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I have a 1985 Ski Nautique, I recently bought this boat and it was really taken care of. I just had the carb and alternator rebuilt.question is I was running on the lake and the boat just shut off for no reason. I put an anchor out and sat there until it did finally restart.My fuel pump seems to be fine . Got the boat back to the house and put it on the hose and nothing.
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You saying nothing? As is you turn the key and no click, no gauges, nothing?
First place I typically look on this type of starting issue is electrical. I've had ignition switch and the safety lanyard switch do this to me. I had a MC that I had to giggle the key to get it to start. Did that for an entire season before it fell completely apart one day and had to be towed in. Ah the foolish things we do when we're young., -
New switch, and I do get power to the gauges,the engine does turn but no fire , I do have spark from the coil . It’s heading back to the mechanic in the morning. Drop another 500
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Is the voltage to the coil right? Someone may have bypassed the ballast resistor when they shouldn’t have. That’s very common in ignitions converted from points to electric. Do you get voltage to the spark plug, too? If not, then the answer is in your distributor. But my first suspicion would be the rebuilt carb. There could’ve been a problem with the rebuild. Why was it rebuilt?Comment
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Well that's a whole different story then. Based on your location and age of the boat, my vote is going to be vapor lock.....
Vapor lock often causes a vehicle to fail to start after the driver shuts it off for a few minutes. It also causes cars to stall in slow traffic, when the engine tends to operate at a higher than normal temperature. The condition is caused by the heat in the engine compartment vaporizing the fuel in the fuel pump and lines.
Vapor lock occurs more commonly in carbureted vehicles and in air-cooled engines than in fuel-injection or water-cooled engines. Since the introduction of fuel injectors, most manufacturers have moved the fuel pump from the engine compartment to the fuel tank. Submersing the pump in the tank provides positive pressure in the fuel system and reduces the chances of vapor lock.
Operating a vehicle at a high altitude increases the chances of experiencing vapor lock. At the higher elevation, atmospheric pressure is lower, and the boiling point of gasoline is lower. Ethanol also has a lower boiling point than regular unleaded gasoline, increasing the likelihood of vapor lock.
Vapor lock affects the engines used on lawnmowers and aircraft. A vapor-locked engine in an aircraft can cause a forced landing. To prevent such emergencies in the air, most aircraft engines use fuel with a higher boiling point.
Adding insulation, either store-bought or homemade with clothes pins, to the fuel lines and fuel pump transfers the excess heat to the insulation versus the fuel pump, thus preventing vapor lock from occurring. Creating a vent for the engine compartment also transfers the heat that is the primary cause of gasoline turning to vapor so that it does not overheat the engine, fuel lines or fuel pump.
https://itstillruns.com/do-repair-va...k-7762330.html
I've had friends with older boats that have been restored having these issues quite frequently for several reasons. Some of the more common include......
Modified engine cover during the restoration - plastic vents crack and then eliminated or attention to detail when recovering the engine cover lead to covered or partially blocked vents lead to poor air flow or ventilation.
Elimination of shields - Pretty much the same as above only on the engine rebuild process. I've seen guys go to great lengths to dress out a freshly rebuilt engine and leave off shielding because the old stuff was shot and didn't look good or they were willing to buy a set of $200 valve covers but will cheap out on $15 for fuel line heat shielding.
https://www.amazon.com/WISAUTO-Sleev...gateway&sr=8-5
If you're done playing your done but based on what you've said about the boat and the symptoms I'm all in on vapor lock/heat soak. You may want to check out this thread on the Malibu Crew before throwing in the towel.....
https://www.themalibucrew.com/index....ed-vapor-lock/Comment
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We had something very similar happen on our 92 sport Nautique a couple of summers ago. It turned out that when I rebuilt the carb I didn’t attach the electric choke correctly. It would run fine when cold but as it heated up it would not start anymore. It’s worth a look. Basically the choke wasn’t completely turning off.Comment
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Thanks for your input , my auto choke was damaged and wasn’t working so I just went ahead and had it rebuilt.The boats at the mechanic now, I will see later in the weekComment
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