Motor stalling

[CradGen2]

Gang,

I never post in this section, but here goes. My Flighty last year we had tons of issues keeping it running. At the beginning of the season, we adjust the carb and it ran ok for a day. Next we figured that there was water in the tank because of a poorly place and type of gas cap, so we drained the tank and replaced the fuel filter. We could only find one fuel filter looks like an oil filter up on the motor. Worked for a weekend. Next we found the vent was also place poorly and when water came over the back of the boat when we stopped it would dump down the vent into the fuel tank. Purchased a better chrome vent thing and moved it completely to the side of the boat. Drained and replaced the filter AGAIN. Worked that weekend too. Next we figure out we were buying gas with 10% ethanol which was causing poor performance. Started using Startron fuel additives. Now we are getting 2 or 3 weekends out of a fuel filter. We still think we are getting water in the fuel from sitting all week. At the end of the summer, late Oct we can’t get the boat to idle at all. We can get it to start but I have to manually hold the choke closed with the arrestor off. Once we get it started we have to keep the RPMs at 1.5-2Kish.

Sometimes after we have been out a while it will just stall, Betsey, as we started calling her will eventually go again, but it is on her terms.

We (partner in boat only) and I were thinking we need to buy a new carb, but I thought I would check here first. I will more then likely take it to someone in the spring, couple weeks to look at, but want some ideas. We still might get a new Eddlebrook, there is another Flighty at the marina with a NON standard Eddlebrook that runs 3 MPH faster. P*SS us off. I think we have better low end. I know there is a fine line in the adjustments.

Thanks for the help

[DanielC]

Lets start with this. What engine is in, or on the boat? I am kind of guessing that by you talking about an "Eddlebrook" you really mean Edelbrock, and you have a V-8 of some kind.

A few more details please. Let us help you.

[AirTool]

Lets start with this. What engine is in, or on the boat? I am kind of guessing that by you talking about an "Eddlebrook" you really mean Edelbrock, and you have a V-8 of some kind.

A few more details please. Let us help you.

http://www.planetnautique.com/vb3/sh...ht=flightcraft

[IMPACT-EV1]

I would start with new plugs and setting the timing before you ever start jacking with the carb. The odds of constantly having water in the fuel or the alcohol in the fuel is causing the problem, a better tune-up and then maybe a carb rebuild is all that is needed.

[CradGen2]

The motor is a Mercruiser Tournament skier. I think it is rated a 260HP. Hours 280. Yes on the Edelbrock. Also we did do new plugs and wires this summer. We didn't check the timing. Let me know if there is anything else you would like to know.

[IMPACT-EV1]

you need to get the idle down to spec then set the timing to spec, then adjust the two idle mixture screws on the front of the carb as follows. After the engine is warm and timing is set to spec screw in one idle mixture screw until you hear the rpm drop then back out the screw 1/4 turn do that to the other side and repeat again until the idle is nice and smooth, you'll want to go back and check the timing and idle setting again, this may require you to do this a coule fo times until it's spot on.

[DanielC]

Get the ignition system perfect first. Then deal with the carb.

You may have problems with the gas, too old, dirty, or water in it. If you recently were forced in to having to use E-10, the transition can cause problems. Fuel hoses may not be compatible with it, and there is a slight possibility some rubber parts in the carburettor may not like it. Once past these issues, if the gas tank is clean, and you have no water in the tank, once you are running E-10, it should cause no further headaches. In fact, keep a full tank, and E-10 will remove any water that does get into the system, as long as it it not huge quantities coming in the vent.

Another method of setting idle mixture screws on a carburettor is to use a vacuum gauge. Tune for highest vacuum reading, at idle speed.

When an engine dies, it boils down to these three items. compression, Ignition, or fuel. Supply all three in the proper amount, and time, and the engine will run, Millions of engines prove that every day.

[TRST]

You might give Discount Inboard Marine a call. On of the guys there has or had an older malibu with that same engine. The carb on that engine is a weber, in my experience, a reliable unit that is not as tempermental as similar generation holly carbs.

[IMPACT-EV1]

Get the ignition system perfect first. Then deal with the carb.

You may have problems with the gas, too old, dirty, or water in it. If you recently were forced in to having to use E-10, the transition can cause problems. Fuel hoses may not be compatible with it, and there is a slight possibility some rubber parts in the carburettor may not like it. Once past these issues, if the gas tank is clean, and you have no water in the tank, once you are running E-10, it should cause no further headaches. In fact, keep a full tank, and E-10 will remove any water that does get into the system, as long as it it not huge quantities coming in the vent.

Another method of setting idle mixture screws on a carburettor is to use a vacuum gauge. Tune for highest vacuum reading, at idle speed.

When an engine dies, it boils down to these three items. compression, Ignition, or fuel. Supply all three in the proper amount, and time, and the engine will run, Millions of engines prove that every day.

if the tune of the carb is way off or the timing is way off then you have to do it in steps, example: timing is way advanced engine idle is several hundered above
spec, setting timing at this stage will leave the timing too advance once you have the idle set correctly because of the mechanical advance so if the idle is at the correct setting then yes you should only have to set the timing once. Also save the vaccum gauge for the holley carbs it's not needed on the weber, edlebrooks or rochester carbs.

your off a little with your E-10 comments, it's not going to cause issue's with the fuel lines of this year motor if the boat was made in the 60's mid 70's or earlier then you might have an issue also E-10 attracks water it doesn't get of the water BTW

[DanielC]

Here in Oregon, we have had E-10 for about 10 ? years now. I do have some experience with using it. For the last several years, when I do fuel filter service on boats, and cars, under normal conditions, I find no water in the fuel filter. NONE!

I have found water in the gas of boats using marina gas, that sometimes does not have alcohol in it. This can also be an issue with boats stored for extended periods of time without a full tank.

From high school chemistry, I remember experiments with dissolving alcohol in water. This question comes up, "Which one is the solvent, and which one is the solute". The answer is usually this. The solvent is the one with greater quantity.

Alcohol will dissolve water. Alcohol will dissolve in gasoline. Water will dissolve in alcohol, but not in gasoline.

If you have a small amount of water dissolved in alcohol, and then add the mix to gasoline, the alcohol is able to keep the water dissolved, as long as the quantity of water is below a threshold. If you have more water in the gas than the threshold, the water will separate out.

If you go back, and read the original post, you will notice the fuel tank vent was relocated.

An engine has vacuum with any carburettor, or fuel injection system. Measuring the intake manifold vacuum at an idle will tell you if the fuel to air ratio is off, with any fuel induction system. An ideal mixture burns the best, and enables the engine to attain the highest rpm with a set throttle position. With a set throttle position, the higher the engine RPM, the more air the engine is trying to move, the greater the vacuum.

The name of the company that makes intake manifolds and carburettors is Edelbrock. There is no such thing as "edlebrooks"

[IMPACT-EV1]

Here in Oregon, we have had E-10 for about 10 ? years now. I do have some experience with using it. For the last several years, when I do fuel filter service on boats, and cars, under normal conditions, I find no water in the fuel filter. NONE!

I have found water in the gas of boats using marina gas, that sometimes does not have alcohol in it. This can also be an issue with boats stored for extended periods of time without a full tank.

From high school chemistry, I remember experiments with dissolving alcohol in water. This question comes up, "Which one is the solvent, and which one is the solute". The answer is usually this. The solvent is the one with greater quantity.

Alcohol will dissolve water. Alcohol will dissolve in gasoline. Water will dissolve in alcohol, but not in gasoline.

If you have a small amount of water dissolved in alcohol, and then add the mix to gasoline, the alcohol is able to keep the water dissolved, as long as the quantity of water is below a threshold. If you have more water in the gas than the threshold, the water will separate out.

If you go back, and read the original post, you will notice the fuel tank vent was relocated.

An engine has vacuum with any carburettor, or fuel injection system. Measuring the intake manifold vacuum at an idle will tell you if the fuel to air ratio is off, with any fuel induction system. An ideal mixture burns the best, and enables the engine to attain the highest rpm with a set throttle position. With a set throttle position, the higher the engine RPM, the more air the engine is trying to move, the greater the vacuum.

The name of the company that makes intake manifolds and carburettors is Edelbrock. There is no such thing as "edlebrooks"

sorry about the mis-spelled word and sorry for the mis-information your promoting maybe you should actually read more on the topic so that you know what the **** your talking about.

http://www.fuel-testers.com/e10_gas_...ne_engine.html

it clearly states absorbs water and says nothing about dissolving it, but hey you must know more than they do then tool

[DanielC]

I will trust my own experience much more that some somebody with a website and something to sell.
Just because it is on the internet, and you can read it on your computer does not mean it is true.

[IMPACT-EV1]

I will trust my own experience much more that some somebody with a website and something to sell.
Just because it is on the internet, and you can read it on your computer does not mean it is true.

love the know it all attitude, but considering your ignoring a real world company that actually tests fuel and who knows 100 times more about the subject than you ever will. You also lack the experince I have with alcohol blended fuels by a good twenty years, I've been using the stuff since the eighty's in these parts of the woods but hey keep up that propoganda wagon if you want but you are full of horse manure BTW

[Quinner]

You also lack the experince I have with alcohol by a good twenty years, I've been using the stuff since the eighty's in these parts of the woods

Me too, having a good fake ID back in 1980' gave me a great head start on learning all the nuances of Chugging!!

[IMPACT-EV1]

Me too, having a good fake ID back in 1980' gave me a great head start on learning all the nuances of Chugging!!

we used to use our fake ID at the liquor store over by Ball U in the next county over to buy keg's today the store doesn't even sell kegs anymore, but man kegger party's where great couple of us would chip in 10-15 bucks each for one then charged 5 bucks a head and made a killing and drank free for the week-end.