Hi there! We have been reading the forums ever since we purchased our first boat (a 1989 Procraft 1780V) a few months ago, and have found lots of useful information. Thanks! We've been able to troubleshoot and solve several smaller issues (like replacing a broken throttle cable) by following solutions on this forum, but we have hit a roadblock. When we purchased the boat, it ran wonderfully, reaching a max speed of about 55 mph.
A few weeks ago, we let it sit for a few days without using it, which was a first since we bought the boat! When we went out on the lake, when we tried to come out of the hole, it would lift up and drop back down. At WOT, it won't even go 5 mph. It spits, sputters, and seems to miss. Occasionally, if we keep running it, it will finally pick up speed a little at a time, but still spits and sputters and never reaches anywhere near max speed. (May hit 25-30 mph sometimes) One time since then, we started it up, and it ran great, up to 45 mph. That was a rarity though. It runs great @ idle, starts up every time, purrs like a kitten... until you get to 2000 rpm. Squeezing the primer bulb when it starts to sputter does nothing.
We originally thought it was bad fuel (we always use Sta-bil and every other time or so get the ethanol free fuel from the marina). We siphoned out/ ran out all the fuel and filled up again. Same problem. We then replaced the fuel line from the fuel tank to the engine, including the primer bulb (hoses were old and cracked). We installed new spark plugs- which made it run worse, so we replaced the old spark plugs. We replaced the fuel filter, did the Dunks Decarb method with 3 cans of Seafoam over the course of several days, all to no avail.
We did pull off the fuel pump and noticed that the rubber piece (the diaphragm????) seems like it's stretched. We've been trying to find a diagram of the fuel pump, but can't find one for our year and HP. Anyone know where we might find one? Trying to find a manual to order.
This may or may not be related. We've had some random alarms going off, but they started well after the engine problems above. A few times, the overheat alarm has gone off as soon as we start the boat - ie no time to overheat. We disconnected overheat sensor and it made no change in the engine problems. Also, this boat still has the VRO. We've read pros and cons to this and haven't decided which route to take. The oil alarm started going off occasionally well after the engine problems started. We checked the upper oil reservoir tank and it was low, so we filled it up with oil. The alarm stopped. We then decided to add oil to the gas in case the VRO has malfunctioned, assuming better safe than sorry. The oil alarm has gone off a couple times since then. Each time the tank was a little bit low, so we refilled and it stopped. I'm not sure why the tank is not refilling properly. I've read the possibility of the engine being stuck in limp/slow/get home mode, but it seems like it would not ever have gotten up to 25 or 45.
I (wife) read all the problems/ solutions on here and give him suggestions, which are mostly Greek to me!
Hubby can fix ANYTHING- he just needs to know what to fix!
I've read the BOAT acronym and am amazed how true that is! We'd love to be able to fix, rather than taking it to a mechanic. Any suggestions on what's wrong or what else we can try? Advice would be greatly appreciated! TIA
A few weeks ago, we let it sit for a few days without using it, which was a first since we bought the boat! When we went out on the lake, when we tried to come out of the hole, it would lift up and drop back down. At WOT, it won't even go 5 mph. It spits, sputters, and seems to miss. Occasionally, if we keep running it, it will finally pick up speed a little at a time, but still spits and sputters and never reaches anywhere near max speed. (May hit 25-30 mph sometimes) One time since then, we started it up, and it ran great, up to 45 mph. That was a rarity though. It runs great @ idle, starts up every time, purrs like a kitten... until you get to 2000 rpm. Squeezing the primer bulb when it starts to sputter does nothing.
We originally thought it was bad fuel (we always use Sta-bil and every other time or so get the ethanol free fuel from the marina). We siphoned out/ ran out all the fuel and filled up again. Same problem. We then replaced the fuel line from the fuel tank to the engine, including the primer bulb (hoses were old and cracked). We installed new spark plugs- which made it run worse, so we replaced the old spark plugs. We replaced the fuel filter, did the Dunks Decarb method with 3 cans of Seafoam over the course of several days, all to no avail.
We did pull off the fuel pump and noticed that the rubber piece (the diaphragm????) seems like it's stretched. We've been trying to find a diagram of the fuel pump, but can't find one for our year and HP. Anyone know where we might find one? Trying to find a manual to order.
This may or may not be related. We've had some random alarms going off, but they started well after the engine problems above. A few times, the overheat alarm has gone off as soon as we start the boat - ie no time to overheat. We disconnected overheat sensor and it made no change in the engine problems. Also, this boat still has the VRO. We've read pros and cons to this and haven't decided which route to take. The oil alarm started going off occasionally well after the engine problems started. We checked the upper oil reservoir tank and it was low, so we filled it up with oil. The alarm stopped. We then decided to add oil to the gas in case the VRO has malfunctioned, assuming better safe than sorry. The oil alarm has gone off a couple times since then. Each time the tank was a little bit low, so we refilled and it stopped. I'm not sure why the tank is not refilling properly. I've read the possibility of the engine being stuck in limp/slow/get home mode, but it seems like it would not ever have gotten up to 25 or 45.
I (wife) read all the problems/ solutions on here and give him suggestions, which are mostly Greek to me!
I've read the BOAT acronym and am amazed how true that is! We'd love to be able to fix, rather than taking it to a mechanic. Any suggestions on what's wrong or what else we can try? Advice would be greatly appreciated! TIA