first time boat owner needs some help.

[amadus98]

Hello all,
I got the boat running due to all the boards help thanks , so yesterday I took her out for my first time. I need some clarification on what is correct normal running. This is my first boat and I don't know what's normal and what's not.

I have a 1988 welcrafft 170 with a merc 3.0l I/o.

She starts fine, rpm bout 900. Seems kinda low.
Engine runs smooth not ruff at all.
Throttle forward until first kinda clunk, I'm assuming this is 1st gear or in gear. At this point 50% of the time the rpms drop a little then dies. The other 50% of the time the boat moves forward nice and slow.
When she moves forward and I throttle up I get a small stumble then she catches and takes off kinda smoothly.
Question: what are correct throttle positions? 1 straight up neutral and starting, 2 a few inches forward first clunk that's slow forward, 3 the farther forward the faster you go....also what's Max rpm? There's no red line on tach. I was doing 30mph at around 4k rpm.
Is there away to test electric choke because she seems to be a little cold blooded.

Over all she runs great just stumbles when first put into gear.

Thanks.

 

[amadus98]

Re: first time boat owner needs some help.

Fyi I forgot to say I just changed plugs, cap, rotor, wires, and switched to electronic ign.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: first time boat owner needs some help.

You are describing the action of the throttle/shifter. It combines shifting and throttle advance into 1 lever. The clunk is it going into gear. Continued forward movement of the lever increases the throttle. The same thing happens in the other direction, except the boat goes into reverse. It sounds like the carb may be a little gummed up, as it should not stall when going into gear and should accelerate smoothly.

Only 2 gears on that baby . . . Forward & reverse.

 

[Don S]

Re: first time boat owner needs some help.

She starts fine, rpm bout 900. Seems kinda low.

Actually, that's about 200 rpm too fast. Should idle smoothly after warmed up at 650 to 700 rpm in gear.

Did you reset the timing after converting to electronic ignition?

You may also need to adjust the idle mixture to make sure it's right.

If the engine dies as you put it in gear, or coming out of gear, it could also be a faulty lower shift cable. When they bind, the hold the shift interrupt in to long and the engine dies.

The prop is what keeps the max rpm in the proper range. At WOT (wide open throttle) you should see between 42 and 4600 rpm.

If it won't idle below 900 rpm, it is not running great.

 

[amadus98]

Re: first time boat owner needs some help.

Thanks for the replays,
I checked the timing and did a basic set of idle mix screw , I'll put it in the water to marrow so I can set everything while in gear.
Thanks and I'll keep ya posted'

 

[amadus98]

Re: first time boat owner needs some help.

OK iboat peeps thanks for the help so far so good thanks to all of you .
So I took her out on the water and did the idle mix screw set as per the manule and throttle linkage adjust. So everything works good. Rechecked timing, OK. Boat ran good..... until......lol I put the engine cover then she has a hard time idleing. I can open the engine cover about 4 inches and once again she runs great.

So here's a silly question ..... what's the purpose of the blower switch on the dash? Does it blow fresh air into the engine compartment?

Question #2 how does the choke work on the Carb. The manule just describes removal and installation not proper set up.
I.e. what to look for.

Thanks andreas

 

[Don S]

Re: first time boat owner needs some help.

The blower is there to suck out gas fumes that may be in the bilge. You are supposed to run the blower for 5 minutes BEFORE starting the engine.
Along with that blower is 2 vents, one on each side of the boat. 1 is to draw air in from the other is for the exhaust air to go out.
Both of those vents need to be open. They should also be sized to allow enough air for the engine to breath. Sounds like yours may be blocked off. Probably in attempt to keep water out of the boat.
The engine needs air to run. I doubt you have a choke problem causing it to die when you close the hatch.



The carb section of the service manual should tell you how to set the choke.

 

[amadus98]

Re: first time boat owner needs some help.

Thanks Don,

Just for the knowledge......if i have the air cleaner off with engine cold the butterfly should be closed right? and as the engine warms up the choke opens up the butterfly. is this correct?