new engine questions

mattlehman90

Seaman
Joined
Jun 18, 2013
Messages
51
I cracked my block over the winter. It took me until the end of summer to get it fixed. I ended up get a new long block intake/exhaust manifold started and a carb rebuild. I am relatively new to boats and I have never ran a new moter. My question is with all that work done shouldn't it start up in neutral? It will when it has been ran but if cold I have to run about 1000 rpms until it's warm or it dies?
 

Saline Marina

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Sep 9, 2014
Messages
162
I don't think its out of the question to have to run more throttle until the engine warms up especially with a carb. Looking ahead, the breakin I like to follow in a vehicle is to drive 50 miles (or so) and then change the oil and filter which could equate to a day on the lake. This is assuming some sort of engine-plant build and not one where you personally gapped each ring on a stand. The latter could take a little more breakin period. Typically one wants to avoid high RPM operation right out of the get-go with a variety of speed and load conditions mixed in. You can use WOT but its not the best idea to hold that throttle position until you max out RPMs on plane.
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,762
Engine timing, valves, choke and idle mixture adjusted properly?
 

mattlehman90

Seaman
Joined
Jun 18, 2013
Messages
51
From what they told me at the shop all that was done by them. The only thing they told me was to not stay at one rpm for a long time. He said you can put a groove in the cylinder wall. But he did say other then that drive it like I always would. He said at 20 hours or when I winterize it to change oil and fuel filter. I have got it up to 4500 rpms for just a little bit to see how it performs but I don't like to max it out anyway.
 

skydiveD30571

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Feb 13, 2012
Messages
1,042
It is common for carbureted boats to require fast idle until warmed up.

The cold and warm start procedures listed by both Volvo Penta and Mercruiser say to open the throttle and run at fast idle for a period of time.
 
Last edited:

Walt T

Lieutenant
Joined
Mar 16, 2002
Messages
1,369
Dive it normally. After all that's the way it's gonna be used. Using that logic I immediately rev my boat to 4000 rpm with the drive in full up position (Yeah yeah point and laugh but who among us has not done that one) Then I shut it down to idle and sheepishly bring the drive down and idle out of the wake zone, then smack the throttle like a newborn baby surprising everyone in the boat then shutting back down to idle to go back and get crap or people that went in the water, then gently accelerating to balls to the wall and enjoying the high speed (28 mph) until somebody points out the watercop behind me and then smartly slowing down and stopping to a gentle neutral idle. It is very helpful at this point that there be no loud backfires causing the watercops to yell "GUN!!" and dive for cover drawing their own weapons and one of them dropping their revolver overboard which is highly embarrassing and really really makes them want to arrest somebody at which point it is very helpful if suddenly no one can remember who was driving. Then when they board for the "Safety Check" the cooler full of beer somehow slips overboard and a gps waypoint quietly taken. When it's all over and I have a handful of tickets for not enough life jackets, empty fire extinguisher, (From the last wild party I had. Hey it seemed like a good idea then to shoot it off at the water cops and escape in the resulting cloud) and ugly crew onboard. I am planning to contest the ugly crew ticket as I am quite popular with the ladies and will have a group of them at the trial explaining that I am "Kinda Cute" Then we head back to the previously mentioned waypoint under a gentle idle and whoever had the most beer in them gets to go diving and grab the beer bottles off the bottom.
 

Walt T

Lieutenant
Joined
Mar 16, 2002
Messages
1,369
Nah. you can see it was written at 0733 and I don't start drinking until 0800 at the earliest
 
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