiser.

When I bought it 6 years ago, it was running, but not well. I drained the tank, replaced all the fuel filters, rebuilt the carb, new plugs, wires, cap, and rotor. Replaced the bellows, gimbal bearing, impeller, lower shift cable and battery. It ran like a top.

I did not run it at all last season, and only got about 10 hours in the season before that.

Yesterday, I fired up the pressure washer and cleaned it up, refinished all the wood, changed the oil, hooked up the muffs, put a splash of fuel in the carb, and fired it right up. It ran on the muffs without a single issue for an hour, so I took it out and ran it for about 5 hours without even a hiccup. The gas in it was almost 2 years old, and no Stabil was added... It now has a mostly fresh tank of fuel and should be headed out again tomorrow. It will get another set of bellows this fall

Sorry, I just wanted to say not every first day of of the season is miserable...


My previous boat was also a Rinker, it had a 130hp (?) Mercruiser (it was the 2.5L GM 4 cyl). My very first REAL outing on in blew the lower unit on the outdrive. It is then that I found out that the gearing in the upper was not correct for the engine... Brand new outdrive (upper and lower), new gimbal bearing, bellows, lower shift cable and we are off again. On the way to the lake for the third outing after the new outdrive I got rear-ended. Destroyed my outdrive, transom, trailer, and significant damage to the tow vehicle (no injuries though)... I swore I would never get another boat. And I didn't for a whole 5 years...

Break
Out
Another
Thousand
 
HOLY [censored]! I have been lurking for 6 YEARS, and this is the first time you guys have gotten a post out of me :EEK:
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
I do not believe 3 of 4 plugs were bad unless they were mishandled. Have the carb rebuilt.

Its it a 4 cyl Mercruiser? A 430 I think. That was a weird engine even if running properly, especially the charging system.


I think gasoline flooding killed the plugs. There is this one guy who thinks that modern plugs can't take the sip of wet gas without being permanently shorted. Has to do with the porcelain not being glazed and additives in the modern gas coating unglazed porcelain.

BTW, this is the Mercruiser GM 4.0L 135 engine. Always hard to start since the day one.
 
Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek

BTW, this is the Mercruiser GM 4.0L 135 engine. Always hard to start since the day one.


I am guessing since you said 4 cyl that 4.0 is a typo.

the 3.0 is a 135hp GM industrial 4 cyl. Was also used in many forklifts.


If it has always been hard starting, I would go through the carb and verify the ignition timing. All of my carbureted engines will start in 1-2 pumps unless they have been sitting for 4-6 months. I have a restaurant style condiment bottle special for the times that they set for an extended period, a little squirt of gasoline into the carb and they are off... It may take you half a day to get it dialed in, but that half a day will greatly reduce your headaches later on.

Does yours have points, or electronic ignition?
 
That engine has a weak ignition, even if electronically enhanced. Get a spark box and open up the gap on the plugs (unless you are running gapless!). Then verify the carb for proper accelerator pump operation, check float, fuel pump, etc.

If it sits more than a couple weeks it just needs a bit of priming, just a teaspoon or so at a time, it should start almost immediately...
 
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