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86 skier, water in exhaust?


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First off, new to the forum and not my first boat, but my first Malibu. Boat has been starting and running great. I keep it on the water in a boathouse. I know that there is water that runs through the exhaust to cool the engine, but just yesterday, went to start the boat, it usually starts first turn over, it cranked for about 5 to 8 seconds, then "POP" water/air seemed to shoot out the exhaust. I continued to crank it over, it happend again. Nothing has changed with the boat sence i put it in the water, I'm just wondering if somehow, water is flowing back up the exaust and plugging up the exhaust, therefore the engine will not fire. Sorry for the long and boring first post.

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First off, new to the forum and not my first boat, but my first Malibu. Boat has been starting and running great. I keep it on the water in a boathouse. I know that there is water that runs through the exhaust to cool the engine, but just yesterday, went to start the boat, it usually starts first turn over, it cranked for about 5 to 8 seconds, then "POP" water/air seemed to shoot out the exhaust. I continued to crank it over, it happend again. Nothing has changed with the boat sence i put it in the water, I'm just wondering if somehow, water is flowing back up the exaust and plugging up the exhaust, therefore the engine will not fire. Sorry for the long and boring first post.

How are you seeing water come out of thre exhaust? (seems like the boat would have to be elevated out of the water) It should be underwater? What kind of shape are the rubber flaps in on the transom?

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How are you seeing water come out of thre exhaust? (seems like the boat would have to be elevated out of the water) It should be underwater? What kind of shape are the rubber flaps in on the transom?

I guess your right. Dont know if water is in there or not, I just assumed because of the amount of water pushed up at the back of the boat when it "POPS". The exhaust is under water, I have it floating in a boathouse. The flaps are both curving out away from the exhaust ports. It's just one of those things where, the last 10 times out, head down to the boat, check everything, starts right up, runs perfect all day, fill with gas, put away for the next day. Then it doesn't start. Frustrating.

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First off, new to the forum and not my first boat, but my first Malibu. Boat has been starting and running great. I keep it on the water in a boathouse. I know that there is water that runs through the exhaust to cool the engine, but just yesterday, went to start the boat, it usually starts first turn over, it cranked for about 5 to 8 seconds, then "POP" water/air seemed to shoot out the exhaust. I continued to crank it over, it happend again. Nothing has changed with the boat sence i put it in the water, I'm just wondering if somehow, water is flowing back up the exaust and plugging up the exhaust, therefore the engine will not fire. Sorry for the long and boring first post.

My boat will do this for a moment if I am running on the fake-a-lake, however it has never prevented it from starting. In my case I have noticed that a little amount of water will rest in the exhaust tubes and will get "Blown" out when the engine starts. However this is very breif burst of water and it has never prevented the engine from starting. I would tend to think that this is not your issue. I doubt that the water creates enough backpressure to prevent the engine from firing, not to mention there is no way for the water to flow back up the exhaust riser.

Is your boat on a lift, or moored in the water? I would check to make sure you are getting spark and fuel. Again I doubt the water in the exhaust is causing your issue. Can you get the engine to fire at all?

Edited by Ramman17
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My boat will do this for a moment if I am running on the fake-a-lake, however it has never prevented it from starting. In my case I have noticed that a little amount of water will rest in the exhaust tubes and will get "Blown" out when the engine starts. However this is very breif burst of water and it has never prevented the engine from starting. I would tend to think that this is not your issue. I doubt that the water creates enough backpressure to prevent the engine from firing, not to mention there is no way for the water to flow back up the exhaust riser.

Is your boat on a lift, or moored in the water? I would check to make sure you are getting spark and fuel. Again I doubt the water in the exhaust is causing your issue. Can you get the engine to fire at all?

Thanks for the replies. Yes, it is moored in the water. I can pull it whenever. I am getting spark, I'll check fuel today. I'll update what I find. Thanks again.

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I guess your right. Dont know if water is in there or not, I just assumed because of the amount of water pushed up at the back of the boat when it "POPS". The exhaust is under water, I have it floating in a boathouse. The flaps are both curving out away from the exhaust ports. It's just one of those things where, the last 10 times out, head down to the boat, check everything, starts right up, runs perfect all day, fill with gas, put away for the next day. Then it doesn't start. Frustrating.

Flaps should be almost flush or closed when not running. They prevent water from entering, big wave etc. when boat is not running. You may want to check the inside of the distributer cap for moisture. I had a non Malibu boat with symtems like this and there was sweat inside the cap causing it to POP /crossfire on other cylinders. It ran but not very good. Just a thought...

Welcome aboard! :thumbup:

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I would not consider the flappers to be water tight. I think they are there just to prevent a big rush of water at one time from a big wave or when you abruptly stop. Enough water that would push up over your risers and do harm to your engine.

I can hear my exhaust tubes filling up when I first launch the boat, albeit slowly, when I'm tied up at the dock. Upon engine start, there is a slight surge of the boat, as the exhaust blows the water out. If I'm at the dock, I notice it tries to 'jump' a couple inches forward, but no more than that. Out in the lake, it is not enough of a push to notice.

And there is no 'pop' associated with this.

Edited by rts
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Ok, I guess I just had a stupid attack. There should be no way that enough water would get into the exhaust to cause it to resist enough to not fire. It has to be a backfire caused by some sort of electrical problem. I have a dual point dist. One of the points was not opening, and there is a wire that runs through a white creamic resistor. This thing was really hot. Turns out the wire inside the resister is broken. I've ordered a new one, should be here tomorrow. I'll update when I know more.

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Just thought I would add this... it is possible to get water into your engine. How do I know? Because it happened to me. A few years back my engine did something really weird. I shut if off then it made a strange noise kind of dieseled for a second then shut off. I thought all was good just a hiccup but when I went to start my boat the next day it just made a clunking noise and didn't start. I pulled a few of the spark plugs and found water. I think when I shut it off it ran backward for just a few milliseconds and it suck up some water that had been in the exhaust.

Good luck with your boat

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martinarcher

Just thought I would add this... it is possible to get water into your engine. How do I know? Because it happened to me. A few years back my engine did something really weird. I shut if off then it made a strange noise kind of dieseled for a second then shut off. I thought all was good just a hiccup but when I went to start my boat the next day it just made a clunking noise and didn't start. I pulled a few of the spark plugs and found water. I think when I shut it off it ran backward for just a few milliseconds and it suck up some water that had been in the exhaust.

Good luck with your boat

Ouch....an 8 cylinder water pump. Not cool. Did it damage any valves?

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Luckily no it didn't do any internal damage that I'm aware of. I think I got pretty lucky on that one, I hope I never have anything like that happen again

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martinarcher

Luckily no it didn't do any internal damage that I'm aware of. I think I got pretty lucky on that one, I hope I never have anything like that happen again

That's really good news. I think you got lucky too!

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Planefreak, How did you get the water out. I'm still having the same problem. I pulled the plugs and replaced them. They looked bad, no real evidence of water, but smelled like gas. I replaced them (with high expectaions)....nothing. I'm now going to replace my dual points with electronic ignition. Should have that in on Friday. Boy I hate tracking down issues like this.

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Getting rid of your points will probably fix it. Troubleshooting will be easier. You can get a pop in your exhaust system if there is a lot of unburned fuel that suddenly ignites. Kind of like a backfire on a car but muffled because of all the water. Make sure the inside of your distributor is clean and dry with no tracking. Tracking is from carbon arcs when your cap/rotor are worn or dirty. Don't forget to time it properly after installing the new electronic ignition. My guess is that will resolve it. I used to have a Skier about that vintage. Good luck.

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I agree about replacing the points. I was still running points when that happened but got fed up with them and switched to the electronic ignition right after that. It works so much better.

Do you have gas or water on your plugs? If its gas I would think that you could have a very weak spark that's not igniting the fuel. When was the last time you replaced the plugs?

To get the water out of my engine, I pulled all my plugs and cranked it over for a few seconds. That took care of the majority then I replaced the plugs, put a new cap and rotor on for good measure and fired up my boat.

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Gas on some of the plugs. Not all. I'll get the new ignition on Friday, I'm going to pull the plugs again and check compression. Hope, hope, hope, that this is it. I need to get on the water. 90 today, been waiting for summer to begin, it's here, and no boat.

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As you go through your troubleshooting process, particularly on the distributor you will need to remember that adjusting the point gap will alter the spark timing. Thus, you will have to reset to the correct advance level. GM small blocks like about 8-10 degrees at idle and 32-33 degrees at 4000+ rpm. Another item that could cause the lack of spark is a failed condenser, which is a storage unit for electrical energy. Going to electronic ignition in a marine (damp) environment is a smart move and will reduce maintenance significantly. Also, be very careful on ensuring you get the firing order correct if you end up tinkering in that area. Good luck and may you hit the water soon.

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