Hello guys
I hope some of you smart helpful types are tuned in like you were last time I had an issue a couple of years ago.
!986 Imperial Bow Rider. much newer motor. Okay, maybe it was in box for 20 years, 'cause the guy I bought it from 3 years ago said it had a "new motor". I know they didn't make the AQ131C 5 years ago, but that's what it seems like.....It sure looks and sounds pretty new. Or it did until Saturday.
Came into toward shore and backed off the throttle, and it stalled. Would not restart. Not even a kick. It seemed to be starved of fuel, so I checked the line coming from the in-floor plastic tank. Not much gas in the line. Put a 3 foot clear hose from the filter to the fuel pump, rolled it over, no fuel moved in the hose. I sucked fuel from the tank, filled the hose, reconnected one end to the pump, and held it up high. Rolled it over, but it would not pull fuel from the line. Called it a day.
Yesterday PM... I figured I had a bad fuel pump. I have an older parts motor that ran ok, so I swapped the fuel pump off of it. It wouldn't pull gas from the tank after the initial three 10 second cranks. With about a 3rd of a tank of fuel, and no difficulty to suck fuel manually, I figured it should have pulled it up the line, but I held it up high as before to try priming it. This time it quickly drank the fuel from the line, but did not kick even once. It then drank another half a line full of gravity fed gas, then stopped. If it was an electric pump, you would think it had achieved the pressure it wanted and shut off. I am a long way from a mechanic, so I'll ask a dumb question: Do mechanical pumps stop pushing fuel at a certain point? After a few minutes, it drank another line full of fuel, so I am rather confused.
At that point I was thinking, okay, maybe my old pump was fine, and the thing just doesn't want anymore fuel at a certain point. I knew I was over my head. My wife was getting tired of roasting in the drivers seat listening to my musings and rolling the engine over etc, but we hung in a bit longer. The river was calm.... I kept a charger on the battery and it was rolling over pretty fast, by the way. I put a splash of fuel in each carb, twice. Nothing. I had her crank the throttle ahead a few times, and was able to see fuel squirting away from the accelerator pumps. So okay, are we talking an electrical issue?
I might find my way through a simple fuel supply problem, but fire is another thing. I put a multi meter on the solenoid where the wire runs to the coil, and read 12 volts with the key turned on. So I figure maybe the coil is getting power. all the connections look clean and tight.
We gave up and jumped in a boat with some friends for the rest of the short evening. We don't get too many nice evenings in May in Atlantic Canada.
I could go back at it after I recover the carbs and remove fuel/fire hazards....and see if the plugs are firing, I guess? I have not done that with an I/O, but I assume the spark plug against the block should show a visible spark? Is there a risk of fuel vapor coming out of the cylinder and igniting?
Is there a better way to diagnose the problem?
Any help much appreciated.
TB
I hope some of you smart helpful types are tuned in like you were last time I had an issue a couple of years ago.
!986 Imperial Bow Rider. much newer motor. Okay, maybe it was in box for 20 years, 'cause the guy I bought it from 3 years ago said it had a "new motor". I know they didn't make the AQ131C 5 years ago, but that's what it seems like.....It sure looks and sounds pretty new. Or it did until Saturday.
Came into toward shore and backed off the throttle, and it stalled. Would not restart. Not even a kick. It seemed to be starved of fuel, so I checked the line coming from the in-floor plastic tank. Not much gas in the line. Put a 3 foot clear hose from the filter to the fuel pump, rolled it over, no fuel moved in the hose. I sucked fuel from the tank, filled the hose, reconnected one end to the pump, and held it up high. Rolled it over, but it would not pull fuel from the line. Called it a day.
Yesterday PM... I figured I had a bad fuel pump. I have an older parts motor that ran ok, so I swapped the fuel pump off of it. It wouldn't pull gas from the tank after the initial three 10 second cranks. With about a 3rd of a tank of fuel, and no difficulty to suck fuel manually, I figured it should have pulled it up the line, but I held it up high as before to try priming it. This time it quickly drank the fuel from the line, but did not kick even once. It then drank another half a line full of gravity fed gas, then stopped. If it was an electric pump, you would think it had achieved the pressure it wanted and shut off. I am a long way from a mechanic, so I'll ask a dumb question: Do mechanical pumps stop pushing fuel at a certain point? After a few minutes, it drank another line full of fuel, so I am rather confused.
At that point I was thinking, okay, maybe my old pump was fine, and the thing just doesn't want anymore fuel at a certain point. I knew I was over my head. My wife was getting tired of roasting in the drivers seat listening to my musings and rolling the engine over etc, but we hung in a bit longer. The river was calm.... I kept a charger on the battery and it was rolling over pretty fast, by the way. I put a splash of fuel in each carb, twice. Nothing. I had her crank the throttle ahead a few times, and was able to see fuel squirting away from the accelerator pumps. So okay, are we talking an electrical issue?
I might find my way through a simple fuel supply problem, but fire is another thing. I put a multi meter on the solenoid where the wire runs to the coil, and read 12 volts with the key turned on. So I figure maybe the coil is getting power. all the connections look clean and tight.
We gave up and jumped in a boat with some friends for the rest of the short evening. We don't get too many nice evenings in May in Atlantic Canada.
I could go back at it after I recover the carbs and remove fuel/fire hazards....and see if the plugs are firing, I guess? I have not done that with an I/O, but I assume the spark plug against the block should show a visible spark? Is there a risk of fuel vapor coming out of the cylinder and igniting?
Is there a better way to diagnose the problem?
Any help much appreciated.
TB
