81 Sea Ray 225 running problems.

[xboxkywst]

I have a 81 Sea Ray 225 with an 83 5.7 mercruiser 260 and it will start fine and run for about 15mins then start running bad and die. The strange thing is when I go to start it back its like the battery has little juice to turn over motor. Is that a sign of a bad gimble bearing or a fuel problem. I've removed gas cap to eliminate vacuum on the take and it still does it. When i let the boat sit for awhile it will start fine and run for awhile again. Please if anyone has an input please do so.

 

[Rick K]

You've got an issue that can be caused by a miriad of things. Has the boat sat for a long time? If it's stalling at idle, I would check the easy things first, i.e., fuel filter/water seperator, fuel filter inside your carb, etc. If all is well there, then check the next obvious issues - cap/rotor/wires/plugs/etc. If that's good, and you're still having those issues, then check the more difficult items - pick up screen in the fuel tank, kinked fuel line that might be hidden somewhere. Then, move onto checking the carb, might need a rebuild, etc. Someone else might jump in on the low battery on restart issue. I've never had that issue, BUT, it may be that the battery is discharging to the point where not even the alternator can deliver the necessary voltage to the ignition system to keep it running. Point is, make sure the obvious is up to snuff, i.e., ignition and charging systems, fuel filters, etc., before tearing into something that might only be a remote cause of the problem.

 

[geo737]

a weak starter motor may give the impression of a weak/low battery - the first start of the day may seem fine, but as the engine runs and the compt gets hot, the starter may be absorbing the heat and possibly causing an issue. Seen that happen on cars with headers- the start is great when cold, but after running, the starter absorbs the header heat and cranks slow or not at all until it cools off. Some other ideas would be to check the battery cables for condition/security and the starter solenoid.

 

[mperlst216]

Check for cracked coil.