Got stuck in my boat yesterday

[Paul B]

Yes, its true. And I pride myself on always getting a mechanical device running no matter what is wrong.
Yesterday we took my boat to City Island. It is a small Island about a mile long and a few hundred yards wide in between the Bronx and Queens in NY.
We go there often because the place is famous for great seafood restaurants on the water that you can get to by boat.
We were supposed to pick up some friends at a marina there where they have their boat and sail around to the restaurant.
We made it there and picked them up with no problem.
We pulled away from the dock about 5' when one engine stalled.
I can run the boat on the other engine but not very fast and with no power steering. You practically have to sit on the steering wheel to steer the thing so I had to pull the boat into a slip in the marina to repair the problem.
Normally when that happens it is a simple repair like a loose cable, cracked distributer cap, short circuit etc. So after trying those things to no avail we decided to drive on the Island to the restaurant. I hate driving to restaurants by car in the summer.
Anyway after dinner we came back to the marina and now it was after 10:00 so we decided to open some champaign and hang out for a while before we went to sleep.
The boat is self contained so we slept on it. Our friends there have a larger boat in the next slip.
This morning I woke about 5 and sat out side to watch the sunrise over the sailboats. It was really awesome. Then I took a walk on the island for some coffee.
We went to breakfast in a cool place on the water then went to buy some spark plugs. I knew that would not fix it but what the heck.
Then my wife and I headed back to my marina on the one engine.
We arrived there in about an hour, tied the boat up and went home.
I went back to the boat today with a bunch of tools to fix the thing. I used to be a GM mechanic and have no problem with engines.
Until now.
The engine turns over well, has good spark, has good gas, and compression. It should run.
But it don't.
Luckily I have two engines so I can exchange parts between the engines to try to find the problem. I swapped the carburator, computer, and distributer guts. Nothing.
So now on monday I will go back with my compression tester and timing light. There is one more module I could try but it is a horror to remove and you really need to be Houdini to get to it.
The marina would charge me $275.00 an hour to work on it and thats not going to happen.
I doubt the mechanic there could find the problem anyway.
Now it is a quest and I am excited to try to find the problem.
I am going to be more excited If I fix it.
So far, there has not been an engine I couldn't fix and I hope this isn't the first one.
Engines used to be simple but now you need to be a computer whiz to work on them and common sense does not work any more. :irked:

 

[Wes]

Good luck


Sent from my iPhone using Reefs

 

[TimberTDI]

at least you get out of fall clean up for awhile :tired:

 

[johnny roastbeef]

Something similar happened to me last year. but it ended up with a couple of rebuilt carbs, and cost a bundle to fix. Have you looked at your fuel system... fuel / water separator, fuel filters, pump?

 

[albano]

I used to be a GM mechanic and have no problem with engines.
Until now.
The engine turns over well, has good spark, has good gas, and compression. It should run.
But it don't.

Are they GM engines? Maybe someone has an idea of the problem?

 

[House of Laughter]

I was going to say is it something as simple as a fuel filter? I am guessing like John RB is - check the supply line if nothing is up with the engine.

Either way, good luck.

House

 

[Paul B]

Something similar happened to me last year. but it ended up with a couple of rebuilt carbs, and cost a bundle to fix. Have you looked at your fuel system... fuel / water separator, fuel filters, pump?

I changed the carb with the other one but if it was fuel, it would kick with either. It did nothing. I am thinking (and hoping) it is the "Shift Cut out switch". I will try to locate that switch on monday and jump it out temporarilly. It is there to kill the engine for a split second so the Merc Cruiser engine can come out of gear.
I am not sure how it affects the ignition but the engine has good spark at the plugs, (which I also changed)
Anyone on here an expert of Shift Cut out switches?

 

[johnny roastbeef]

On that same thought. Have you checked the kill switches on the dash. Take the lanyard off the 'bad' engine and exercise the button a bit by putting the end on and off a few times.

If you have mercs, your engines should each have separate fuel filters, tiny little fine mesh filters right at the carbs. Check those, in addition to separate water separaters.

 

[Paul B]

It's a 27' boat there are no kill switches. I first figured fuel, but if I spray Either in the carb while it is cranking it should try to start, which it does not.
So it is not a fuel problem.
I am counting on the Shift cut out switch if I could find it.
You could also see the fuel squirting into the carb.

 

[johnny roastbeef]

Surprising, I have kill switches on my 30' cruiser. Thehulltruth.com & boatered.com are good sites with knowledgeable people, you might want to ask there.

 

[Paul B]

Thanks, maybe I will look into it

 

[KathyC]

Paul...as long as you have spark and are getting fuel and the way you described how it stopped running --he thinks it's the timing chain

He said you are looking for ALL cylinders to have 100-125psi per cylinder mimimum when you do the compression test. If less than that - then it is the chain.
He told me more about whether you can tell if the valves may have bent but I'll get that answer again after you try the compression test.

(there was some communication with Paul that prefaced this post)

 

[Paul B]

Thanks Kathy, the timing chain was my first suspect after I checked all the common things. I did not have a compression test with me that day. I was going there today to do the test but it is raining too hard so it will have to be another day.
The only reason I am thinking it may not be the chain is that usually when it skips a link, you get backfiring or other noises, I get none of that.
The chain could have broken but I doubt it on such a new engine. The compression will let me know either way.
I would not mind if it was the chain as that is not the end of the world to replace, just a pain in the neck.
As a GM mechanic I have changed quite a few of them but that was many years ago. I don't really relish the Idea of cramming myself into that engine compartment with two engines to replace the thing. I hope it does not come to that but I am running out of ideas.
Thanks Kathy, I will let you know how the test comes out if it stops raining.
Paul

 

[Deep Dive Coral]

Paul where is the boat located. If u need a hand im available. Im great with tools and have torn apart and rebuilt big blocks with my dad my whole life. If u need an extra set of hands thats all.

 

[Paul B]

Thanks Camanuch. I appreciate that. The boat is in Port Washington. It's not the work, it's the crouching in the bilge that is hard when you get older. I am pushing 62 now but a few years ago I could take apart that entire engine with a pliers if I had to.
I am not counting on timing chain because the engine is so new, but if it is not that, I have run out of ideas. The compression test will tell me for shre but it has to stop raining first.

 

[Deep Dive Coral]

Well im 25 so I can get into tight spots. Lol. Just let me know.

 

[Paul B]

OK will do.
Thanks

 

[Paul B]

Happy days are here again, I fixed the boat today and it was a simple thing. I was hoping that it was the shift cut out switch, but it was not.
I tested the compression and that was good so that eliminated a lot of expensive, pain in the butt problems.
I checked the timing which was perfect. I tried to start it again, and nothing.
I again pulled a spark plug to test the spark and it had a nice strong spark so it could not be the coil.
It was the coil. I still can't figure it out but I switched the coil and it started right up.
It is never the coil if you have a spark, but it was. $40.00 later and it was as good as new. I took it out and burnt up $50.00 worth of gas just to make sure.
A great end to a perfect day.

 

[emmanuel]

dont you just love when youre sure its not the coil since you got spark but it is ...
still cant explain it but it happened to me with an old harley

 

[Paul B]

I hate coils. I am not speaking to coils ever again.