[tdlevi]

I have a 1972 65 hp that runs great out of the water with the boot on, however, when dropped into the water, I have troubles starting and it stalls when shifted into gear. Any solutions? I've heard it might have to deal with the carburator seats being in too tight. I'm new when it comes to boat motors and don't know where or how to do the adjustments. Please help. Thanks.

[clemsonfor]

sounds like it is ideling to low, it idles fine on muff s because there is no back pressure! in water the water creats backpressure causing it to load up more and when shifted into gear there is more load so it will stall! try raising your idle while in the water!

Others will tell you how high it needs to be set to!

-NAte

[jtexas]

you mean, dies soon as you shift it?

good answer from clemson - that's a 3-cyl, right? it'll idle on 2 cylinders and sound perfectly happy about it, but die soon as you put a load on. Here's a couple things you can do before ya take her to the lake:

Inspect the fuel lines, tank to primer bulb to engine to carbs. Replace any that show signs of aging.
Make sure the fuel line holds pressure and the primer bulb isn't collapsing.
Make sure the fuel tank vent is clear.
Make sure the fuel is fresh and there's no water in the tank.
Make sure the fuel tank inlet is clear.
Take the cover off the fuel pump (should be a thumbscrew) & clean the screen filter.
Check compression, lowest should be within 10% of highest. No point throwing parts at a motor with bad compression.

Cylinder drop test (to avoid electrocution, get an insulated tool, or a plastic spark plug boot tool, or else ask your mother-in-law to help out):

engine idling on muffs, pull then replace each spark plug wire one at a time. if RPM's don't drop noticeably, that cylinder's not making power.

If you find a cylinder that's goofing off, check it for spark by removing the spark plug, reattaching it to the boot, holding it against the engine block and watching for a spark while someone turns the engine over.

If you get spark on a non-working cylinder, rebuild your carburetors, not just one - it's only marginally more time & cost to do all three.

If all 3 pass the cylinder drop test, get or build a spark tester (couple bucks at auto parts store), set the gap for.....7/16" if its a powerpack motor, or 1/4" if it has points (sorry, can't remember which it is in 1972), look for strong blue spark.

post your results.

oh, and welcome to iboats!