1991 Sea Ray 170 Won't Restart after Short Run

[stealth94rt]

I am the 2nd owner of the above boat - bought it used about 4 years ago from a dealer in Cinci OH. This is the first boat I've owned.

I have had a nagging problem every season. The boat starts fine after being put into the water at the dock. However, after a brief 5-10 minute run across the lake, it runs rough when brought back to idle for the no-wake zone, and then refuses to restart after turning off. Our outing always ends with having to be towed in by a another kind boater.

It has been to 4 different repair shops for various carburator "adjustments". Each repair costs us $250-$350. Each time it works well for a few trips (the rest of the season), and then the problem starts all over again the next season. The boat gets winterized at the end of every season.

We had the same problem yesterday. I'm about at the point that I wanted to put a hole in the hull and give it a burial at the bottom of the lake.

Any advise on what I could do to fix this problem would be appreciated. I used to really enjoy boating, but this problem turns every trip to the lake into a "stressful" experience, and the fun has just about gone.

 

[earlandamys180]

Dont know what engine you have but I had a 87 Seville with a 3.0 litre 4 cylinder in it and I had a similar problem I even bought a new carb for mine and the same result, mine ended up being the points, they would close up after it got warm and she would not restart, I switched it over to an electronic ignition with a conversion kit and never had the problem again. Dont know if this is your problem but is something you might want to look at.

 

[stealth94rt]

I have basically the same engine that's in your current boat - 3.0L Mercruiser 4-cyl w/ Alpha One drive.

Please tell me where I can purchase a conversion kit and how much it costs. Thank you.

 

[earlandamys180]

I got mine at www.amarket.com and it was $69.95 plus shipping. Hope this helps.

 

[wish2fish]

Another Cincy area guy.

I put one of the electronic conversion in my old 160 and it was great. much cheaper than the one from overton's. Direct link to conversion kit.

What did they do to the carb when they worked on it? I've got to wonder if it is something else since it occurs after warmed up.

Please put your boat motor and drive info in you signature line. It will definatley help you get answers.

 

[Knotty Buoy]

There was an issue with the air gap in the distributer cap in some of the 3.0L engines. I chased exactly same problem for three years and then discovered that Mercury had an updated version of the dissy cap that resolved the problem. Cheep fix......kind of ties in with the electronic ignition solution although I tried that first and it certainly helped but didn't completely sort it (Sparkrite ignition)...only happens if you've been pushing on with the boat....will run all day at idle/slow speeds?