Hello. I am a newbie to the thread (first post) and a newbie to boating. I have limited knowledge of boats and engines, but I am undaunted and unafraid. Now, for my issue:
I have an OMC Cobra 5.8 L I/O. The outdrive is a 5.0 l OMC. My trouble started a few weeks ago when I took the boat out with the family to our island retreat. I had taken the boat out a few times prior to this excursion without a hitch. We were loading up getting ready to depart in an attempt to beat an incoming storm when the boat kept dying as I put it into reverse. It would not idle it seemed. I finally was able to "jam" it into reverse and throttle it enough to get us backed out. I slowly throttled forward and off we went toward the launch area. After only a few seconds, as I gave more throttle, the boat shut down and would not restart. It acted as though the battery was dead, because the starter just kind of clicked or clanked, but would not tun over.
The battery voltage guage showed I had between 10 and 11 volts. I figured dead battery (bad cell). We got home after a tow, and I began checking the electrical system. All the leads were clean and tight to and from the battery and starter. I had good voltage when checking my battery, but I thought it might be bad still. Had it load tested at Wal Mart. It checked out okay, but I was still convinced it was the battery, so I replaced a perfectly good battery (not smart...I know:facepalm
.
Throw in the new battery, and I dry start. No problem...fires right off. I am now thinking that I have solved my problem. I invite parents and sister's family out for a round on the water. I start the boat in the water at launch. I idle for 4 or 5 minutes while I wait for my brother-in-law. Absolutley sounds great...I think were ready for some fun in the sun on Sam Rayburn. As we idle our way forward through the boat lane, all is still great. I slowly begin to throttle the boat up and get on plane. I notice a bit of hesitation, almost like cavitation, and the boat just dies. Same exact thing as last time out. Click, clank...whatever. I can't start the motor. The guage shows little voltage, but I brought my multimeter with me and the battery shows 12.84...fully charged. What's up?
I noticed the 2 50 amp red buttons near the solenoid assist. Could they have anything to do with this? They showed voltage, but I didn't check for continuity. It acts like there is a direct short somewhere, but I can't find anything to support that claim as I trace wires from front to back. All looks good.
I don't know anything about hydrlock other than what I have read on this forum. Is that a possibility? If so, why was I able to dry start it? It seems as though the problem only exists under load. How could I be getting water into the engine? I have to go get a wobbler plug remover and pull the plugs. I did notice that my exhaust bellows was cracked/broken on both ends, but I saw nothing that looked out of the ordinary (like melted flappers). Any other way to quickly check something visually?
I am now not even able to hear a clank. The starter spins freely but the bendix won't engage. Is it possible that there was a bad solenoid or starter that was sapping juice and causing a shutdown? I am in a quandry?
Thanks for any help you can offer.
I have an OMC Cobra 5.8 L I/O. The outdrive is a 5.0 l OMC. My trouble started a few weeks ago when I took the boat out with the family to our island retreat. I had taken the boat out a few times prior to this excursion without a hitch. We were loading up getting ready to depart in an attempt to beat an incoming storm when the boat kept dying as I put it into reverse. It would not idle it seemed. I finally was able to "jam" it into reverse and throttle it enough to get us backed out. I slowly throttled forward and off we went toward the launch area. After only a few seconds, as I gave more throttle, the boat shut down and would not restart. It acted as though the battery was dead, because the starter just kind of clicked or clanked, but would not tun over.
The battery voltage guage showed I had between 10 and 11 volts. I figured dead battery (bad cell). We got home after a tow, and I began checking the electrical system. All the leads were clean and tight to and from the battery and starter. I had good voltage when checking my battery, but I thought it might be bad still. Had it load tested at Wal Mart. It checked out okay, but I was still convinced it was the battery, so I replaced a perfectly good battery (not smart...I know:facepalm
. Throw in the new battery, and I dry start. No problem...fires right off. I am now thinking that I have solved my problem. I invite parents and sister's family out for a round on the water. I start the boat in the water at launch. I idle for 4 or 5 minutes while I wait for my brother-in-law. Absolutley sounds great...I think were ready for some fun in the sun on Sam Rayburn. As we idle our way forward through the boat lane, all is still great. I slowly begin to throttle the boat up and get on plane. I notice a bit of hesitation, almost like cavitation, and the boat just dies. Same exact thing as last time out. Click, clank...whatever. I can't start the motor. The guage shows little voltage, but I brought my multimeter with me and the battery shows 12.84...fully charged. What's up?
I noticed the 2 50 amp red buttons near the solenoid assist. Could they have anything to do with this? They showed voltage, but I didn't check for continuity. It acts like there is a direct short somewhere, but I can't find anything to support that claim as I trace wires from front to back. All looks good.
I don't know anything about hydrlock other than what I have read on this forum. Is that a possibility? If so, why was I able to dry start it? It seems as though the problem only exists under load. How could I be getting water into the engine? I have to go get a wobbler plug remover and pull the plugs. I did notice that my exhaust bellows was cracked/broken on both ends, but I saw nothing that looked out of the ordinary (like melted flappers). Any other way to quickly check something visually?
I am now not even able to hear a clank. The starter spins freely but the bendix won't engage. Is it possible that there was a bad solenoid or starter that was sapping juice and causing a shutdown? I am in a quandry?
Thanks for any help you can offer.
