Help with boat problem
----------------------------------------------------------
I have a 140hp Mercruiser engine in a boat I just got ,,I was wondering if
I could get some advise???

My boat runs great for about 1 hour,
however as soon as I start allowing my
kids to ski or tube , and I go from drive to neutral , and back to drive a
few times the boat wants to die.. like it is running on 2-3 cylinders, not
all 4....

I was able to run the boat fine with , the problem seems to only happen when
I go in and out of drive several times and when the boat has ran a while

I changed the neutral safety switch on the side of the engine.. ( I was told
that was the problem) but it still does the same thing... any idea's
I do not believe this is a fuel problem

Depressed in Apex

"AllStar Entertainment" wrote in message
...
Help with boat problem
----------------------------------------------------------
I have a 140hp Mercruiser engine in a boat I just got ,,I was wondering if
I could get some advise???

My boat runs great for about 1 hour,
however as soon as I start allowing my
kids to ski or tube , and I go from drive to neutral , and back to drive a
few times the boat wants to die.. like it is running on 2-3 cylinders, not
all 4....

I was able to run the boat fine with , the problem seems to only happen
when
I go in and out of drive several times and when the boat has ran a while

I changed the neutral safety switch on the side of the engine.. ( I was
told
that was the problem) but it still does the same thing... any idea's
I do not believe this is a fuel problem

Depressed in Apex

The neutral safety switch is only used to prevent starting in gear by
'locking out' the starter when the shift handle is NOT in neutral.

When was the last time this motor had a complete tune-up? Then (after that
is done), if the problem persists, go through the fuel system- start at the
fuel filter and inspect/clean/replace all lines, hoses, pump, filters, etc.
It sounds (to me) like it's fuel related, but a tune-up is always first.

Just to hazard a guess, it sounds like it could be a timing issue. Does the
engine use points or capacitor ignition? With capacitor ignition, you'll
have to swap out the capacitor to see if it fixes the problem.

Arnold


"AllStar Entertainment" wrote in message
...
Help with boat problem
----------------------------------------------------------
I have a 140hp Mercruiser engine in a boat I just got ,,I was wondering if
I could get some advise???

My boat runs great for about 1 hour,
however as soon as I start allowing my
kids to ski or tube , and I go from drive to neutral , and back to drive a
few times the boat wants to die.. like it is running on 2-3 cylinders, not
all 4....

I was able to run the boat fine with , the problem seems to only happen
when
I go in and out of drive several times and when the boat has ran a while

I changed the neutral safety switch on the side of the engine.. ( I was
told
that was the problem) but it still does the same thing... any idea's
I do not believe this is a fuel problem

Depressed in Apex

AllStar Entertainment wrote:
Help with boat problem
----------------------------------------------------------
I have a 140hp Mercruiser engine in a boat I just got ,,I was wondering if
I could get some advise???

My boat runs great for about 1 hour,
however as soon as I start allowing my
kids to ski or tube , and I go from drive to neutral , and back to drive a
few times the boat wants to die.. like it is running on 2-3 cylinders, not
all 4....

I was able to run the boat fine with , the problem seems to only happen when
I go in and out of drive several times and when the boat has ran a while

I changed the neutral safety switch on the side of the engine.. ( I was told
that was the problem) but it still does the same thing... any idea's
I do not believe this is a fuel problem

Depressed in Apex


Could be the fuel sock or screen on the end of the fuel tube in the gas
tank. If there's rust in the tank, after running the boat awhile, it
will plug up the screen. hen when you shut it off the rust falls and
settles again. As far as it dying when you put it in gear, on our 140
mercruiser it was the timing. Also run octane additive to your fuel.

Just a thought. Are you running with the fuel tank vented? I remember trying
out my first outboard motor. It ran fine for about twenty minutes then
started dying on me. I figured out later that I had forgotten to open the
fuel tank vent and so the engine was getting starved.
Happy boating
Davy M.

wrote in message
oups.com...

AllStar Entertainment wrote:
Help with boat problem
----------------------------------------------------------
I have a 140hp Mercruiser engine in a boat I just got ,,I was wondering
if
I could get some advise???

My boat runs great for about 1 hour,
however as soon as I start allowing my
kids to ski or tube , and I go from drive to neutral , and back to drive
a
few times the boat wants to die.. like it is running on 2-3 cylinders,
not
all 4....

I was able to run the boat fine with , the problem seems to only happen
when
I go in and out of drive several times and when the boat has ran a while

I changed the neutral safety switch on the side of the engine.. ( I was
told
that was the problem) but it still does the same thing... any idea's
I do not believe this is a fuel problem

Depressed in Apex


Could be the fuel sock or screen on the end of the fuel tube in the gas
tank. If there's rust in the tank, after running the boat awhile, it
will plug up the screen. hen when you shut it off the rust falls and
settles again. As far as it dying when you put it in gear, on our 140
mercruiser it was the timing. Also run octane additive to your fuel.

I have the same problem with my 1972 Evinrude. I thought I had cured it
with a new Amplifier (CD Unit) but it came back. I have replaced plugs,
wires, coil and AMP. Now I am diving into the carbs to make sure
they're clean. I have also read that some outboards with bad lower
seals can vent exhaust back into the intake (try running without the
cover to diagnose) causing this problem once the engine warms up.

It was suggested to me that I run the engine in the dark to see if the
spark is jumping where it ought not... however I don't have a test
tank, and I can just see myself in the pitch dark down at the lake
trying to work on the engine... I've been told these old prestolite
distributors/rotors are famous for leaking spark (even new ones can do
it.)

I have meticulously cleaned my distributor (in my case it's under the
flywheel) and rotor and now am going through the carburetors. I sure
hope I find what's wrong soon. My engine runs and once the boat's on
plane it runs great... but under load it really complains- feels like
two out of four cylinders are missing.



AllStar Entertainment wrote:
Help with boat problem
----------------------------------------------------------
I have a 140hp Mercruiser engine in a boat I just got ,,I was wondering if
I could get some advise???

My boat runs great for about 1 hour,
however as soon as I start allowing my
kids to ski or tube , and I go from drive to neutral , and back to drive a
few times the boat wants to die.. like it is running on 2-3 cylinders, not
all 4....

I was able to run the boat fine with , the problem seems to only happen when
I go in and out of drive several times and when the boat has ran a while

I changed the neutral safety switch on the side of the engine.. ( I was told
that was the problem) but it still does the same thing... any idea's
I do not believe this is a fuel problem

Depressed in Apex