Jet boat won't start

[Rebecca]

Our jet boat won't fire. It turns over quite strongly, but won't fire. The gas line seems open and the spark plugs are new. Any suggestions?

[marshmat]

We can try, Rebecca. Do you have more details on the motor? What make, type, year is it? EFI or carb? How's the fuel system set up? Try the "search" button on the forun too, someone else has probably had a similar issue before. Good luck!

[Rebecca]

Thanks for your reply. It's a 1995 Sugar Sand Mirage with a Mercury Sport Jet engine, 120 hp, oil injection (2 stroke). I'm not sure whether it's EFI or carb. How do I know?

[stonebreaker]

You need to eliminate the various systems in order to zero in on the problem. The first thing you need to do is to determine if the problem's in the ignition system or the fuel system.

Take one of the spark plug wires off a plug, stick a screw driver in it, and hold the metal part of the driver near the metal tip of the plug or the engine block. See if you get any spark when you turn the engine over. If you do, chances are it's somewhere in the fuel system. BTW, make sure you only hold the handle on the screwdriver when you do this test, or it will shock the crap out of you.