Conference vicki::boats

     
    
    Just a thought. I have a 130 HP Mercruiser I/O in a 19
    foot Sea Ray and it sounds like what happened to me last week.
    As it turned out the inside of the distributor cap and points 
    were wet. After drying them the engin fired up fine. 

    I've experienced the same problems and every time it's been: 
    
    a) water on the electrics 

    	I wiped everything dry, sprayed WD40 everywhere, (yes, INSIDE
    	the distributor!), got going again in no time.
    
    b) fuel starvation. 
    
    	If the boat's been sitting a while, the fuel can "drain back" to
    	the tank. Or you may have an air lock in the supply line. Pump
    	that gas up, take off the fuel line, see it spray into a bottle
    	while turning over the engine (is it electric pump? check the wires)
	for a while, then you know. 
    
    By the way, 4 gallons doesn't seem a lot. With the boat on the blocks,
    the gas may reach the line OK, but when she settles in the water,
    you have a whole different set of dynamics......Try 20 gallons!
    
    The other possibility is a sticking float in the carb.
    
    Tally-ho
    
    Ray

    Check a few things --
    
    	Are your gas lines open?  I know from dumb experiance that my
    	boat will run about 10-15 min with the gas lines shut; but,
    	once stopped won't get going.
    
    	Also -- Are the Fuel Filters Clean??  Again it may start the
    	first time & even run for a long period; but, once shut down
        the blockage may not allow for a re-start.
    
                               Happy Hunting,
                                              Lou
    

    re .2 Please do not test a fuel pump by cranking the engine over unless
    you have COMPLETELY disconnected the ignition system. One small spark
    from anywhere and you'll have a potential exposion or fire.
    
    On an engine with starting problems the ignition system may be at fault
    and a common failure is arcing in the high tension circuit. An open
    fuel line, arcing ignition and confined spaces on boats is a deadly
    combination.
    
    I hope the solution is simple, but be safe when checking out the
    possibilities.
    
    Regards,
    Jerry
      

    I went through this last summer at the gas dock.She started fine
    then wouldn't start. I checked all spark system and it was ok.It
    turned out to be a stuck choke. BTW mine is a 260 Merc-Cruiser.
    Good luck.
    

    Did you say you put in 4 gal to be sure it wasn't empty? If so,
    I'll bet you have water in the fuel from condensation over the winter.
    
    Check--fuel turned ON---water in line---fuel filters (one on pump
    too)--fuel pump works. Usually an ignition system won't work for
    a little bit and then totally die---fuel problems WILL act that
    way.
    
    Let us know what it turns out to be!!!!
    
    Don

    Thanks for all the replies.  I'm going down this weekend to check it
    out again and hopefully find and resolve the problem.
    
    The service guy at the dealer said that  the remote engine control
    lever has an ignition cutoff switch that turns the ignition off
    when the lever is not in the neutral/starting position.  Well when
    I start the engine, the lever *is* in that position but he said that
    something may be misaligned behind the lever.  I don't know why
    there would be an ingition cutoff switch on the control lever.  I
    know that the starter won't crank unless it's in neutral.  I figured
    once the key is turned, the ignition is activated and a subsequent turn
    of the key cranks the starter (if and only if the lever is in
    neutral).
    
    BTW, it's a real pain in the ass to diagnos/fix a boat that is on a 
    mooring.
    
    Thanks for everyone's help.  I'll let you know what happens.
    
    tim

    If that engine is a four cylinder, then there is another kill switch
    on the engine where the shift cable connects. Its a little mirco
    switch with a roller on the arm. They use it to kill the engine
    when shifting between gears. 

    re.8	Yes, it is a 4 cylinder.  The kill switch on the lever must be
    out of line or something.  
    
    		Why would there be a kill switch engaged when shifting
    gears?  This might explain why when the boat was running it died everytime
    I put it in reverse.  This is yet another problem.
    
    tim
    
    

    
    I had a similar problem with mine last fall. The switch momentarily
    stalls the engine to facilitate engaging forward or reverse.
    The pause makes it easier for the gears to engage, so I was told.
       :-)     The problem occurs when the switch won't allow the engine
    to restart itself. It is possible to take the switch out of the
    electrical loop and run it without but it's not recommended. The
    switch is connected to the coil on my 4 cyl. Merc I/O, others may
    be different.
    	
    	Hope this helps a little and you get it fixed before the good
    weather hits.  
    
    Good luck,
    
    	Don
    
    

    I believe many ( most ?) I/O's have some sort of a
    device to momentarily drop the engine idle whenever you shift.
    It's called a shift interrupter.
    
    My Merc had a mechanical-type switch that shorted the ignition.
    I had problems once but a different symptom.  The engine started
    and ran fine until I tried to shift and then it would stall.
    BTW:  I didn't realize this switch existed until the fateful day
    it failed.   Another reason to buy a maintenance manual and 
    study it - hopefully before you have problems.          
    
    
    

    Whether boat engines or automobile engines, there is an excellent
    technique to test the engine.  Basically, a gasoline engine needs
    air, fuel and spark to run (as we all know).  You can instantly
    check the air, fuel, and carburetor by spraying the intake with
    starter fluid (ether).  Assuming that it has sat long enough to
    eliminate flooding, the starter fluid either startys it or it 
    doesn't.  (It may not keep running, of course.)  The ether replaces
    the carburetor!
    If the trouble is in your fuel system, it will run (maybe not
    smoothly).  If it doesn't, the trouble is probably electrical.
    Good luck!     

    I have a Glastron with a 165 hp Mercruiser, had the identical problem
    as the base noter. In a later note he mentions "other problems",
    if these other problems are very stiff shifting and stalling when
    shifting into reverse then I suspect the shift cable needs to be
    replaced as mine did. I spent the better part of a day trying to
    find out why the coil output was zip, took a while to notice an
    extra wire leading to this little micro switch on the sterndrive.
    If you wiggle the shift linkage and it starts or you manually open
    the switch ann it works then inspect the switch. The switch is
    probably OK but the cable could be getting hung up.

    Well, the boat is now starting and operating fine.  However, I'm not
    sure what the original problem was.
    
    I disconnected the switch and tried to start the engine.  Result: Crank
    but not catch.
    
    The I took the flame arrestor off and noticed that the butterfly valve
    was fully closed, so I stuck a screw driver in their and tried again
    (switch still disconnected).  Result:  Engine cranked and STARTED!
    
    Then I began to think that the problem was a stuck choke and not the
    switch, so I turned off the motor, reconnected the old switch and 
    tried again.  Result:  Engine started.
    
    I've since started the engine successfully many times with the old
    switch connected.  My feeling is that the switch was not the problem.
    I'm also able to shift into reverse without stalling, which I couldn't
    do before.
    
    One thing I did differently when first successfully starting the motor
    is that I primed the carb with the lever in the "throttle only"
    (lever out) position as opposed to before when I did it in the shift
    (lever in) position.  After I primed the engine this way and returned
    the lever to the neutral position, I noticed that the roller on the
    switch was riding up the side of the ">" and not in the center as it
    was before when I unsuccessfully tried to start it.
    
    I'm not really sure was happening but it seems to be ok now.  I'm going
    to lube the shift cables and spray some carb cleaner in the carb this
    weekend.
    
    Thanks to everyone for their help.
    
    tim