1987 Sea Ray...the problems are starting!

[extremebase]

I have a 1987 Sea Ray with the 4.3L V6 175HP. The boat ran perfect except for the occational hard start till it warmed up. nine times out of ten the boat started first turn. I went out on the lake last weekend and the problems began.

The ignition first went out and the new ignition I got only has three prongs on the back and the old had four, so not sure there, anyone know why and what to do with extra??

Second I started just hot wiring it and it started right up as usuall, then I put it in gear and it died...never did it before. So I started it again and it did it again...so on and so on!

It would rev just fine but could not put in forward or reverse...would die right away...I thought maybe it just wasn't warmed up yet...well I know Its not good for it, but I rev'ed it up and then kinda jamed it in to gear and got it to go, got out in the lake, stuck it in neutral and it died...did same thing over and over again. If I could get it to go (very rare! maybe three times all day) than when I put it back in neutral it would die.

ANYONE GOT SUGGESTIONS?? I'm thinking carb problem, but I am used to working on mitsubishi...not marine domestic, so I don't even know how to get it off to be honest.

I am really hoping someone knows of a site were I can download, look, or buy a manuall.

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR THE HELP!

[JonEaton]

Are you sure you have the right ignition? and what kind of RPM is it at when it is idling in neutral? might need an adjustment, if you're saying that when it heats up it's okay but cold is a no-go, then I would also check and see if the choke is engaging/disengaging, might either be flooding or starving.

[extremebase]

No it does it wether it is cold or hot, is there anyway of cleaning the carb without taking it off? I know on my dirtbike I take it off and dump gas through it, but what can I do?

I do think it has a broblem engaging/disengaging choke, but not sure.

The ignition I got is the right one, its the marine one and it is the only kind you can get...I don't know why the one on my boat has four prongs.

[extremebase]

idling in neutral it is about 1000rpm's

[JonEaton]

Have you opened it up and taken the air filter cover off and actually looked at the butterfly? How does it look in there? is it clean? Are all the linkages lubed and move freely? you got me beat, sometimes you can almost tell by hearing it, but I just don't know. Maybe a can of carb cleaner might help a little clean out whatever has built up in it. I had to pour gas down my carb on the OMC 120 I'm working on but that's because it hadn't run in years. Also there might be a problem with low RPM not creating enough spark through the coil or low voltage there are so many things

[jimslade]

Your igniton shift cutout is not set up right or the wiring to the cutout has been moved. The ignition should momentarily cut out as you shift. check out the setup switch.

[extremebase]

well I took off the air filter and everything is like new in there, i started it with the air filter off and put it in gear...sure enough it went JuST FINE...so the air filter was soooo bad it was cutting out...how do I set the ignition shift cut out?? Set Up Switch???

[marshmat]

So the flame arrestor was just so clogged it couldn't flow any air?
I'd still be suspicious of the ignition though.... since your stalls were tied to shifts, if I read correctly, a clogged flame arrestor alone would probably not be the cause.

[jimslade]

The switch should be momentarily grounding the ignition circuit when you move the throttle from neutral to forward. You need two people to check that the cable does not bind and the switch doesn't stays on longer than it should. I think that your cable is binding or the cable mount is not tight. You can buy a repair manual that will give you detailed instructions to setup properly.

[Frosty]

Listen to what Jim is telling you.

[T1MMY]

also check that you have no fuel blockages, i had this exact problem and turned out to be fuel starvation ( only difference being mine would go into gear and run fine when out of the water.

[Frosty]

Fuel starvation means not enough fuel to run the engine so the engine will die. How then could your engine run 'fine' at higher RPM when it is starved of fuel at low RPM???