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!

1999 sunsetter lx wont start after running out of gas


Recommended Posts

Hello, I recently ran out of gas (and had to pull the boat halfway across the lake at night) this morning when I put new gas in it it wouldnt start. I see things on her about air in the system - but don’t know how I would get it out, and fuel filters cleaning. Any ideas on why the engine wont start but gets 99% of the way there?
 

I’ve  used this forum a lot when it comes to maintenance on my boat. It’s a great asset to have. 
 

I hear the fuel pump kick in when I turn the ignition .

Link to comment

The safety valve is a good one. I have checked that. 
 

I found the main filter on the top of the tank and cleaned it with some carborator cleaner, still nothing. 
 

im not sure what the valve you are referring to is, however I have seen some stuff about it. I’ll try to find out more about that 

Link to comment
7 minutes ago, TomD94 said:

The safety valve is a good one. I have checked that. 
 

I found the main filter on the top of the tank and cleaned it with some carborator cleaner, still nothing. 
 

im not sure what the valve you are referring to is, however I have seen some stuff about it. I’ll try to find out more about that 

Schrader valve is on the fuel rail. Looks like an air valve stem, like on your tires. Might have a black cap on it, if never removed. Remove the carbon fiber cover to expose the throttle body, then pull off the final carbon fiber piece. You'll have a good view of the fuel rail. Just follow it till you find the valve. Maybe use a screw driver to hold it in while someone cycles the key? Be ready for gas to come out. 

Edited by BlindSquirrel
Link to comment

Found it thank you! I pressed it until I stopped hearing a hissing sound, figured that meant all the air was out. 
 

Still same issue though. Engine seems like it wants to start, but doesn’t. 

Link to comment

Sorry for the double post - I’m just curious, I released air again from this same valve. Does that mean air is getting into my system somehow? 

Link to comment
13 minutes ago, TomD94 said:

Sorry for the double post - I’m just curious, I released air again from this same valve. Does that mean air is getting into my system somehow? 

So the engine turns over, but doesn't fire? Or it stumbles, trying to start? 

Link to comment

Hello, an update. I think I had a few things going on. 
1. I turned off the fuel intake on top of the fuel tank to remove the first fuel filter. I had such a mess going that I forgot to turn it back on. This might be unique to my tank? 
2 . The bleeding the air out worked, it’s a handy trick. 
3. to actually get the boat restarted, I had to hold the key a bit to get it started, this is after priming the pump a lot. 
4. I added about 10 gallons of gas today. I still don’t know what happened to cause the stalling out In the first place, but everything works fine now. Had it up to 3200 rpm.

I’d like to figure out what happened, but now everything is good. Thanks for the help I appreciate it!

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment

Turning the fuel valve off would certainly keep the engine from running.

When I cleaned my tank and replaced my fuel lines, I just cycled the key on about fifty times to prime the system.  You should be able to hear the pump change tone when it builds pressure.

Link to comment
  • 4 weeks later...

next time, quick fix: take some gas in a cup and pour a little bit down the intake, not to much, maybe 2-3 thimbles worth, then start it. the motor should fire up quickly creating more power in the fuel system. you may need to repeat this 2-3 times. this is a quick fix to get you home.  

now for the real fix:

so there is another thread somewhere on here about fuel issues. the problem was where the fuel line gets to the engine there is a screen there. you will need to take off the line with a wrench and use a mirror to look up into the tube, you should see the screen. there seems to be a problem with the ones around the 99 year range. my was clogged. shot carb cleaner up there and blew it out the an air hose. i also replaced the stock inline filter located at the top of the tank just after the valve with a nice glass one. worked great for about 5 years. see the commits from another post. below. 

i have a 99 Sunsetter. there is a fuel filter located just after the fuel shut off valve located on top of the tank. was your standard crappy stock metal one, i replaced it with a glass one from auto zone made for boats. i had fuel issues at the time. i had to clean out the line intake at the engine. there are other post that address this issue. so i decided to replace the filter with a nicer one. worked great for 4 years then starting having fuel issues again. but this time i was able to see that the fuel filter was clogged solid with rust. took it off, cleaned it, put it back on, ran great for a month then the same issue. so here it is at the end of the season and decided to investigate, pulled the fuel sending unit out and it was rusted all up. should note that the fuel gage stopped working about 2 years ago. i looked into to the tank and saw all kinds of crap in there. so i decided to pull the tank. surprisingly easy. now im looking for a new sending unit to install. really dont want some cheap China crap from amazon. so here i am.

moral of the story. replace the cheap small metal filter with a nice glass one and when the gas gage stops working, replace the sending unit before it craps out your tank with rust

just my $.02   

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...