Eric N
New Member
- May 9, 2020
- 2
- Boat Info
- 2013 Sea Ray sundeck.
- Engines
- 5.0 mercruiser w/bravo III
Hi All,
I bought a used 2013 Sea Ray 220 Sundeck last year from a dealership (they were a broker) with low hours. We used it a bunch from July through Sept and had a couple issues that I was chalking up to old fuel, but I think I was lying to myself. I have a few questions as I'm opening up my boat after winter storage that I'm hoping will address the issue I had last year.
This will be a pretty long post, but I wanted to include as much info as possible.
Disclaimer: I'm pretty new to boating and boat systems in general so I apologize if any of these questions are naive. I've been doing with I can with manuals and the internet but there is no substitute for real expertise. I'll provide as much info as I can about what I think is happening in chronological order.
On our first outing last year, the guys at the dealership were giving us some tips on docking after taking the boat out for a spin. We were practicing for about 30 mins in and out of the dock (slow speed maneuvering) and the boat turned off as though there was no fuel. There was plenty of fuel. The service team took a look at it the next day and said everything seemed OK and it ran fine. We took it out a bunch over the next few weeks and all was well.
About a month later we took it out and went up a small creek for a pretty good distance at slow speed. We were operating like that for maybe 20-30 mins and the boat shut off again. I removed the flame arrestor and purged the fuel line from the schrader valve on top of the engine. I wanted to see if there was fuel pressure. A bunch of bubbles came out but after cycling the pump a few times, no more bubbles, boat started right up, and all was well. I took it back out to the channel and got up on plane and it was great.
Took it back out a handful of times through the end of the season and it was fine.
At the end of the season we had the dealership winterize and shrink wrap it.
Fast forward to this year.
Last week I opened it up rather than taking it to the dealership. I thought I’d save bunch of money and do it myself (plus travel restrictions….).
There were a few drops of antifreeze in the bilge (the pink stuff) and I tracked it to a leak on the bottom of the water distribution housing where the blue plug screws in. I have a new one coming in and I’m going to replace it. No biggie.
Next I unscrewed the plug in the cool fuel module just to look, and a clear liquid with little black flecks dribbled out, not pink anti-freeze. As far as I understand the boat is raw water cooled.
So the questions.
1. When I replace the distribution housing, is it OK to let the whole system drain and then just start the boat up in the water when I use it? I don’t need to do any priming of the cooling system do I? I’m used to cars where you need to burp the cooling system…
2. Can I disconnect the Cool fuel module and flush it with fresh water through the blue drain plug and hoses? I was thinking if water isn't flowing well, the fuel could be getting hot at idle and causing my bubbling issues.
Any input from more experienced boaters is much appreciated!
Thanks,
Eric
I bought a used 2013 Sea Ray 220 Sundeck last year from a dealership (they were a broker) with low hours. We used it a bunch from July through Sept and had a couple issues that I was chalking up to old fuel, but I think I was lying to myself. I have a few questions as I'm opening up my boat after winter storage that I'm hoping will address the issue I had last year.
This will be a pretty long post, but I wanted to include as much info as possible.
Disclaimer: I'm pretty new to boating and boat systems in general so I apologize if any of these questions are naive. I've been doing with I can with manuals and the internet but there is no substitute for real expertise. I'll provide as much info as I can about what I think is happening in chronological order.
On our first outing last year, the guys at the dealership were giving us some tips on docking after taking the boat out for a spin. We were practicing for about 30 mins in and out of the dock (slow speed maneuvering) and the boat turned off as though there was no fuel. There was plenty of fuel. The service team took a look at it the next day and said everything seemed OK and it ran fine. We took it out a bunch over the next few weeks and all was well.
About a month later we took it out and went up a small creek for a pretty good distance at slow speed. We were operating like that for maybe 20-30 mins and the boat shut off again. I removed the flame arrestor and purged the fuel line from the schrader valve on top of the engine. I wanted to see if there was fuel pressure. A bunch of bubbles came out but after cycling the pump a few times, no more bubbles, boat started right up, and all was well. I took it back out to the channel and got up on plane and it was great.
Took it back out a handful of times through the end of the season and it was fine.
At the end of the season we had the dealership winterize and shrink wrap it.
Fast forward to this year.
Last week I opened it up rather than taking it to the dealership. I thought I’d save bunch of money and do it myself (plus travel restrictions….).
There were a few drops of antifreeze in the bilge (the pink stuff) and I tracked it to a leak on the bottom of the water distribution housing where the blue plug screws in. I have a new one coming in and I’m going to replace it. No biggie.
Next I unscrewed the plug in the cool fuel module just to look, and a clear liquid with little black flecks dribbled out, not pink anti-freeze. As far as I understand the boat is raw water cooled.
So the questions.
1. When I replace the distribution housing, is it OK to let the whole system drain and then just start the boat up in the water when I use it? I don’t need to do any priming of the cooling system do I? I’m used to cars where you need to burp the cooling system…
2. Can I disconnect the Cool fuel module and flush it with fresh water through the blue drain plug and hoses? I was thinking if water isn't flowing well, the fuel could be getting hot at idle and causing my bubbling issues.
Any input from more experienced boaters is much appreciated!
Thanks,
Eric
