Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

New to inboards.


Recommended Posts

Hello everyone, I might sound like an idiot but I just purchased a 1989 Malibu skier with only 320 original hours. When I bought it the owner stated the engine with a plunger deal stuck to the bottom of the boat at the water inlet. It took a few seconds then water began to come out of the exhaust. The engine ran great and I bought the boat for 5000.00. I'm heading to the lake tomorrow and wanted to start the engine in the driveway but when I hooked up the hose and turned on the water nothing came out of the exhaust when I started the engine. How long should it take to see water exit the exhaust? I shut the engine off after about 45sec. The temp was low and the engine did not seem hot. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you

Link to comment

The engine may need more time to warm up and open the thermostat. My boat operates between 140 and 160 degrees. At idle, you won't always use that much water. Also, the plunger thing is often called Fake-a-Lake. Good luck with the boat!

Link to comment

Water should come out the exhaust in a few seconds, if it doesn't you will be melting your exhaust hoses pretty quickly. Make sure your fake-a-lake is in the correct location and water is on full.

Link to comment

Thanks for all the great advice guys. I decide to hit the lake and watch the temp gauge closely She started right up and ran great all day. The lake I went to was small and all the guys with the new boats were checking out the clean old lady. I have never owned a malibu before but i'm very impressed with the performance and workmanship of this boat. I think I made a good purchase. I will post some pics soon to add to the gallery. Thanks again for the help.

P.S. I've been working on cars my whole life and I'm familiar with engines and troubleshooting electrical and mechanical problems so let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...