engines won't start

[boatman37]

figured i would ask this here. been thinking about a bigger boat and was told about a Four Winns 328 Vista (about 2001-2003ish). Probably Volvo but not sure yet as i haven't looked at it. the issue was that a couple are going through a divorce and the boat has been sitting for a few years. a guy i know looked at buying it before buying his current one. said the aggravation of the messy divorce made him change his mind. another guy looked at it but they weren't able to agree on a price. so the info i got was that neither engine will start but will start if you pour gas directly into the throttle body. i was told by one of the previous 'buyers' that they thought both fuel pumps may be bad. i think that may be a stretch? maybe a fuse or relay? bad gas? it has been sitting about 3-4 years on the trailer. i heard they want $35k. the only way i would consider it is with a survey and mechanical inspection of the engines to get a rough estimate on repair costs. i heard that the original owner was very meticulous with it and the current owners rarely used it. i did drive by and it is covered and looks to be in pretty good condition externally.

my question is what are initial thoughts on engines? seems odd that neither would start. that would make me think something common between the 2 such as fuses or relays? i would be surprised if both fuel pumps failed?

 

[edsboats]

I assume that the engines have carbs and are not fuel injected. If the engine starts by pouring gas in the throttle body then it is not getting gas. All the electronics are good or it wouldn't run at all. Typically the gas gels in the carb by sitting for a long time. To test the fuel pumps, you need to disconnect the fuel lines at the carb and hold a bottle over the line. When you crank the engine, fuel will pump into the bottle if the fuel pumps are good. If you have a fuel pressure gauge, this would be a good time to check the pressure. I see this so many times on our lake where people don't winterize the engines and fuel correctly. Assuming that the fuel lines pump fuel then the carbs will have to be rebuilt and the fuel pumped out of the fuel tank. Don't try to put an additive in the fuel tank like Sea Foam thinking that it will bring the gas back to life. One other issue to consider is that because the engines have been sitting so long, the camshaft and other internal parts may have rusted due to the fact that they haven't been coated with oil in a long time. I've seen camshafts ruined on engines that have sat for over a year. Make the sale contingent on the engines in running condition and an in-water boat test. If not, you need to get it at a really good price expecting the worse case scenario.

 

[boatman37]

thanks. definitely will require a survey, mechanical inspection and sea trial. i'm not interested in replacing engines no matter what the price is so if it isn't a fairly easy fix then i will be walking. as far as i know it is fuel injected. i think the guy said they poured fuel in the throttle bodies to start it.

i know this can't be diagnosed over the internet but just seeing what solutions i might be able to try