Maiden voyage on 89 2.3 OMC & very disappointed

[Jake707]

Ok I took my newly acquired 1989 bayliner capri open bow 19' with the 2.3 ford motor and OMC outdrive. It was very disappointing. I realize it's not a power house and I probably had it loaded to the max with 7 adults but talk about a slug. It barely got to a plane and WOT we maxed at 10 mph on my gps. There wasn't much of a difference between half throttle and full. We open up the bay to watch the motor while running and took the spark arrestor off the carb just to confirm WOT was in fact fully opening the carb and it was. Was I expecting to much out of it and should accept that if I want to go 20+ I have to limit the boat to 4 people? Also if i "floor it" on the throttle quickly it bogs and almost dies. I have ease the throttle all the way down. Any thought? Thanks

 

[RandyRobinson]

I had that same boat back in the mid 90s we had a 4 cylinder Chevy in it. it would go 35mph with 2 people in it...kinda slow but good fuel mileage. I think you are asking alot of your 2.3 with 7 people in that boat. LOL

 

[tpenfield]

7 people is a lot for a small boat & engine, but it should have done better than 10 mph . . .

What more do you know about the boat? Have you tried going out with just yourself onboard, and how did the performance compare.?

Also, any RPM readings at WOT to share?

 

[Jake707]

We took it out with 3 people and we're able to get it up to 28 but it took awhile. It has the attachment on the out drive to plane faster and a new prop but I don't know the size. How can I figure that out? What prop should it have? My tach wouldn't go past 1000 rpm and if I tapped on it it would bounce all the way over then come back so I'm not sure what's going on there.

 

[Jake707]

Got the prop info. The one currently on it is a new aluminum prop and says H 12 . 75 x 21P. It also came with a used one that says 13.25 x 17. Both are Michigan Wheel brands.

 

[Maclin]

You did not state what RPM's you achieve at the WOT of 28mph, but, my first thought is that a 21p in a 19 footer with only 110 HP is way too much pitch for the prop. A prop in the 17p range is more in line with what I think the boat would need.

 

[MikDee]

Ditto, What Maclin said!

Plus, to get the most out of your older motor, one neglected item is usually the spark advance. With the motor off, take off the Distributor cap, then grab the rotor, and Gently try and turn it one way, or the other, it should move one way maybe 1/4 turn, then spring back. If not, your main spark advance is not working, an important issue. Let us know the results?

 

[Jake707]

Another update Change the spark plug wires, checked the plugs they looked good, pulled the distributor cap and the points arm snaps back when rotating a 1/4 turn so it's no sticking and wiggled the connections on the back of the tach and now it is working. Had it running in the driveway and, if the tach is accurate, couldn't get the rpms past 4k. Still seems to almost be a missing or a slight sputter at full throttle. It also still bogs initially when you slam the throttle down quick. It runs the same with the arrest or on or nothing on top of the carb. So should I try it with the other prop? If I'm looking at it correctly it's a 17 pitch correct? I don't know the rpms when we hit 28 due to the tach not working.

 

[MikDee]

Yes, try the prop. You should normally get 400 more rpm's, but still be within normal rpm range, or less. That maybe the GoTo prop for average cruising, the other prop being more of a speed prop.

 

[wcasey5]

I have a 14 pitch 4 blade on my 3.0 capri cuddy, I can get about 36MPH with 5 adults on board at max RPM. I can't imaging what a 21P would do, it would be a slug. I also have a 15 pitch. There should be a chart somewhere, maybe in the engine/drive manual that will tell you the optimum pitch for different speeds. If you are happy going 30MPH or so, I would try a 15 pitch prop.

 

[Lou C]

and DO NOT rev it to 4,000 rpm with no load on it on the water hose!!!
Keep in mind that this is a 25 year old boat with the same Ford engine used in thousands of Ford Ranger pick ups and other smaller Ford vehicles from the 70s through the 80s. It is actually a later development of the overhead cam 2 liter in the Pinto, Bobcat and Mercury Capri.
First of all, it probably needs a complete tune up including checking ignition total advance and a complete check of the fuel system. As in, if you don't know how to check and repair all the potential problems, you might think about finding a mechanic that is familiar with these, but that could be difficult. I've had an OMC 12 years so I've learned how to do pretty much all the work short of rebuilding the drive.
Spark plugs
wires
dist cap and rotor
points n condenser
total timing advance
Fuel filter
anti siphon valve
carb may need cleaning
if the lower shift cable is sticky it may keep the ESA engaged and create the very problem you described.
As you can see it ain't that simple....
if you want to keep the boat, either get an OMC manual (factory shop manual) and start reading, or find a mechanic that works on OMCs and knows what they are talking about.
Been there done that...no short cuts.....

 

[Jake707]

ok i took off the new 21P prop that came on the boat and put on the old 17P that came with it. Took it out yesterday with 4 adults and my 1 year old. Soon as a i hit the throttle it got up on the plane and hit 34 MPH pretty quick. So im happy there that seems more in line of what i thought the boat should be able to do. One issue did happen on the way back in after a couple hours on the lake. It would be cruising fine at 30 or so and then it would start to slow down even though the throttle was still down. I tried letting off the throttle then pushing it back down again but it would go. So i cruised at 10 or so for a couple minutes then hit thte throttle again and it sped right back up, then a ways down did it again. Could this be maybe the coil getting to hot and spazing out or i read somewhere that it sounds more like a spun prop could it be that? Maybe thats why they took off the 17P prop and put this new one on in the first place? How can i confirm its a spun prop? Is it easy to fix the prop if it is the issue? Should i go to an even smaller pitch?

Also to address Lou C's questions, it has new spark plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and points from when i bought it. Thank god because that rear cylinder plug looks like a real pain to change. It looks like i would need to take the whole exahust manifold off to clear it out. I will rent a gun today and confirm the timing is 10 degrees BTDC. The fuel/water filter (that looks a lot like an oil filter) looks newer as well but it couldnt hurt to change it out. Im not sure what the anti siphon valve is or located so i will need to research more on that. The shifter seems to move forward and back fine without any sticking but the ESA is another topic i know nothing about and will need to research. Other than the quick grinding noise when initially put into gear it seems to shift in and out of forward/reverse fine.

 

[MikDee]

Ok, Maybe the coil getting hot, carefully feel it. If the prop was slipping, the engine would rev up some each time you gunned it when cruising, and you wouldn't be going any faster, it has nothing to do with the way the engine runs.

 

[Jake707]

i felt the coil the first day out when looking at the motor while running and it was was hot enough to burn when i touched it so im not sure if that is normal or not. It looks to be a regular black 12Volt coil is there any special coils out there i should instal instead or just take it off and go the the autozone around the corner and match it up or get one from a late 80s ford ranger with the same 2.3 motor? Can a shop test the prop to see if it is spun if i take it off and bring it in to them? There is a boat repair shop not too far from my work but they are closed today.

 

[Maclin]

That seems more like a fuel delivery problem. When that happens loosen the fuel tank fill cap and see if it sucks in air. If so it is a fuel tank venting issue. It it does that then try running with the cap loose and see if you can get past that drop-out point. It could also be the fuel level in the carb, or fuel filter restrictions, and the engine is outpacing the fuel system's delivery capacity.

 

[Jake707]

That seems more like a fuel delivery problem. When that happens loosen the fuel tank fill cap and see if it sucks in air. If so it is a fuel tank venting issue. It it does that then try running with the cap loose and see if you can get past that drop-out point. It could also be the fuel level in the carb, or fuel filter restrictions, and the engine is outpacing the fuel system's delivery capacity.

Just to clarify you are referring to the metal gas cap on the back of the boat correct? Is there a fuel tank vent line i should look at from the top of the tank? If i run it with the cap loose wouldnt i have to worry about water getting in with the gas?

 

[Maclin]

Yes, the main fuel fill cap, just loosen it some, no need to remove it. This is just to see if that is the problem or not. When it dies down and does not want to go, turn the engine off then loosen the cap and listen for a rush of air.

 

[Maclin]

There should be a small hose running from the top of the tank to a thru-hull vent fitting, usually the hose runs runs parallel to the main fuel fill hose and the vent is close to the main fill. Post some pics.

 

[Jake707]

ok, i took the prop off and took it to a shop to see if the could look at it and see if it is spun. He said it looked fine and if it had spun the rubber inside would look melted and beat up so he told me to go put it back on the drive put it in gear and rotate the blade thus turning the motor over. I did this and the blade and hub spun together. I even marked a line from the rubber hub up to the nut and shaft holding the porp on everything still lines up. So Ive now replaced the coil just for peace of mind since it was only $20 and ordered a new fuel filter since it was only $13 even though the one on there looked new.

 

[Jake707]

There should be a small hose running from the top of the tank to a thru-hull vent fitting, usually the hose runs runs parallel to the main fuel fill hose and the vent is close to the main fill. Post some pics.

here are some pictures. I was able to find the line you mentioned and i dont think that it is plugged in any way because the first time i filled the boat up at the gas station i didnt know when to stop and gas started backing up out of the little vent hole in the back of the boat (it is the small chrom cap in the pics). I put the cap on pretty tight thinking that was how it should be so should i loosen it some? i was afraid water would get in or it would be to loose and rattle off. I wont be able to take it out for a couple weeks as im not going out on a holiday weekend, too many drunk idiots out on the water. But if this coil, fuel filter, loosening the fuel cap doesnt work im out of suggestions so is there anything else i should check while its in my drive way?