fuel system issues

[backsidewake]

1997 Regal LSR 2100

4.3 Mercruiser Alpha 1

The engine cranks and idles fine, however, the first time I accelerate the engine stalls. After warming up, the engine will accelerate and ride for half a minute or so and then stall again.

I replaced the fuel filter which had a lot of debris and some water in it. The spark arrestor appears clean, and the carberator appears clean.

Could there still be water in the gas causing the engine to idle, or could it be something else?

Thanks for your help!

 

[ENSIGN]

Re: fuel system issues

Run the boat on a portable gas tank

 

[backsidewake]

Re: fuel system issues

Run the boat on a portable gas tank

How can I do that? Can I just unplug the line going into the tank an stick it into a profitable tank?

 

[backsidewake]

Re: fuel system issues

Just tested the boat again. Was not able to test with a portable tank but plan to after the rain stops.

The boat will crank fine and idle great, and now it will accelerate fine and ride at any speed for about a full minute before the engine dies. Almost seems like it is running out of gas. Also the boat cranks back up right away.

Any more suggestions?

Thanks again.

 

[wellcraft-classic210]

Re: fuel system issues

Sounds like a Fuel delivery or a fuel line restriction issue.

If so I would probaly replace the fuel filter fuel filter, inspect the check valve in the barbed fitting coming out of the tank pickup for debris, do a fuel pressure check & see if that helps / could also be dirt in carb / ora blockedfuel line.

The barbed fitting check valve is the first place any large debris in the tank will get caught as thier is typically no screen on the pickup in the tank.

 

[backsidewake]

Re: fuel system issues

Sounds like a Fuel delivery or a fuel line restriction issue.

If so I would probaly replace the fuel filter fuel filter, inspect the check valve in the barbed fitting coming out of the tank pickup for debris, do a fuel pressure check & see if that helps / could also be dirt in carb / ora blockedfuel line.

The barbed fitting check valve is the first place any large debris in the tank will get caught as thier is typically no screen on the pickup in the tank.

I pulled the gas line off of the barbed fitting and inserted it into a 1 gallon tank with fresh gas. The same thing happened for three different trials. The engine would crank and accelerate smoothly, but after 60 seconds the engine would die. I just replaced the fuel filter this morning; the old one was pretty dirty.

So far I have ruled out the fuel filter, the possibility of contaminated gas, and the spark arrestor. I would like perform a fuel pressure check before I rebuild the carb to rule that out.

Any suggestions on how to test the fuel pressure?

 

[backsidewake]

Re: fuel system issues

went to two different auto shops and neither one had the proper fuel pressure gauge that I need. They only had the gauge for fuel injected engines, whereas I need one for much lower psi ranges. (3-7psi)

any suggestions on what to do from here?

thanks!

 

[muc]

Re: fuel system issues

Might want to check the oil pressure switch that supplies power to the fuel pump.

 

[CaptainMak]

Re: fuel system issues

Is this a new boat to you ? Was this an ongoing problem in the past ? Did it suddenly start doing this ?

From all the debris in the fuel filter, is it possible this engine was neglected ? No tune-ups done ? Sat for a long time ?

 

[backsidewake]

Re: fuel system issues

Is this a new boat to you ? Was this an ongoing problem in the past ? Did it suddenly start doing this ?

From all the debris in the fuel filter, is it possible this engine was neglected ? No tune-ups done ? Sat for a long time ?

No this is my father's boat, we purchased it new in 97, but the engine has been neglected while I have been away at school. So no tune ups have been done for some time, and it does sit for long periods as well.

However, the boat ran like a champ all summer and only recently started acting up after I finally decided to fix a grinding noise it used to make when shifting.

I tighted the forward shift cable and noticed that the shift interupt switch was disconected as well; so I reconected that. This solved my shifting problem but the new issue with the engine stalling arose.

could it be a spark issue?

 

[wellcraft-classic210]

Re: fuel system issues

To answer your question you may need to provide more info & do some research.


What happens when it stalls? Will it restart right away?
Have you tried looking down the barrels when this happens to see if the fuel delivery is constant ?

If it won't start after it stalls -- check for spark & fuel squirting from the accelarator pump then.
If it restarts quickly then you may need to find a way to minitor for spark & fuel pressure while its happening. (pehaps a Temporary pressure gauge off a tee fitting WITH NO FUEL LEAKS // and a timing light ?? )

 

[muc]

Re: fuel system issues

When you say “tighten the shift cable” do you mean the nylock nuts that hold the cable on?
They should tightened and loosened ? turn so the cable doesn’t bind.

 

[backsidewake]

Re: fuel system issues

To answer your question you may need to provide more info & do some research.


What happens when it stalls? Will it restart right away?
Have you tried looking down the barrels when this happens to see if the fuel delivery is constant ?

If it won't start after it stalls -- check for spark & fuel squirting from the accelarator pump then.
If it restarts quickly then you may need to find a way to minitor for spark & fuel pressure while its happening. (pehaps a Temporary pressure gauge off a tee fitting WITH NO FUEL LEAKS // and a timing light ?? )

The engine will crank back up right away after stalling.

And when it stalls, it will die down some and then almost crank back up before dying completely.

I looked down the barrell and it appears to have a steady stream on both sides throughout the trial.

Hopefully this will help narrow it down.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Hopefully we can get this boat running clean.

 

[Aatcman]

Re: fuel system issues

... However, the boat ran like a champ all summer and only recently started acting up after I finally decided to fix a grinding noise it used to make when shifting.

I tighted the forward shift cable and noticed that the shift interupt switch was disconected as well; so I reconected that. This solved my shifting problem but the new issue with the engine stalling arose.

could it be a spark issue?

Ummm, Yes it could..
You said it yourself in the quote above.
Your problem is one of two things: 1. Shift cables not aligned correctly. 2. shift interuptor worn out (prolly why it was disconnected)

My $0.05 says it'll run fine when you disconnect that shift interuptor -- which tells me you either need a new one or your shift cables are too tight..

Hope this helps

 

[backsidewake]

Re: fuel system issues

Well I have tried unplugging the shift interupt switch to see I that is the issue and it still stalls as well as when I put the shift cable barrell back to its original position.