Chrysler 700 skier random stall

Hello everyone! I have a 1979 70hp Chrysler 700 skier. A few months ago i went on a long cruise and the engine was running like a dream. About a half mile from the dock, the engine died. It was a long cruise and my fuel gauge doesn't work, so i thought i was running out of gas. It started right back up, and I made it to the dock. The next time I got fuel I wasn't even close to out of gas. I figured maybe the filters were clogged. I cleaned the fuel filter and changed the water seperator filter. I'm still having the same problem. It runs fine for about 20-30 minutes and then just dies, like it ran out of gas. It starts right back up and cruises along, but then just randomly dies again.

I'm new to outboards and have been learning (a lot) as I'm going. I'm kind of at a loss as where to start. I don't want to dump any money into something that doesn't need to be fixed. Any suggestions on where to start or what could be the problem would be greatly appreciated!

Re: Chrysler 700 skier random stall

May be some floating debris in the fuel tank once in a while plugging the pickup tube.

Re: Chrysler 700 skier random stall

That's a thought... I'll probably buy a small portable fuel tank and re- hose everything to isolate that as the problem. From what I gathered it's either a fuel problem or electrical. I will clean all electrical contacts as well. The wiring is fairly old... new ignition switch but the contacts are in pretty rough shape. Thanks for the input!

Re: Chrysler 700 skier random stall

If it is a distributor engine, check where the wires go across the block under the flywheel. They often rub and from running vibration will short out against the flywheel.

Re: Chrysler 700 skier random stall

my 115hp use to do the same exact thing. would be running like a dream and it was like someone just reached over and turned the key off. mine ended up being the cdi. hope thats not the case for you. next time it dies on you pull a plug and see if its getting fire. mine would work fine and run all day in a bucket or at idle on the lake but sometimes it would lose spark.

good luck