Stalling Problem

i am rebuilding a 1989 renken 2000 classic and am having some engine problems. when the boat is first launched and i attempt to shift from neutral to reverse, it always cuts off. i can never back away from the ramp under power. even after the engine warms up, i still have the same problem coming out of drive and into neutral and/or reverse, although not as often as when it is cold. the inboard is a chevrolet 350 260hp, and i believe the outboard is an OMC Cobra. any ideas?

 

How does the boat behave when shifted into forward gear? Does it do the same thing shifting into forward gear, or does it stall only when shifting into reverse? How about when shifting into neutral from each gear?
Is the shift linkage properly aligned?
Is the carb jetting set correctly for your altitude and temperature range?
Is the fuel system clean and working correctly?
There are quite a few things that could cause this problem.... it's far from uncommon; the cure may be anything from tweaking some screws on the carb to rebuilding the outdrive. Others will surely have more advice....

 

I know very little about it but it seems when this question comes up people who do know something about it say there is a doodad that momentarily cuts off the engine to ease the meshing of the gears while shifting and that the malfunction of that doodad will cause your sort of problem. Hope it helps. Sam

 

marshmat, dunno how to answer most of your questions, but as far as putting it into drive, it works fine, i just have to throw it pretty far forward to keep it from cutting off. as long as i throw the throttle forward about 4 inches or so quickly enough, it doesn't have a problem

 

After it is in gear can you throttle it back to idle speed?

 

after i initially get it going in forward, then i can throttle back to a pretty slow speed i guess (can't remember right now). once i get it going forward i tend to not do anything other than haul *** to get it warmed up, so i don't know the exact answer to your question.

 

Hello again.
I had responded to the push-rod question before i had read all threads.... probably too late . Anyway, if you are still experiencing the stalling problem, consider the carb. In the many circuits for fuel flow,one is dedicated to squirting a small amount of gas into the airstream upon initial throttle-up. This device is the accelerator pump. It is a small diaphram located inside the workings of the carb body. Most rebuild kits contain this diaphram, so if you are so inclined, give it a shot. Or consider an overhaul shop.
The way this would affect the operation of your boat:
engine starts......idles......gear selection/initial load (requiring more fuel)....no extra fuel reports the airsteam..... engine stalls under that load.
engine starts...idles....gear selection/initial load/ massive fuel/throttle dump...engine recieves fuel sufficient for loading.... hauls ***... accelerator valve (sometimes called power valve) unneeded for this senario.
hope it helps.