Boat dies in gear... Sometimes

[jamespjackson95]

Hey guys just got a 95 four Winns with the 3.0 motor in it... The boat runs great on the hose, however when on the lake in gear it dies at about 2,000 rpm. Also dies in reverse... However it neutral it will rev freely without dying well beyond 2,000 rpm.... I found if I WOT very quickly the boat will drive normal and won't shut off. I'm wondering if this would be a fuel problem or a ignition problem... I replaced the plugs and it didn't change.
Secondly the boat does not have a thermostat in it and it runs 160 at idle and around 170-180 maybe 190 at WOT after about 10 mins. I put a new water pump impeller in it and checked the water flow while it was in the water... From the water pump I had about 5 inches of water shooting straight up while at idle.... I was thinking that was a little hot for not having a thermostat in... On the hose there is lots of water coming out the exhaust... There also is not an exhaust below... Would that cause it to run hot?

 

[thumpar]

You need to figure out your cooling issues. It should not run hot at all without a stat. 190 is too hot even with a stat. The problem where it dies could be a bad shift interrupt or lanyard switch but hard to tell without diagnosing.

 

[Volphin]

First of all, verify your problem with an IR temp gun. Note the actual readings and let us know. I've seem plenty of whacked out gauges and temp sensors in my day...

 

[jamespjackson95]

Okay I think I found the problem with the overheating... The rubber boot on the riser was clamped onto the riser in a way that little water could exit. I still have not been able to solve the dying problem. Basically i have no problems on the muffs... In the lake I take off slowly and the boat speeds up normally until about 2k RPM then it dies... If I mash the throttle quickly it will hesitate a second then run normal... Also does the same thing in reverse (shuts off at 2k RPM)... Any ideas? I have checked and there is no fuel filter or water separator, and there is not filter on the bottom of the pick up tube at the tank... Holly carb with a mechanical fuel pump... Does this sound electrical or a fuel problem.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... Put a canister filter on it,... It's a Great up-grade,...

There should be a filter inside the fuel pump,...

Donno 'bout the Holley carb, Merc don't run 'em, so it ain't original, but I believe it is a Carb problem,....

 

[Scott Danforth]

you will also want to make sure the thermostat is installed. running without a thermostat simply allows the water to run too fast thru the block to effectively pick up heat and doesnt direct the water to the right locations which would result in an overheat.

 

[Rick Stephens]

Totally agree with Bondo and Scott. Must have a thermostat. Must also make sure your Holly is a marine carburetor. If it is, rebuild it. Everything you say points to a plugged carb and poor cooling because of lack of thermostat. Should be a screen in the fuel fitting going into the carb as well.

Rick