Engine won't start

Yeah, my 1st guess was fuel. However, IF done correctly it should have hit on the starting fluid. I once had a genny that would not start. If I sat next to it and continued to spray starting fluid into the carb it ran. Replaced the fuel pump, wa la, ran flawlessly. Shop told me I needed a new genny...

I would be looking for spark at this point. Distributor cap, rotor maybe. You can pull a plug and bump the engine a few times as well and look for spark. If you have a fuel/water separator remove it and check for water too, and just replace it while it's off.
 
Engine started but will low RPM then stalled. What should I look for‽
 
Scoflaw, could the carb need a good cleaning / rebuild?

Im also thinking spark or crappy fuel and filters. He had said it was low on fuel by the gauge. Gauges lie!

Pull a plug ground it and look at the spark. How does it look?
 
I pulled a plug, didn't see any sparks but felt electrical current in my hand
 
Roger K Sterling said:
Engine started but will low RPM then stalled. What should I look for‽
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Based on this statement the issue is a fuel issue and not a spark issue.

You are going to have to troubleshoot the fuel system to find the fault.
If its carbureted is fuel getting to the carb? If injected is there appropriate pressure at the injectors?
If there isn't fuel getting there or with insufficient pressure odds are the fuel pump went.
If its carbureted and you can smell fuel in the exhaust odds are there is gunk in the carb keeping the float valve from closing and the engine is instead flooding. You will have to get the carb cleaned and rebuilt if this is the case.
If the pump is for sure good and its still not delivering fuel you will have to check all the lines and fuel pickups in the tank.
 
Hoplite808 said:
Based on this statement the issue is a fuel issue and not a spark issue.

You are going to have to troubleshoot the fuel system to find the fault.
If its carbureted is fuel getting to the carb? If injected is there appropriate pressure at the injectors?
If there isn't fuel getting there or with insufficient pressure odds are the fuel pump went.
If its carbureted and you can smell fuel in the exhaust odds are there is gunk in the carb keeping the float valve from closing and the engine is instead flooding. You will have to get the carb cleaned and rebuilt if this is the case.
If the pump is for sure good and its still not delivering fuel you will have to check all the lines and fuel pickups in the tank.
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Is there an additive to put in fuel or something the un-gunks the carb. before we go with rebuilt or new Carb.
 
Roger K Sterling said:
Is there an additive to put in fuel or something the un-gunks the carb. before we go with rebuilt or new Carb.
Click to expand...

Sorry no fix in a can for something like this.

Cleaning and rebuilding the carb is not too difficult of a job. You just have to be absolutely careful not to damage or loose any parts while working on it. Real easy to over-tighten a screw and strip the threads.

I prefer to put an old towel, sheet, or T-shirt down on my workbench to lay all the parts on while I work on one. It keeps things from rolling away or bouncing off the table.

A good spray can of carb cleaner and some compressed air along with a razor blade and brass brush to clean old gaskets are sufficient to clean a carb with.

Most rebuild kits come with an exploded parts diagram so you should be able to see how to take it apart and put it together again.

If you don’t trust yourself with this just take it off and get the rebuild kit and any mechanic near you should be able to do it for you for a minimal fee.

When you put it back on you’ll have to readjust the choke and the mixture screw. Usually a good start for the mixture screw is 1 and 1/2 turns from closed.
 
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Hoplite808 said:
Sorry no fix in a can for something like this.

Cleaning and rebuilding the carb is not too difficult of a job. You just have to be absolutely careful not to damage or loose any parts while working on it. Real easy to over-tighten a screw and strip the threads.

I prefer to put an old towel, sheet, or T-shirt down on my workbench to lay all the parts on while I work on one. It keeps things from rolling away or bouncing off the table.

A good spray can of carb cleaner and some compressed air along with a razor blade and brass brush to clean old gaskets are sufficient to clean a carb with.

Most rebuild kits come with an exploded parts diagram so you should be able to see how to take it apart and put it together again.

If you don’t trust yourself with this just take it off and get the rebuild kit and any mechanic near you should be able to do it for you for a minimal fee.

When you put it back on you’ll have to readjust the choke and the mixture screw. Usually a good start for the mixture screw is 1 and 1/2 turns from closed.
Click to expand...
 
We got engine to run and sound great after it warmed up. But then it overheated. The garden hose was connected the whole time. However the stern drive was lowered down about 90% not 100%, if it makes a difference. We shut it down and check the hoses on the engine and they were only warm. What is our next step, water pump, impeller, etc.
 
Hoplite808 said:
Sorry no fix in a can for something like this.

Cleaning and rebuilding the carb is not too difficult of a job. You just have to be absolutely careful not to damage or loose any parts while working on it. Real easy to over-tighten a screw and strip the threads.

I prefer to put an old towel, sheet, or T-shirt down on my workbench to lay all the parts on while I work on one. It keeps things from rolling away or bouncing off the table.

A good spray can of carb cleaner and some compressed air along with a razor blade and brass brush to clean old gaskets are sufficient to clean a carb with.

Most rebuild kits come with an exploded parts diagram so you should be able to see how to take it apart and put it together again.

If you don’t trust yourself with this just take it off and get the rebuild kit and any mechanic near you should be able to do it for you for a minimal fee.

When you put it back on you’ll have to readjust the choke and the mixture screw. Usually a good start for the mixture screw is 1 and 1/2 turns from closed.
Click to expand...

We got engine to run and sound great after it warmed up. But then it overheated. The garden hose was connected the whole time. However the stern drive was lowered down about 90% not 100%, if it makes a difference. We shut it down and check the hoses on the engine and they were only warm. What is our next step, water pump, impeller, etc.
 
Roger K Sterling said:
We got engine to run and sound great after it warmed up. But then it overheated. The garden hose was connected the whole time. However the stern drive was lowered down about 90% not 100%, if it makes a difference. We shut it down and check the hoses on the engine and they were only warm. What is our next step, water pump, impeller, etc.
Click to expand...

Glad you got whatever the fuel issue was fixed. My last 5.0 would start to overheat slightly when idling on the garden hose for too long. Engine wasn't spinning fast enough for the circulation pump to circulate efficiently. Try bumping the throttle up to about 1200 RPM's and see if it runs at normal temp.
 
Should I see the antifreeze used to winterize the boat flush out? And should the sterndrive be completely down. I'm asking because I can tell if water is being drafted up into the engine.
 
Roger K Sterling said:
Should I see the antifreeze used to winterize the boat flush out? And should the sterndrive be completely down. I'm asking because I can tell if water is being drafted up into the engine.
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When running on the hose you should see water coming out with the exhaust. The antifreeze would have been minimal and should have flushed almost instantly as they would have mostly drained the engine after the winterizing treatment.
 
What did you do to get it running?

"90%" down is fine.

Yes, you should have seen the antifreeze come out first. While not uncommon to drain an engine after filling with antifreeze, it's much more common to leave it in. Plus, it's good for the engine to leave it in.

Have you run a similar engine on that hose before successfully? If not, it could be a lack of flow causing the issue.

Otherwise, the next most likely culprit is the impeller. When was it last changed?

There could be an old piece of an impeller in the t-stat housing, causing flow disruptions.
 
Thanks for all the assistance. The engine is running and looks like we have to replace the impeller as the engine is over heating and there is no apparent water flow. Will keep you all posted.
 
Roger K Sterling said:
Thanks for all the assistance. The engine is running and looks like we have to replace the impeller as the engine is over heating and there is no apparent water flow. Will keep you all posted.
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@Roger K Sterling
I think everyone wants to know what you did to get it started? That’s what helps the person a couple years from now that stumbles across this thread trying to fix their boat….
 
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