Post/Pre ride maintenance

[Sean195]

I am excited to be a new (used) Sea Ray Owner! So far, this site has helped me a lot to resolve some issues i have had with my new boat. I have some experience with jet skis, but have never owned a boat before. I have the 4.3l engine (1995 195 Sport).

Is there any links to pre/post operation maintenance? What should i be inspecting throughout the season and before/after rides to make sure i do not have a failure?

 

[Soulshine]

Everything. No sarcasm intended, but keep an eye or ear on everything.

 

[sbw1]

If you have not done so already, you can save yourself a lot of grief by changing out all the belts, hoses, plugs and wearable ignition items, and battery. I would probably do the bellows as well. Make sure the stern drive lube and motor oil are fresh, and the engine can achieve its WOT spec. Do a great job of cleaning the bilge while performing your PM work and the problem areas will become apparent as you use the boat. Older stern drives experience issues with U-joints, trim motors and gimbal bearings as these are wear items. However they give you warnings that they need attention without stranding you. As you gain experience with your boat, you will know what to look for. Until you are confident in the mechanicals, to a good check of things in your driveway and run the engine before you go to the ramp. People do not appreciate waiting in line for folks who are fixing things at the launch.

 

[Sean195]

Seems like I am already having a problem. The boat idles fine, but when I give it gas, it stalls out. Also occasionally stalls after idling for a couple minutes. Carburetor issue ??

 

[sbw1]

Seems like I am already having a problem. The boat idles fine, but when I give it gas, it stalls out. Also occasionally stalls after idling for a couple minutes. Carburetor issue ??

Could be a carb issue or a fuel filter issue, or bad gas, or a fuel pump or ignition issue. You really don't know until the boat is restored mechanically, and you learn it's operating characteristics.

 

[Sean195]

So I purchased a new(refurbished) carb. I also ran the engine off a a separate gas tank to rule out something bad in the fuel tank. No change- still stalls out after a couple minutes of idling and generally when I give it throttle. Just before it stalls out, the RPMs jump up a little bit. Not sure where to turn at this point. Fuel pump was tested and seems to work fine. I was looking at the distributor and it appears that the numbers that are on the cap (1-6) do not correspond with the wires and the plugs they connect to. Could this be my problem? Continuity within the spark plugs wire seem fine.

So at this point I am thinking maybe the timing is a bit off? Also considering replacing coil next.