1983 Ski Nautique - motor issues

[spenclo123]

Hey folks, I bought a 1983 Ski Nautique from the original owner this past weekend. It has 1200 hours on it and the PO had the carb rebuilt this past January and a new spacer put on it (between the carb and the manifold). The PO wouldn't sell it to me until they had the new spacer b/c the rebuilt carb didn't solve the problem. It cranks fine (with a little throttle) and we let it warm up to operating temperature. When I tried to put it in forward gear to float up a bit to release the bow strap, it dies on me. We never got it off the trailer today b/c we could never get it to idle when put in forward or reverse. Any ideas where to begin here? Here are photos of the engine. After cranking it, it idles great all the way from 1,000 to 4,000+ RPM but dies when put in gear (from idle). Curious where to begin.
Thanks

[hal2814]

I had an 83 Ski. You should be able to start it cold with 2-3 throttle pumps and nothing else during start. A spacer isn’t going to solve that. I’d verify the choke is working and check to see if the primary float is adjusted properly. A spacer could easily jack up the float situation. It should also idle lower than 1,000. Spec is 650 in gear. That’s only about 700-800 in neutral.

[Nautiquehunter]

Who rebuilt the carb? That distributor looks new . Start with basics firing order, timing , fuel pump , power to the distributor. Did it have the problem before the carb rebuild and new distributor?

[gun-driver]

In your last picture, what is above your PCV valve?
Check to see if your idle mixture screws are adjusted correctly.
https://www.holley.com/blog/post/how..._holley_carbs/

[spenclo123]

Thanks guys. We checked the firing order last night and it was all good. The PO said the boat had an issue which is why they had the carb rebuilt. The put the carb back on and it didn't solve the problem. They figured out it was a warped spacer between the carb and manifold so they replaced that and then sent me videos of it running fine. Gun-driver, i'll get back to you on what is above the PCV valve.

[spenclo123]

I think National Carb in Jacksonville, FL rebuilt the carb.

[spenclo123]

Hey NautiqueHunter, i see you are in Flowery Branch. Do you know any good inboard/Nautique mechanics around Lake Lanier or Allatoona that you would recommend? I'm located in Marietta, but would bring it up your way for a good, honest inboard mechanic.

[gun-driver]

you still need to check the idle mixture settings they can only be set approximately during rebuild

[gary s]

That’s a universal PCV valve. It comes with more than one hose connection and a plug to close off what you don’t use.

[gun-driver]

It looked to me like its not plugged in the picture

[spenclo123]

I had an 83 Ski. You should be able to start it cold with 2-3 throttle pumps and nothing else during start. A spacer isn’t going to solve that. I’d verify the choke is working and check to see if the primary float is adjusted properly. A spacer could easily jack up the float situation. It should also idle lower than 1,000. Spec is 650 in gear. That’s only about 700-800 in neutral.

Thanks Hal2814. It started cold with a few pumps as you said. It was idling around 700 in neutral, I had just had it at 1,000 in order to warm it up quicker. We'll check the choke and float. I think the prior spacer was warped so it was creating a vacuum leak?

[hal2814]

That’s weird that the spacer would warp. The other posts are right though. If it was just rebuilt it probably just needs to be set up properly.

[Jonny Quest]

That sounds to me like the idle mixture screws need adjustment. Gently turn the idle mixture screws in until they are seated. Count the number of revolutions from current position to seated. Make a note of the number of turns for future reference. Now try opening the idle mixture screws to the typical start position which is 1 1/2 turns open. Open the screws from seated to 1 1/2 turns. Then set your curb idle to about 800 RPM. See if that works.

One other thing to think about - Does the propeller and shaft turn freely by hand? It’s possible that the transmission or the propeller shaft is Somehow bound up or locked up. If the engine can’t turn the transmission, then it will die.

BTW...nice DUI dizzy.

[spenclo123]

Hey folks, I'm back. So we tinkered with trying to solve our idling issue and we checked the compression, timing, plugs and everything else. We finally tested for a vacuum leak and bingo! That was the issue. We took the carb off and replaced the gasket under it and now it idles like new. We just used a random gasket my bro-in law had at his shop, so I thought I'd post the photos and ask if people know if we should have used a different gasket (so I can stock up on them in case it happens again). As you can see, the gasket we used goes only around the perimeter of the base. Is that correct, or does someone make a gasket that would seal around each of the four chambers?

[Skidave]

Here is the gasket that came with my last carburetor about 2 years ago. This carb and gasket came from Discount Inboard Marine.

If you want this gasket, let me know.

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