Off Topic Motor problems

Doug Milliken

Active Member
Going out of Burwell this morning my 1997 Lund fisherman motor started sputtering and dying out it’s a 75 Mariner in which I have never had a problem in my 10 years owning the boat.I got out of the channel and tried to get it to plane,no luck so much for going to Sandhills for perch.Put kicker down and pulled out walleye rods after catching 8 nice walleye and a small rainbow decided better get boat home and try to figure out what’s going on.My family has rented a cottage near Sarnia and I have rented a slip at Sarnia Bay Marina for the week starting this Saturday so what a time for my motor to start doing this.Anyways got back ordered new plugs form Napa which will be in tomorrow morning then we are going to pump the gas out of it in case it’s water in the gas which is new just filled up last week.Any suggestions from my fellow 68 members would be appreciated.After we do the plugs and run a tank of hi test into her we will take it to Sarnia to test . Hope this fixes the problem
 
Doug, if there is water in the fuel, which sounds like there is if you are using regular fuel, put in some K-100. White and red plastic bottle sold at Canadian Tire in their auto parts dept. I use it exclusively in my marine business. It works!!! No need to dump the fuel. Their claim to fame is..."Make Water Burn". Since water is heavier then fuel, it pools on the bottom where the pick up is so K-100 suspends the water, bumps octane rate by 2 points and revitalizes slightly old fuel and it lasts 2 years. The small bottle treats 75 L. You can't over do it in the event you dump in too much. This product is designed specifically to treat ethanol related water issues and as I said...IT WORKS!
Hope this helps Doug. Good luck.
Doug, one more thing. I introduced this product to St, Thomas RentAll to use in their small engines. It worked so well, they now use it religiously and are now carrying this product line to sell to customers.
 
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We had the same problem 2 weeks ago on a 50hp Mariner, check ur gasket that was our problem.
 
don't forget a fuel filter when you get those plugs Also have a look at the fuel lines for cracks or loose fittings. I had a fuel connector go bad. Didn't look awfull but allowed air to get in.
 
Sounds fuel related. Check your fuel lines for cracks, leaks, etc, esp the fuel line bulb. Do the plug/fuel filter replacement/gas treatment routine. If still acting up check your fuel pump. You can disconnect the line from the pump to the carb turn over the engine and see if the carb is getting enough gas. You can also take it to a shop and have them put on a vacuum pressure gauge to test the pump output.
 
Same issue on my brothers 25 merc. Fuel filter dirty. Primed a couple times before putting it back together.
 
very general symptoms, could be many things. Some issues I had to help brainstorming...plugs should be first to check..
-Choke solenoid. Had the rubber membrane go on mine and it flooded the engine, had a sputtering effect, would not hold an idle.
-Stuck float in carb causing flooding or lack of fuel. try tapping on the float bowl with a wrench sometimes itll reposition the float properly. If that fixes it then rebuild carb at a convenient time.
-needle valve or other carb related issues, blocked jets?
-fuel pump been replaced ever? could be a membrane with even a pinhole. You can check your fuel pressure by putting a fuel pressure guage coming from the pump ans going to the carb, I believe standard is 2psi at full throttle.
-gas tank related or fuel lines, check for areas that could be sucking in air, primer bulb, check valves...

Is there excess gas in the water around the engine when its struggling? maybe something causing a flooding situation or lack of fuel.


Sounds fuel related but I am by far the one to give motor advice, just hoping to give some ideas to tinker with so you can fix it cheap and quick! Good luck, I feel your pain been there many times, time to upgrade my boat next year.
 
Get in the water or put the muffs on it and get it running..if that's at possible. Rev it up a little then Shut it off and check the plugs. If there is any milky or chocolate milk looking residue on any one of them you can almost bet it's a gasket gave way. There should NEVER be any milky like residues on the plugs. It can run with a faulty gasket but won't act up until you get it under load,that's when it will start pulling water in from where ever the breech is and start stalling and running like crap.
By doing this you will know if that's the problem or not...and cost nothing to check.
 
Similar issue couple years back. Idled ok but couldn’t get on plane for sputtering. Dumped tank, changed fuel filters and plugs....ended up it was a loose fitting at gas tank letting air into lines...2 second fix
 
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