Another Classic Sea Ray almost ready to float again

Well, finally put her in the water today. She did pretty well considering how long it had been sitting and having really only been run at idle. I managed a boat guage indicated 40 MPH @ 3800 rpm. I believe its off a little in speed and top end RPM. The engine is a bit slow to accelerate when you give full throttle initially and has a high speed stumble that is noticeable, but it still runs pretty strong. Even though there is some more fine tuning to do, it was a good time. My wife was really enjoying the run around the lake. I went with a friend that i work with- he was the " safety margin" in his boat in the event anything went wrong to where I couldn't get back to the dock. It was a good shake down cruise.
 
Hi everyone. Took another cruise this past Sunday and ran into a bit of of a snag that had me towed back to the dock. Was out with my buddy and his boat, as he was showing me around the area. everything was going pretty good until I hit some wake from another boat. The engine was running better, still has a high rpm stumble-(just like its not running clean), until after going thru the wake. The engine just up and quit-so I restarted, went to accelerate and the engine would go from idle to just about full throttle and it would quit again. It did this 3 or 4 times- start, run at idle and as soon as I pushed the throttle up, it would quit again. There was plenty of fuel in the tank, but it still was acting like it was starving. I'm going to check the lines from the tank to the pump and pump to carb. From previous experience by folks here, what in particular should I look for? Another issue i have found is there seems to be water accumulating in the bilge. Is possible for water to enter thru the transom if any of the bellows are leaking? A possible dumb question, but I am wondering if water entry is happening when I slow down and there is the rush of water hitting the transom. I don't seem to have a noticeable accumulation when it is only floating. Good thing for bilge pumps..Thanks for any suggestions
 
geo737 said:
Hi everyone. Took another cruise this past Sunday and ran into a bit of of a snag that had me towed back to the dock. Was out with my buddy and his boat, as he was showing me around the area. everything was going pretty good until I hit some wake from another boat. The engine was running better, still has a high rpm stumble-(just like its not running clean), until after going thru the wake. The engine just up and quit-so I restarted, went to accelerate and the engine would go from idle to just about full throttle and it would quit again. It did this 3 or 4 times- start, run at idle and as soon as I pushed the throttle up, it would quit again. There was plenty of fuel in the tank, but it still was acting like it was starving. I'm going to check the lines from the tank to the pump and pump to carb. From previous experience by folks here, what in particular should I look for? Another issue i have found is there seems to be water accumulating in the bilge. Is possible for water to enter thru the transom if any of the bellows are leaking? A possible dumb question, but I am wondering if water entry is happening when I slow down and there is the rush of water hitting the transom. I don't seem to have a noticeable accumulation when it is only floating. Good thing for bilge pumps..Thanks for any suggestions
Click to expand...

I had the same issue a couple of years ago on my Thompson. It turned out the wiring harness on the front of the engine was loose. After I had work done on the engines and drives in the off season, the zap strap wasn't replaced. Once re-seated, no problem. My symptom was it would quit at 1200 rpm when the throttles were opened.

My other issue was a bad steering pin on the starboard side. Water leaked into the bilge, especially after a trip out of the slip. Bellows do leak, so check that, especially of its old.

Hope that helps.

Mark
 
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Not sure about engine dieing, but check secondary butterflys on carb they are spring loaded closed make sure they open but spring closed. might help with high speed stumble.
Google rochester quadrajet, alot of good info.
 
geo737 said:
Another issue i have found is there seems to be water accumulating in the bilge. Is possible for water to enter thru the transom if any of the bellows are leaking?
Click to expand...

The shift cable bellows is the real culprit in any water accumulating in the bilge while floating. I would verify that there are no cracks in any of the folds and the clamps are on both ends.

Tom
 
Thanks for the ideas of what to look for and what to check. I was able to get some time this week to do some checking. the engine wire harness is snug, the carb secondaries spring closed when opened and released. I pulled the fuel line from the the tank pick-up to the inline filter I installed. (I installed one of the glass filters where you can see the strainer). this was done until I am fairly confident the tank is clear of varnish and any small particles. The glass portion had some dried varnish, so I cleaned the glass bowl and replaced the strainer. I replaced the fuel/water filter and pulled the line from the filter to the carb. The line was clear. The strainer in the carb was a little dirty, but didn't seem to be enough to prevent fuel flow. As I removed the lines from the pump, the pump looked pretty ragged. I decided to replace the pump, as the boat and engine had been sitting for more that a few years prior to my purchasing it. i also pulled the breaker plate on the distributor and checked the advance plate weights and springs. While they were somewhat rusty, they still seemed to move ok, so I sprayed them with WD40 to help keep them free. I am going out tomorrow morning to see if what I had done makes any improvements. I will report what the results are when I get back in. Thanks again!
 
Today was run number 3 - things went well for the most part. still seem to have a upper rpm stumble-just doesn't seem to be running crisp. Had two interesting things occur on this run- the first time I stopped in the water after running at 2800-3000 rpm for 15-20 mins, we stopped for a bit to talk with the other boat I was with. the engine stalled and wouldn't restart initially. After opening the engine hatch, I started cranking and saw fuel coming out of the carb at the split between the top and bottom leaking down the carb throttle arm and boiling off the manifold. The other interesting thing that happened when I went to crank the engine, the starter wouldn't engage. After a few minutes, the starter engaged, engine started and off we went. There is a 90 amp (I believe 90 amp) fuse in the starter circuit. Is this a thermal fuse? I haven't found any reference regarding this. After the engine started, the boat ran as well as before and we got back. I am leaning towards a new/rebuilt carb after seeing the fuel coming out the carb. When we got back to the dock, I checked the carb again and there was no evidence of leaks.
 
If you haven't done anything with the carb, I'd try just a rebuild kit as long as the throttle shafts aren't sloppy. If they are, find a place that will re-bush them and do the rebuild for you as well. Carbs have lots of small passages that will cause all manner of poor performance if partially or fully clogged with crud from sitting. If the carb looks un-modified, I'd lean toward having it built instead of buying a replacement. You never know what jetting is in a carb off the shelf. If yours runs pretty well already, don't give it up for an unknown.
Travis..
 
Did you ever get your boat running right? I am having an issue where it idles fine but you put it in gear and get on the throttle, it dies. I'm thinking fuel pump? Anyone else?

Nik
 
Hey guys just a thought i would throw in. I have a srv 195 with a 351w was having trouble in the top end hessitation. Ended up being the coil.
.
 
Your problem could also be because of old gas,sediments in your tank, or evan your fuel filter
 
Sounds like a fuel delivery issue. If you are still using the old fuel lines with today's fuel then the interior of the line may be eroding and causing restriction. Check your fuel filter and see if there is sign of contamination in it.
 
Hi folks, thanks for all the ideas. Sorry for the slow reply, been on vacation and just getting back into the swing of the day to day fun. My most recent activity has been around the fuel system. I have removed the inline filter (glass with strainer) and installed 3/8" fuel injection hose. The engine still has a high speed stumble-it still runs ok, but you can tell its still not running clean. I was out on Monday with the fullest load so far (5 people). the boat ran well until about 45 mins into the cruise. I was running about 25 mph @ 2600 rpm or so and the engine sputtered and quit. The interesting thing is after sitting for 5 mins or so, the engine would start, but I couldn't go over idle, so we idled back to the dock. This is the second time or so this has happened, so it is a bit curious. Talking with a fellow I work with who has more boating experience time came up with an interesting possibility. As we were talking, he suggested the possibility of clogging/clogged manifolds. The engine temp stays steady, doesn't overheat. Could the manifolds if clogged enough, allow the engine to run up to a point where there is a possibility of the engine getting hot enough in the compartment to cause a fuel vapor situation? As I think it over, the engine may cool just enough to allow idle, but not enough to allow anything above idle. Could this be a possible source? I have replaced the coil, the cap, rotor, plugs, wires, fuel pump and the fuel/water filter twice. I am looking at pulling the tank again for another flush now that I have run some good fuel treated with sea foam thru it. has anyone experienced vapor lock and had similar symptoms? I have kicked around the idea of a carb replacement, but the local marine supply can send out the carb and have it rebuilt and it will set me back around $350 and a few day turnaround. Could this be another possibility- the distributor has a electronic conversion- I replaced the coil with a non-marine coil that is 12 volt negative ground. Is there a requirement for the OHM's to match the conversion? Thanks for all the suggestions.
 
Check the cap for moisture. My boat did the same EXACT same thing, you described it to a T. I was working on it in a very light rain one day, and that's all it took to get the cap wet. The systems were identical. When the engine warmed up the moisture would move from down deep in the distributor to the cap. My cap and rotor were new as well. Cleaned it out with some spray and a paper towel and have not had a problem ever scene. Go for the easy fix first. Good luck.
 
Geo,

Sorry if you have already checked this but what about the fuel vent line?

Using fuel out of the tank until there is to much vacuum created then you can no longer draw fuel from the tank? Pulling straws but it came to mind...
 
Hi guys- thanks for the suggestions. I'll take a look at the cap and the vent line this week. A question with the vent line- if when I fuel and fuel spills out the vent, would this be a good indication of a clear vent? I am curious as to whether it could open with the fluid pressure during fueling and collapse when drawing air? What would be a good way to test the vent? How would a weak anti siphon valve act? Could it be a potential for what I'm experiencing? It will be interesting to see what the final solution is-I will definitely share with everyone what I find, so hopefully I will be able to help another member when the time comes.
 
Ihad same issue idle all day give gas dies my problem ended up being water in tank from evil ethnal.I also switched out points for pentronix when i first got boat made a huge differnce in thottle response
I was also told that the fuel starts breaking down after 1 month.It does seem odd that similar postings with this issue are fords witch make me wonder if we are missing somthing my boat runs better after removing water but its still not what it was last year
 
Hi everyone. Well, an update to the ongoing saga with my running issue. I'm happy to pass on that some things have improved. As I checked the suggestions I was given, I did find a bit of moisture in the distributor cap. I removed the moisture and sprayed some contact cleaner in the distributor as well. I replaced the anti-siphon valve. One thing I overlooked on the carb, as you're looking at the front of the carb, to the left of the fuel inlet, there was a threaded hole for I am guessing a vacuum port. After looking at pictures of quadrajets, I noticed they had a tube for a vacuum hookup, on the front of the carb in the same spot where there wasn't tube on my carb. I plugged the hole and my high speed stumble is gone. Apparently, I had one nice vacuum leak. I haven't gotten around the 45 min to 1 hr of running yet. The boat was doing well when it starting falling off at full throttle. Speed was dropping and the engine was laboring, so we headed back to the dock. By the time we got to the dock, the engine quit and wouldn't restart. When I popped the engine hatch, fuel was running out of the primary throttle shaft on both sides, boiling off on the manifold. Still has me puzzled. As before, engine temp was normal, no indication of overheating. I found a gas station close that has fuel without ethanol. I'm going to try a tank full the next time we go out to see if it has any effect or if symptoms change. I'll let everyone know the results. Thanks again for all the suggestions.
 
Your fuel float in the carb might be stuck in the down position, allowing fuel to flow into the carb without stopping, causing a rich condition and ultimately stalling. Otherwise, maybe bad gaskets in the carb. Either way, a rebuild is in order. I don't think ethanol free fuel will make a difference. It should run fine with either fuel type.
 
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