Boat is still give me starting problems

[durrettsyndrome]

ok so I just pulled the boat (98 sporster lx w/ vortec 350) out and am trying to get it started for the season. The only thing I did was change the Impeller, new battery, and put a fresh tank of gas in it.

Ok so i pull off the air intake and expose the carb and spary carb cleaner all inside the carb/motor. I pump the motor probally 6-7 times with the hand throttle. I go to start it and it wants to go and sometimes is will turn over. When it turns over, I give it gas slightly and it will rev up and sound good and then cut off without me letting it off. Please help I cant figure this out.

[chadwick02]

Sounds like a fuel problem to me. Maybe it is running off the carb cleaner\ starter fluid for a few seconds, and then dies when it burns off?

Try this: With the boat OFF, have a buddy pump the throttle as you look down the barrel of the carb. Can you see fuel squirting into the carb when the throttle is pumped? (not sure how that works on a Bu carb, I know on one of my old I/Os I could see the fuel jetting right into the top of the carb when the throttle was pumped).

- If you cannot see any fluid going into the carb (or smell it), then sounds like you have a fuel line\pump\filter problem that is restricting the flow from the tank.

- If you can see fuel squirting, then my guess would be that you have bad gas or water in the gas. How old is the fuel in the tank? Did you use any stabilizer when it was winterized? The problem could also be electrical, but if it runs fine for a few seconds, then it is getting spark (at least innitially).

You could also try to continuously spray starter fluid or gas into the intake for a short time once it’s started. If it runs fine while you are manually injecting fuel into the carb, and dies once you stop, then that confirms that the problem is with the fuel system on the boat.

You are going to need a buddy to help you with this. Don’t try to do it by your self. Hope this helps,

Chad

EDIT: Just noticed you said you put a fresh (full??) tank of gas in. If that is the case then having bad\stale gas is unlikely.

Also – you said sometimes it will turn over. By this do you mean that sometimes the engine does not even turn over when you hit the key (weak battery?) or it turns over fine all the time, but sometimes it will not fire up.

Edited April 4, 2007 by chadwick02

[VinRLX]

At this point is sounds like fuel delivery problem:

Fuel filters

Fuel pump

Accelerator pump(?)

Also, in various parts of the country, depending on the fuel mix, there are boaters having mucho problemo with sludge in the old fuel.

Here is a link to DS's previous thread, if it provides more info for you mechanical jig saw puzzlers: link

[BlastRlxi]

Is the fuel shut off valve fully or partially closed? This may have been done during winterization.

[VinRLX]

Good call.

[durrettsyndrome]

no i never shut it when i winterized it

[NorCaliBu]

Did you leave unstabilized fuel in the fuel lines?

[Sixball]

If this is a carb boat pull the flot bowl plugs on the side of the flot bowl fuel should just trickel out. if no fuel check the needle may be stuck on the seat. This will also let you know if the carb is getting fuel.

[pup]

Check if the electric fuel pump is turning on. the pump gets 12v from the starter during cranking. When the engine is running the pump gets key power through a normally open oil pressure switch. The switch is located just below the distributor. No oil pressure or a faulty switch & the pump will not turn on .