Engine stall/ 98 Sport Nautique/ GT-40

[96nauti]

Hello all. I had a minor glitch the other day that is bothering me and was looking for some feedback. A couple of months ago I sold my '96 Ski Nautique and bought a '98 Sport Nautique. Until very recently, I have had no problems with it and have put about 40 hours on it this summer since I bought it (440 hrs total). I bought it from the original owner and it appears to have been well cared for.

Anyways........8 people in the boat, full tank of gas, we were travelling at about 35-40 MPH for about 10 minutes looking for the sweet spot on the water when suddenly the boat just died. The boat started right back up and ran for a few seconds and then stalled again. At that point I opened the engine hatch to see what I could find. Everything seemed normal. Bilge empty, belts and hoses looked good, engine didn't seem over heated, gauges were all reading normal, fluids normal, warning light not illuminated, etc. I looked at the kill switch lanyard and it was firmly in place.

I spent about 15 minutes floating and scratching my head. The only thing I did was fiddle with the kill switch..... removed and replaced connectors, removed the lanyard, pressed the button a couple of times and replaced the lanyard. After fiddling with the switch though it has run flawlessly (about 6 hours of run time plus more float time).

Could that have really been the problem? I don't feel like I really did anything and am worried it will stall out again next outing. Is there something else that I should check or change?



Thanks for any thoughts or ideas.

[Chexi]

Yes, it absolutely could be the problem. If the kill switch is failing or shorting, it will kill the engine. This happens all too frequently.

Another possible culprit is a slightly loose battery cable, although the kill switch is the more likely culprit based on your fact pattern.

That said, are there any other symptoms? Is your tach bouncing eratically just before it dies. Is ther misfiring, surging, or anything like that? Or is just runs great and immediately dies. If it is the later, there is a very good chance that your kill switch is on its way out and should be replaced (super cheap and easy).

http://www.nautiqueparts.com/search....nd=kill+switch

Don't forget PN discount.

[96nauti]

Thanks for the reply Chexi. Hopefully you're right and it is my kill switch going out. I just ordered a new one with the PND discount and will install as soon as I recieve it. Hopefully it won't happen again, however if it does, I guess we will have at least ruled out the kill switch.

Regards.

[DanielC]

On a GT-40 engine, you should hear the fuel pumps run for about two seconds when you turn the key on. The safety lanyard kills the engine by stopping the fuel pumps.

[Cibolasam]

Do you have the long black fuse that connects to the battery positive side?

[96nauti]

Thanks for the info. I do not have the long black fuse on the battery connector and the fuel pump is priming when I turn on the key. The boat ran perfect again today. Still just hoping it is a kill switch going bad and will replace it when the new one arrives.

[kidderskier]

I have a 98 SN (GT40) and had a similar problem. I've got 650 hrs, but boat serviced by the dealer regularly. I had it out 5 times earlier this summer without any problems. The last time out (after running for about an hour) it began to stall. It started right up every time. It probably stalled 10-15 times in a 30 minute period. It would sometimes stall when pulling up a skier...other times not. It would stall at 35 mph as well. All the while the RPM gauge was erratic. It would run high, then low and sometimes flutter. I took it to a Nautique dealer and they couldn't find anything wrong. They said they checked the fuel pumps/pressure and found nothing. Any ideas?

[Chexi]

This sounds very similar to the problem I was having recently. My problem turned out to be something wrong in the distributor. It might have been the profile ignition pickup / hall effect sensor had gone bad, or something else in there (other than the cap and rotor which I had already replaced). Search my name and look for my thread with video and see if it looks similar to your problem.