stalls after a half hour

[1987 national]

1989 2.3 liter ford runs fine for about a half hour then losses power and dies-let it sit for 2 to3 hour and it runs fine again for the same amount of time.changed wires,plugs,cap,rotor,points,condenser,coil, and rebuilt the carb----i'm stumped --i need help!!!!

 

[sph130]

Re: stalls after a half hour

Have you checked the fuel system? Is there water in the gas? Fuel lines dirty?

 

[1987 national]

Re: stalls after a half hour

i'll try anything at this point--but if it was water would'nt it run bad right away? as for cleaning the fuel lines--any tips on how to do it? thanks for the reply

 

[wellsc1]

Re: stalls after a half hour

Sounds like it heat-related. You replaced the electronics, so that's rulled out. Given it loses power then dies, it seems more so a fuel problem. Consider it may be a vapor lock in the fuel system somewhere, or a clogged fuel filter.

 

[NYBo]

Re: stalls after a half hour

Or a clogged tank vent.

 

[1987 national]

Re: stalls after a half hour

i'll check-- thanks for the suggestion

 

[Beefer]

Re: stalls after a half hour

Or a clogged tank vent.

^^ I'm with him ^^

 

[Stachi]

Re: stalls after a half hour

plugged vent

 

[Stachi]

Re: stalls after a half hour

easy test to see if it is the vent...after it stalls , remove the fill cap ,if you hear it sucking air in , your vent is clogged.

 

[1987 national]

Re: stalls after a half hour

thanks for the input---i took the vent line off and blew it out with 100psi. nothing came out of the hose. this is driving me crazy!! a friend said it maybe the alternater---i doubt it---but could it be???

 

[runsonwater]

Re: stalls after a half hour

some thoughts...
rotor cap bad, could there be a crack in the plastics in the distributor or if its points the temperature rises and they wont close due to metal bending under temp stress, under cowl temp to high, maybe impeller blades bad and heat buildup in the head is undetectable because the hottest water isnt being moved past the temperature sensor resulting in overheating, the coil could have leaked out all its oil and it overheats, runs after it cools, the exhaust leak is building up in the compartment and its breathing co2 and stalls, pinhole in fuel line(sucks air), bad connection at fuel fittings, debris rolling around in tank rolls into opening when in operation and falls back after stall, bad gasket in carburetor, water in fuel is probable, mechanical fuel pump bellows cracked, overvoltage issues with voltage regulator in alternator, oil pressure drop due to worn bearings warming up/excessive clearance causing a shutdown sequence, could be a bad wire somewhere between fuses/starter/keyswitch/safety device (connections fail at different temps and torques)
it could be a combination of these or many things...test for everything you can think of and eliminate the things that are working. what does it sound like when it dies, quick or slow, intermittent firing, skip n' die, odd noises squeaks, runs backwards?
tell us about the fuel you pumped in to it...ethanol?(bad)...additives?
does the fuel gauge work- what level is it at?
compression test? oil pressure readings?

more input!

 

[1987 national]

Re: stalls after a half hour

hello, and thanks for the reply--here we go --the boat runs for about 1/2 hour and starts to brake-up<like a spark problem> then it dies totally-after 2 hours it runs fine again for the same amount of time.i changed the plugs,wires,cap, rotor,points, condenser,coil,rebuit the carb,checked the vent ,checked very electrical conn. i could find.also jumped out the coil resistor ingn.wire. you wrote about the alternater/voltage regulator---could it open and then operate ok again after it cools?we also used a differant fuel source, oil pressure is fine , i did not do a compression test. you also talked about the distributer--poss. broken or cracked plastic- is common for them to work intermittaly?i'm kindda leanning towards a electrical problem, because it breaks-up before it quits.

 

[axxe]

Re: stalls after a half hour

I had something similar happen recently on a 2007 Bayline with a GM 3.0L. There are 2 screws that were holding the ignition module in. They were rusty and loose. I sanded and tightened them. The problem went away. Check all your grounds.

 

[baja21]

Re: stalls after a half hour

I am dealing with the same problem right now, and am fighting to find the best resolution to it. I think it is a vapor lock issue based on the following, its one of the hottest summers we have had in years, it happens after it is hot, and is fine once it cools down. In previous years, when the motor is hot, I have had better luck allowing the boat to idle for several minutes before shut down. Once it is off I will run the blower for 5-10 minutes to pull out the hot air. My mechanic actually put clear fuel lines on it and found the fuel boiling in the line after the engine was hot. I have also considered insulating the fuel lines.

 

[boatpoor4]

Re: stalls after a half hour

Hi There. We have been having an awful time with our boat stalling after a 1/2 hour. I'm not very technical so I'll try to explain. My husband and I were at the dock yesterday and turns out someone there helped us. Said there is probably a piece of dirt in the tank where the float is. When the engine is warmed up and the float is suppose to rise and plug the hole that lets in the gas in, it doesn't. You can see that it is flooding. We clamped the hose off where the gas comes into the tank and it restarted. No problem when it's running but it stalls after running. Suggested to look at the float. If it's foam replace it. If metal just leave it but you can try and empty that little tank where the gas goes through and clean it out so that there is nothing blocking that little hole where the gas goes through. Makes sense, as this is the first time we could get it restarted when clamping off the excess gas that was coming in. Thanks.

 

[1987 national]

Re: stalls after a half hour

thanx for the post i'll give it a try and get back to you

 

[NYBo]

Re: stalls after a half hour

I think boatpoor is referring to the carburetor float and needle valve.

 

[1987 national]

Re: stalls after a half hour

i think so also--i'm changing the float in the carb. on the bag the new one came in --it said alcohol resistant--i'm thinking the ethenol in the gas may be my problem---i'll write back with the results thanks again for the posts

 

[NateL]

Re: stalls after a half hour

I'm a new guy on here but i had the same problem with mine. Had it for two weeks now. First time on the water it ran good for 10 minutes and then spit and sputter. All I did before was fill it up with fuel. Tried a gas can with fresh fuel and boat ran great. I bought a new tank and am scraping the old one. Checked all the things that you have vent tube and so on and so forth. Bad Bad things in the original gas tank I believe is the problem with mine. Thought maybe yours might have the same problem. Just a thought and figured I'd pass it along and let ya know that your not the only one with this going on. My tank should be here in a few days and hope no more problems. Good Luck to ya hope maybe my problem can steer ya in the right direction.

 

[1987 national]

Re: stalls after a half hour

thanks for the post --but i used a separate tank and still have the same problem also just changed the float in the carb.--that didn't work either---i'm really stumped