[attowing@yahoo.com]

i start the boat and it starts right up but its missing..in the water it strains to plain out and once its plained it has more power so i changed the plugs wires and still the same thing..i took of the spark plug wire one by one while it was running and ig you are facing the motor from the back of the boat the top left plug thrown nice spark buy the motor ideals the same with or with out it..if im geting spark there and i know that its that cylinder that faulty what could it be??? im gonna do a compresion test. what should be the compression on a 97 200 hp?

[HighTrim]

The compression should be around 100 and even across all cylinders. If you have a dead cylinder,which you do, the problem could be a number of things. To start though try replacing the coil with a known working one, if the problem follows the coil, replace it. Let us know what you find.

[Dhadley]

Depending on which heads you have you may not get quite to 100. As long as they're all within 15 lbs it's OK. One side may or may not be consistantly a tad more than the other side too. Again, we're not concerned too much with the number, just looking for even.

Start with the basics. Compression first. Since that cylinder seems to have spark you may look at fuel delivery. Remember the front half is an X design. The top port carb feeds the top starboard cylinder and so on.

Look at the primary wires on the coils. Make sure the right ones (color coded) are on the right coils.

[attowing@yahoo.com]

Ok Im Going To Do A Compresion Test Now..the Coil Works Fine It Throws Nice Spark But The Cylinder Is Dead..i Think Its Fuel Not Getting In There .could That Happen?

[HighTrim]

sorry i completely misread your post. That could definately happen, you need spark, compression and fuel to fire the old girl, if 1 of the 3 are absent, you have problems. Take the fuel line off and run it into a bucket, turning the key over, make sure there is nice flow. Check the filter for debris. Does pumping the bulb pick it up? May have fuel pump issues. Ensure there are no air leaks along the fuel lines and the bulb is functioning properly.

[attowing@yahoo.com]

Ok I Just Did The Compresion Test And If Your Looking At The Motor From The Back Of The Boat. The Right 3 Are 100 And The Left Side The 1st One On Top Is 0 And The Two Bottoms Ar 98...what Should I Do Or Where Do I Begin

[Walker]

Pull the head off that side with the "O" reading and take a look at the piston and cylinder. You will find the problem.

[attowing@yahoo.com]

Is It Easy To Pull The Head Off? What Gaskets Am I Going To Need When I Put It Back Together?

[luckyinkentucky]

If you don't know what you are doing I would have the cylinder scoped before pulling the head. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't pull it period before I had it scoped. You don't want to take the head off to find that it was a fuel delivery problem in the first place.

I suspect it is a frozen piston or stuck rings, but I would have it scoped first by a trained eye.

In working around cars I have sprayed some Deep Creep in the faulty cylinder before and let it sit up overnight. You can find it at Autozone or even Wal-Mart. It's the stuff made by Sea Foam. You can't hurt in trying. If the piston doesn't move by turning the flyweel at the top of the engine you can try this.

Also, you can try putting about a tablespoon of 2 cycle oil in the faulty cylinder, and then rerun the compression check. If you see the numbers go up then you know it is a ring issue.

Also, if you run a compression check ,and before doing it, look in the spark plug hole with a flashlight, you can notice where the piston is sitting. Run the check, and when you get done recheck the piston to see if it moved. If it moved then you, more than likely, have sheered ring or they may be gone altogether.

Have you ever de-carbed this motor when you go to winterize it?

[Dhadley]

If you have 0 on a 2 stroke it's going to be more than stuck rings. Cylinders with broken rings have more than 0. As for gaskets, you probably won't need any for the moment. Pull the head and identify the problem. Real simple and only takes a few minutes.

[attowing@yahoo.com]

The Piston Moves Fine...im Gonna Take The Head Of And Ill Let You Know What I See

[attowing@yahoo.com]

ok i took the top of the head off to where i can see the piston and the top piston has a nice piece missing...it also grooved the sleeve.where do i go from here? its a nice grove not a small one

[Dhadley]

It's gotta come apart. Fixing it is not really that big of a deal. Or even replacing it with another powerhead. The big thing is that the cause of the piston damage must be identified and corrected or it may well happen again.

The damaged piston is not a cause. The damaged piston is a result.

[luckyinkentucky]

So, in the 2 cycle engines what does this indicate? Just for my future reference. Is it a sheered piston ring and/or bent shaft?

[Dhadley]

Where the missing piece is will tell a lot. My guess is that it's right by the exhaust port. Could be in the middle of the dome (well, centered on the plug anyway). Could be on the edge somewhere other than by the exhaust port. I'm sure he'll let us know.

[attowing@yahoo.com]

well im still trying to take the actual head off..its not as easy as it looks..do i have to take the fly wheel off to take the head out?i will look for that piece but it looks like it patened into the to of the piston..is the power head alot of money??

[Dhadley]

The flywheel is nowhere near interfering with removing the cylinder head. What exactly are you trying to remove?

[attowing@yahoo.com]

i took the cylinder head off..i was going to take the piston out but i think im gonna replace the whole motor ..they have a 96 225 hp for 3500 shipped.is that good????my motor the sleeve is bad

[luckyinkentucky]

I'll take your 97 if you don't want it. It'll be far cheaper to rebuild that one than $3000.