Fuel or ?

My 888, 302 w/ 2bbl rochester, has run perfectly all year until Saturday. I filled the tank I was running from on the way to the lake. I also filled the truck from the same pump. The boat's tank was about 1/2 tank (18 gal) when I filled it.

It started slightly harder than normal at the ramp, but I may have flooded it as it hadn't been started in 2 weeks. We ran about 2 miles and idelsed around looking for a spot to anchor. All was well. Fired up to go to a different cove, it seemed to run well, but seemed a bit sluggish on power, but the water was really rough and I wrote it off. Anchored for a couple hours, and decided to take a ride. Started fine, idle was slightly rough and it still felt a bit sluggish. Ran a mile or so and decided to change tanks to the one I ran off last weekend. Ran another mile or so and stopped to idle. Bad plan. It died and was hard starting. After cranking on/off a few minutes, it started and didn't want to idle. Ran to the marina and gave up on diocking since it wouldn't idle. Decided to get it on the trailer before it got worse. Ran the 2-3 miles back to the ramp and it seemed to have its power back toward the end of the run. Dropped the wife at the dock and she was idling almost perfectly again. During the runs where it seemed down on power, it was running a few degrees warmer than normal. Not much, but some. Normal at cruise is about 160. It was running about 170.

Went out today and pulled the water seperator and dumped it. The fuel was very dark. Put a new one on and fired it up. Purring like a kitten. I'll check it on the lake again this coming weekend.

I think I will siphon the tank out and refill again with more fresh gas.

Any other ideas to check?

Re: Fuel or ?

No other ideas but let us know how you rig up the siphon.

Re: Fuel or ?

The fuel was very dark.

Click to expand...

It might be just that simple, I hope so.

Good Luck.

Re: Fuel or ?

180shabah said:

It might be just that simple, I hope so.

Good Luck.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I hope so too. I had run both tanks down to 1/4 tank last time out to try to get the fuel as fresh as possible since some of what was left was last years leftover stabilized fuel. I doubt these tanks have been cleaned out in 32 years, so maybe I got into some old fuel and/or stirred up some junk in the tank.

For the siphon, the local parts store carries on that has 1/4" tubing I can run down the fill hose. I think this will work ok, otherwise I'll pop the fill hose off the tanks. I need to replace the old fill and vent hoses anyways.

Re: Fuel or ?

refill again with more fresh gas.

Click to expand...

since it was running fine 2 weeks ago, + the problem went away for a bit back at the ramp + ya switched tanks it sounds like to the fuel that ya were running 2 weeks ago when it ran fine. i would suspect something other than bad fuel. must say though, dark fuel don't sound right. i think i'd run some tests to see where yer at. minor tuneup tests. timein, dwell, maybe fuel pump output. or maybe, have ya checked the fuel filters? it sounds like a fuel delivery issue to me. ya could run a aux. portible fuel tank too. hook it up to yer fuel pump. that would eliminate everything behind the fuel pump, yer old fuel question + eliminate fuel pick up sock, fuel tank vent, anti siphone valve, kinks in fuel lines or vent lines. or try dons' testing your boats fuel system test....http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=167561
i hope it's just bad fuel for ya too. but i'm skeptical.....i think yer on the right track with replaceing the fuel water seperater. then i'd go to fuel filters....

as for how to siphone the fuel. i've just used a plastic hand siphone pump i got at some autoparts store for bouts 20 bucks. hooked up a oil extractor extension to get to the bottom of the tank. once ya pump it up, if the fuel can is below the boat, it starts a siphone.

Re: Fuel or ?

I doubt these tanks have been cleaned out in 32 years, so maybe I got into some old fuel and/or stirred up some junk in the tank

Click to expand...

i've got an old boat too man. and i certainly have garbage in the my fuel tank. i've been R&Rin fuel filters quite frequently. they are gettin better with ea. change too, + lastin longer....but when theys (the fuel filters) all plugged up.... syptoms are kinda like yers.....have ya tried a wot run. when my filters are startin to plug up, i can definetly feel the lack of performace and i may or may not achieve wot, usually not. at least not w/o some performance issues......don't know about yers, but i have 2 filters. one on the fuel pump, one on the carb. both of them have been doing their job and trappin debris......both get cleaned or replaced if i suspect any fuel delivery problem as a possible 1st cause.......so far i've been gettin away with the way i'm goin about cleanin my tank, but if i felt it was real bad, i think i'd be cleanin up my fuel tank.....

Re: Fuel or ?

I have the same set-up Ziggy. I decided last night that since a) I'm having issues I think is fuel, b) the fill and vent lines really need replacing, I think I'm going to take adavntage of having two 18gal metal tanks bolted above deck by taking them out and seeing if I can flip them over to clean them out good.

Just really aggrevated me that it has run flawlessly the first 4-5 trips out this year then started this junk -pun intended.

Re: Fuel or ?

then started this junk -pun intended.

Click to expand...

, i like puns, sorry it's an unforturnate pun though....

my trisonic had above deck fuel tanks too. 12 gal. ea. they didn't come out as easy as it looked like they should........removein and cleanin em up real good is a good idea though....sure don't think it'd hurt anything on an older boat. can be inspected for rust then too.

prior to all that work though, i still think i'd have a look at them fuel filters. ya could really see the crud on mine. the 1st one was even fuzzy...yikes. a wonder my boat even ran with that....as i've gone thru 3 or four of them, the crude is gettin smaller and smaller, dust covering the filter, slowly plugin it up. i assum from rust and 32 years of who knows what....guess i'm just thinkin that w/o come confirmation that that's yer problem, ya may end up with clean tanks, and still have the same problem....new fuel filters and runnin an aux. fuel tank would help confirm the fuel tank needs serviceing. short of the visible fuel & vent lines yer seein already.........

Follow Up....Re: Fuel or ?

Follow Up....Re: Fuel or ?

Well, I haven't had a chance to pull/drain/clean the tanks yet, but I changed the water separator and cleaned the screen at the carb inlet and took the boat out to today. Ran 5 miles or so and it never so much as hiccuped. All is back to normal it would appear, until it clogs again. It hasn't idled so well in a while...