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Surge Problem on my LSV (New owner)


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Hey guys, i know there are probably posts here about this, but I am at work with no time to dig. The boat is here with me so I can work on it. Hope to get some responses so I can check with cell phone and work on it at lunch.

Background:

I found a 2005 Malibu 23' LSV with 37, yes 37, hours on it. It belonged to a fedex pilot or something, and he never got a chance to use it. It has sat on a boat lift for a while. He lost his lift and stall, so to make a long story short, I stole it! I went to tes tdrive it, and it was like driving a boat off the showroom. The engine looks like it just came out of the crate. On the test drive, I ran it for a while, and it ran like a top, low speeds, full speeds etc. I get it home, and I went out on it once and it ran great. I put it up, and yesterday we went surfing. I never ran it top end at all. Then on the way home I opened it up. It started sputtering, and lagging real bad until i backed off the throttle and it would catch and run fine under 3k or so. But anytime I tried to push it, it would cut out, lose power etc, but would never die. I dont hear the fuel pump making any noises or anything, and I find it hard to believe that with 37 hours, even with the lack of use, it could be bad.

Question:

Could this be a fuel filter problem? It had the original half tank of gas in it that it had when i picked it up. The boat was freshly de-winterized when i got it. Also, how is the fuel filter set up? Is it like a normal I/O boat with a in-line filter and a spin on?

Any help would be great.... I really hope it is not a major problem, it feels like something simple. And the fact that it was running great for about .7 hours after I bought it makes me feel like I will be ok.

Where should I start/go from here?

Thanks in advance guys!

(Even with the problem, this Bu is a far superior driving and wake making machine over my old X-1 and Centurion!)

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Surfing huh? Any chance the fuel vent was under water?

Fuel filter is located under the rear center seat, its an inline filter you can buy at NAPA, no spin on filter - and don't think about adding one with your EFI system etiher.

-Chris

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Surfing huh? Any chance the fuel vent was under water?

Fuel filter is located under the rear center seat, its an inline filter you can buy at NAPA, no spin on filter - and don't think about adding one with your EFI system etiher.

-Chris

Honestly I dont know much about fuel vents etc.... We were surfing port side. And the boat has NO ballast system yet.(ordered a complete one from Paul over at Bakesonline though). We had 3 200lb guys, and one 750 pound sac in the rear locker. I really hope that was not the problem, cause I am putting 1100's in the rear, so it will sink it even further....

I guess I should replace that in-line filter and go from there. Ill look for that vent too. If the vent is getting underwater, what does this cause, and how do i fix that? I want to be able to surf both sides for sure.

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Honestly I dont know much about fuel vents etc.... We were surfing port side. And the boat has NO ballast system yet.(ordered a complete one from Paul over at Bakesonline though). We had 3 200lb guys, and one 750 pound sac in the rear locker. I really hope that was not the problem, cause I am putting 1100's in the rear, so it will sink it even further....

I guess I should replace that in-line filter and go from there. Ill look for that vent too. If the vent is getting underwater, what does this cause, and how do i fix that? I want to be able to surf both sides for sure.

I don't remember where the vent is on your particular boat, if it is getting underwater you can pull water into the fuel system causing the problems you have now.

I'd change out the filters and drain off the old gas and get some fresh stuff (put premium in first trip) in there.

-Chris

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I actually ran it down to a 1/4 tank before the problem started. I then went and put some fuel system/inject cleaner in it, and topped it off with some 93 octane. Gas on this lake is $4 a gallon, so draining it after that makes my stomach kinda hurt lol

Im really convinced that it is a minor problem because of how great it runs until you try to peg it. I think im going to replace that in line filter, and run it for a bit and see what happens. I have a guy that is coming tomorrow to test the fuel pressure, that should tell me if the pump is bad right? Or would that also pick up any kind of blockage?

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From what I'm getting in your story, the boat is a 2005 with 37 hours and 1/2 tank of fuel. IF that 1/2 tank of fuel has been in there since 2005, I'm surprised it runs at all. Condensation (water) in the gas/old gas I bet is your problem, probably leading to fouled plugs and water in the tank.

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I actually ran it down to a 1/4 tank before the problem started. I then went and put some fuel system/inject cleaner in it, and topped it off with some 93 octane. Gas on this lake is $4 a gallon, so draining it after that makes my stomach kinda hurt lol

Im really convinced that it is a minor problem because of how great it runs until you try to peg it. I think im going to replace that in line filter, and run it for a bit and see what happens. I have a guy that is coming tomorrow to test the fuel pressure, that should tell me if the pump is bad right? Or would that also pick up any kind of blockage?

Regardless of the hours on the boat the symptoms sure sound like a fuel filter issue. Should be easy for you to change and source at a local NAPA. I would start there.

Oh and it may not have been plugged before, but some sediment may have been kicked up since the boat is actually being used now. Just a thought.

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Thanks for all the help. I think im on the right track now. The guy thats coming tomorrow is going to pump some gass out of the tank too and look at it. But I ran it down to a 1/4 and then topped it off with new gas, so I probably improved it a lot. I imagine it might still show us any trash etc. Thanks a lot for the info, ill post when we figure it out and let u know.

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In case you didn't know........your boat has a rev limiter. If you try to run full throttle the rev limiter will kick in and the engine will sputter and run like poo until you back off the throttle. This happens well above 3000 RPM.

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I took the in-line filter off and drained it. I then hooked it up to the high pressure air and blew it out. It looked like a clump of jelly about the size of a nickel oozed out of it when i blew it out. I put it back on, and the boat runs like a champ. Im thinking some of the gas over the winter kinda went jelly on me. I appreciate all the help guys!

Until next time :)

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I actually ran it down to a 1/4 tank before the problem started. I then went and put some fuel system/inject cleaner in it, and topped it off with some 93 octane. Gas on this lake is $4 a gallon, so draining it after that makes my stomach kinda hurt lol

Im really convinced that it is a minor problem because of how great it runs until you try to peg it. I think im going to replace that in line filter, and run it for a bit and see what happens. I have a guy that is coming tomorrow to test the fuel pressure, that should tell me if the pump is bad right? Or would that also pick up any kind of blockage?

That is cheap... Our gas at the service station is $4.50/gallon for regular and we haven't even hit the summer season yet...which means this summer on the lake the 93 + will be $5.50 - $6.00 per gallon. A fill on my boat will $250 +

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