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Bad Gas?


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I got the response out on the lake for the first time this year. Started up and ran great for a couple of hours. We stopped to hang out for about 45 minutes. When I started it back up it was running really rough and a strong gas odor was notable and then it died. I continued to try to start it but it just got worse. We got a tow and while we were being towed I cranked it again and it started right up and ran perfect. Could this be bad gas? I filled the tank up over the winter, put in the proper amount of Stabil and kept the boat in the garage. Any thoughts?

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Mine does the same very frequently. For different reasons I changed the fuel pump and still doing the "vapor lock" thing. Now I isolated the pump from the engine and will replace the metal pipe with a hose, let's see how it works.

BTW, cooling down the pump with a damp cloth does the trick and immediately the engine starts, your invitees won't appreciate it, it's like kicking the tv set to make it work.

This is a very annoying Bu feature, wonder if all 2004's do the same.

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change fuel filter, syphon remaining gas out, put in NON-oxigenated 91 octane (shell Vpower 91 or equivilent that has 0 ethanol). try that first. Motor should run fine on upto 10% ethanol, but the ethanol gas goes bad a lot faster & doesn't respond as well to regular fuel stabilizers like RED stabil. There is a blue marine stabil for ethanol enriched gas.

sounds like it could be vapor lock, but even with stabil gas can go bad over the long winter, esspecially ethanol enriched gas. If the fuel filter hasn't been replaced do it anyways.

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Classic vapor lock, My 06 started it after change over to ethanol. As stated previously, Cool off the pump and it will run perfect. Open hatch and run blower after run to evacuate heat from engine compartment.

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change fuel filter, syphon remaining gas out, put in NON-oxigenated 91 octane (shell Vpower 91 or equivilent that has 0 ethanol). try that first. Motor should run fine on upto 10% ethanol, but the ethanol gas goes bad a lot faster & doesn't respond as well to regular fuel stabilizers like RED stabil. There is a blue marine stabil for ethanol enriched gas.

sounds like it could be vapor lock, but even with stabil gas can go bad over the long winter, esspecially ethanol enriched gas. If the fuel filter hasn't been replaced do it anyways.

I have been using the marine stabil right along and have no issues ,in sleds,saws weed eater every thing ,because your right the gas today,goes bad if it sits over 9-10 days with out stabil.

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I filled the tank up over the winter, put in the proper amount of Stabil and kept the boat in the garage. Any thoughts?

Define 'winter' - when exactly did you fill it up, and what part of the country are you in? Does 'winter' mean September? or does it mean November?

Experienced this same problem last spring - first time in 6 years with this boat, never experienced it in the 3 years prior with my Sunsetter/Monsoon. My typical winterization process has been to keep only a little fuel in the tank at the end of the season, then top it off in the spring with premium fuel. Towards the end of the season, I am only adding a 5 gallon can of gas treated with Stabil each time I go out. That way I make sure the fuel in the entire system is treated.

I have used this same methodology every year, yet last year was the first time I experienced the vapor lock issue. The problem stopped after I had burned about 2/3 of that initial fuel in the tank, then topped it off again with more premium fuel. Ethanol (10%) has been around these parts (MI) for a long time, so I'm not convinced that is what caused the issue. I suspect that initial tankful I put in (early April) was still a winter blend of fuel, which is designed to vaporize more easily in colder temperatures. And since I was running the boat in warmer temps later in April and into May, the system would have been that much more sensitive to the problem.

Nothing scientific here, just theorizing. But if you live in the north and tend to extend your season deep into October/November, your last tank of fuel could have been a winter blend. This year, I chose not to top off the tank before dumping her in the water for the season. Filled it about 1/2 full (again, with premium), and plan to keep an eye out for the problem.

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I got the response out on the lake for the first time this year. Started up and ran great for a couple of hours. We stopped to hang out for about 45 minutes. When I started it back up it was running really rough and a strong gas odor was notable and then it died. I continued to try to start it but it just got worse. We got a tow and while we were being towed I cranked it again and it started right up and ran perfect. Could this be bad gas? I filled the tank up over the winter, put in the proper amount of Stabil and kept the boat in the garage. Any thoughts?

If you can do a compression check on all the cylinders. I had the same problem and tried everything. The problem keep getting worse every year until I did a compression check and found 4 cyl below 70. Next time it starts hard while hot. Pull the transmission pin to disengage the transmission and push the throttle forward and give it gas and see if it will start that way. Good luck Dave

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If you can do a compression check on all the cylinders. I had the same problem and tried everything. The problem keep getting worse every year until I did a compression check and found 4 cyl below 70. Next time it starts hard while hot. Pull the transmission pin to disengage the transmission and push the throttle forward and give it gas and see if it will start that way. Good luck Dave

So what did you do about the low comression?

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So what did you do about the low comression?

I rebuilt the motor into a hammerhead with aluminum fastburn heads.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Mine does the same very frequently. For different reasons I changed the fuel pump and still doing the "vapor lock" thing. Now I isolated the pump from the engine and will replace the metal pipe with a hose, let's see how it works.

BTW, cooling down the pump with a damp cloth does the trick and immediately the engine starts, your invitees won't appreciate it, it's like kicking the tv set to make it work.

This is a very annoying Bu feature, wonder if all 2004's do the same.

Did you have any luck with this solution? I have an '05 v-ride and have what I suspect is a vapour lock issue when it has been running for a while. Any updates would be greatly appreciated.

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Just had my gas delivered yesterday 89 oct all gas no ethanol ready for summer. If gas prices go up and work is slow I can still go skiing.

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Did you have any luck with this solution? I have an '05 v-ride and have what I suspect is a vapour lock issue when it has been running for a while. Any updates would be greatly appreciated.

Vapor lock solved in my case. Just select the proper rubber hose and fittings for fuel and pressure.

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