93 Mercruiser started once but now.....

[Chux]

Hello all... I'm new to the forum, I'm a boat enthusiast; have been around them since high school. This brings me to the reason I'm here, I obtained my fathers 93 Bayliner and have been busting my butt to get her in the water. I had her running when I first got it home, only to find out she had cracked manifolds. I've replaced those along with all other important parts, thermostat, spark plugs wires, solenoid, cap and rotor, wires, ignition switch and a lot more. She had 30 gals of fuel drained it and put about 4 gals in with some stabil. Now I can't seem to get her to run, engine turns but seems to not either be getting fuel or spark. I checked the points (advice I found in this forum), and they light up. I've had to convert the fuel filter to a water separator as they don't make the original fuel filter anymore. I just purchased a new Fuel pump and its being shipped; is there anything that I may be missing here. Really don't wanna chase the rabbit and not catch it; I'm hoping the pump burned out, I don't hear the whine when the key is turned. Boat is in great condition he kept it in a garage and took it out maybe 9 times since he bought it in 93. Any thoughts or advice are greatly appreciated.

Thanks...

Chux
1993 Bayliner Classic
Mercruiser 4.3L V6 Alpha One

 

[tpenfield]

Check for spark, then see if you can get the engine to start briefly with a little squirt of gas in the carb. Have you cleaned/rebuilt the carburetor?

If the manifolds were cracked, do you know that the engine block did not crack :noidea:

 

[Scott Danforth]

check for voltage at the pump. you can test the pump if needed.

if you have points, someone put an older ignition in the boat. Mercruiser V6's and v8's from 1982 on had electronic ignition. your 1993 would have definitely left Mercruiser with electronic ignition.

 

[Chux]

tpenfield the block is not cracked, thankfully... I have not touched the carburetor, was hoping to not have to go down that road. Though after 18 yrs of sitting I am going to have too. Preciate the help

 

[Chux]

Scott Danforth I've not tested the pump beyond listening for the whine noise they typically make. How do I test the pump, never done that before.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Check for voltage
check to see if the pump runs when connected to power

I see you glossed over the ignition issue

 

[Chux]

Scott Danforth ooopsie... I thought I had answered that in my reply. I replaced the ignition switch because I lost the key . Other than that I've not done anything else other plugs, cap and rotor, solenoid, and wires.

thanks for your help

 

[nola mike]

You said you have points, and you shouldn't...

 

[Scott Danforth]

Scott Danforth ooopsie... I thought I had answered that in my reply. I replaced the ignition switch because I lost the key . Other than that I've not done anything else other plugs, cap and rotor, solenoid, and wires.

thanks for your help

ok, you have two ignition issues then.

a points type distributor that shouldn't be there (should be the TB-IV) and a potentially mis-wired ignition switch.

 

[Chux]

nola mike When I say points I mean I've checked each spark plug, wire, and the cap and rotor to ensure each point had spark. I may be misunderstanding the "point" terminology as I thought checking points meant what I described. If not I'm all ears... I appreciate the help

 

[nola mike]

No, points are something completely different. Points (breaker points) are metal contacts under the distributor cap that open and close as the distributor spins and time the spark. Modern systems use electronic systems without points--that is what you should have in your boat. There's good info in the adults only section about different mercruiser ignition systems. Sounds like you checked for spark at each plug wire, and have spark, so we can role that it as a cause. Ted's post #2 is next. Gas down the carb and see if it hits. You said you don't have a cracked block, how do you know? Also, triple check your plug wires were replaced in the correct order, in the correct location.