|
Deep Engine Trouble (22-4)
By Steve Horsfall
|
I enjoy
reading your column and Power Boating Canada magazine.
I never expected to be writing you, but here I am with
a problem. I own a 2001 Mariah with a 350 cc Merc 2
barrel carb. The boat/engine has 76 hours of running
time and it’s in mint condition. I used the boat
only for a few hours last summer prior to my problem.
Now, the engine won't fire up and run. This happened
out of the blue. It started and ran for a few seconds
then quit. I tried re-starting numerous times but without
any luck. I removed the air filter and poured a little
gas into the carburetor and it started and then it ran
out of gas. I did this a number of times with the same
results each time.
I contacted a marine mechanic and after several attempts
of starting the engine, he said the fuel pump was the
problem. He returned the next day with a new pump and
after installing it the engine didn't start. He took
the filter out of the carburetor and it was as clean
as a whistle. The filter under the floor near the fuel
tank was also clean. Subsequently, he took something
off in the carburetor and played around and the engine
started. He took it out for a run and returned to the
dock without any problems. The next day, I tried to
start it and nothing happened. I called the mechanic
back and he did the carburetor thing again and it started.
I took the boat out for a drive, stopped at a friends
place and shut the engine off. It started when we were
leaving and then, the next day, it wouldn't start. There
is new gas in the tank (that’s probably mixed
with some gas with fuel stabilizer from the previous
year) but the water separator filter, oil and filter
are new.
What happens is the engine turns over quickly and it
sounds like it's going to fire up but doesn’t.
The last time I talked to the mechanic he said it would
probably need a carburetor kit. I would like to get
this problem resolved.
J. Bain
e-mail
Three possibilities come to mind. First, the carburetor
may be losing fuel from the float bowl when the engine
sits overnight or longer. A kit will likely solve this
problem. Secondly, there may be a problem with the anti-siphon
valve in the fuel tank pick-up. This fitting is located
at the elbow on the top of the fuel tank. It’s
designed to stop the fuel from leaking if a line develops
a leak lower than the tank. You can remove it and see
if that solves your problem.
Additionally, check to see if the vent fitting for the
fuel tank isn’t plugged and/or the hose is connected
properly between the vent fittings. Also, see if the
top of the fuel tank doesn’t have any kinks or
blockages. I have seen these plugged with spider nests
and mud wasps from time to time.
Always Keep Cool
I recently purchased a 22-foot bowrider with
a 320 hp Volvo Penta I/O. The first time I ran it on
the water, I followed the break-in procedure indicated
by the manual. After bringing the boat on plane (at
3200 rpm) the engine overheated. It has been dyno tested
and all components on the raw fresh water-cooling system
have been inspected by the Volvo dealer. Unfortunately,
they are unable to find the source of the problem since
they can’t get the engine to over heat with their
testing procedures. However, the engine continues to
overheat on the water. Do you have any suggestions?
S. Hann
e-mail
The only thing I can think of is that when the mechanic
is testing your boat on the dyno, he is force-feeding
water into the water pump from a pressurized water hose
(which is how it is usually done when testing a boat
out of the water). But your overheating condition occurs
when the water pump needs to actually suck water (that
creates a vacuum in the intake side of the water pump).
I would suggest checking for air leaks in the inlet
side of the water pump and/or a less than perfect rubber
impeller in the pump itself. If the mechanic cannot
duplicate the overheating condition on the dyno, he
should take the boat to the nearest launch ramp and
run the engine in the water to duplicate your experience.
I am assuming the servicing dealer is the same dealer
you bought the boat from. If it isn’t, you may
not get all of the money back as the selling dealer
will usually absorb some of the costs, which are not
necessarily covered by Volvo’s warranty program.
Most engine manufacturers have some flexibility in the
rules of their warranty programs. Be sure to keep all
the invoices, as you should be able to get reimbursed
for this. If a faulty pump causes the problem you shouldn’t
have to pay for the time taken to diagnose the problem.
Got a question or a problem? Send your inquiries
to Steve Horsfall at stephen.horsfall@sympatico.ca Fax:
1-613-236-0700. (Page
Top) |
|
|
|
