Newbie Boater with Engine Troubles!

[Lucky Devil]

Hello all! My buddies and I are new to boating and new to this forum. I stress that we are new to boating because I'm hoping for some help with a problem we're having, and I want to make it clear that it is possible there are lots of 'obvious' issues that we may be overlooking. Thanks ahead of time for any help!

We have an old Dorsett with a 2008 Evinrude 60hp E60DSLSCS motor, which sits in salt water 24/7 (we raise the prop out, but the boat stays docked all the time). I'll be the first to say that we could be much more diligent about our regular maintenance (flushing the engine with fresh water, replacing filters, etc). Frankly this may have a lot to do with the problems we're experiencing now. For the first six months of ownership we used this boat on a nearly daily basis with no issues, though over the past couple months we've been out of town, and it has been raining heavily, so the boat hasn't been used. We tried to take her out again yesterday and had the following issues:

• When we first started her up, the engine idle didn't feel quite right. It was vibrating more and generally had the sound of not being well lubricated. We checked the oil - it was kind of low but didn't seem dangerously so.
• We took her out, sticking mostly between 1500 and 2000 rpm. She ran fine (though again, still vibrating and sounding worse than before) and then, without warning, the engine power cut down to just around neutral speed without me touching the throttle, then after 10-20 seconds or so, the engine cut out entirely. There were no warning sounds or indicator lights, which are supposed to go off in an overheat situation, but frankly I'm not sure whether or not the warning systems work properly.
• We tried starting the engine again, but it wouldn't turn.
• We raised the engine out of the water, and noticed that water seemed to be draining out of it for a much longer amount of time than usual.
• After leaving the engine out of the water for a while, and lowering it again, we could get it to start after 2 or 3 tries.
• The engine would run at just over neutral speed for a minute or two, then cut out again.

Today, we tried the following fixes:

• Replaced the fuel with brand new fuel
• Filled up the oil
• Flushed the engine using rabbit ears on the water intake with the engine idling. The flow through the water pump indicator seemed fine (no less than when we first flushed it) and was getting warm but not hot.

We then tried to take her out again. Starting her up, she immediately sounded better - less vibration, and no weird squeaks or binding sounds. We putted around the marina again at 1500 rpm or so, and she felt as good as the first day we bought her. We were feeling hopeful, but then again out of nowhere, the engine rpm dropped dramatically and then cut out completely. Again, no warning sounds or lights.

After another exhausting paddle back to our dock, we tried flushing the engine through the flushing port instead of using the rabbit ears. This time, we found water coming out of the engine housing in two places - the water intake screens (which is where I believe it should be coming out) AND from the seam in the housing between the propeller section and the engine section (above the anode, below the flush port - sorry I don't know how to explain it better!). This didn't seem right to us, and leaves us at a point now where we have no idea what the best next steps are.

We're in to this boat for very little money, don't have a trailer to get it out of the water, and are hoping that this isn't a catastrophic failure that will require a huge investment. Any information, help, suggestions, etc would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks all.

 

[alldodge]

Hello all! My buddies and I are new to boating and new to this forum. I stress that we are new to boating because I'm hoping for some help with a problem we're having, and I want to make it clear that it is possible there are lots of 'obvious' issues that we may be overlooking. Thanks ahead of time for any help!

We have an old Dorsett with a 2008 Evinrude 60hp E60DSLSCS motor, which sits in salt water 24/7 (we raise the prop out, but the boat stays docked all the time). I'll be the first to say that we could be much more diligent about our regular maintenance (flushing the engine with fresh water, replacing filters, etc). Frankly this may have a lot to do with the problems we're experiencing now. For the first six months of ownership we used this boat on a nearly daily basis with no issues, though over the past couple months we've been out of town, and it has been raining heavily, so the boat hasn't been used. We tried to take her out again yesterday and had the following issues:

• When we first started her up, the engine idle didn't feel quite right. It was vibrating more and generally had the sound of not being well lubricated. We checked the oil - it was kind of low but didn't seem dangerously so.
• We took her out, sticking mostly between 1500 and 2000 rpm. She ran fine (though again, still vibrating and sounding worse than before) and then, without warning, the engine power cut down to just around neutral speed without me touching the throttle, then after 10-20 seconds or so, the engine cut out entirely. There were no warning sounds or indicator lights, which are supposed to go off in an overheat situation, but frankly I'm not sure whether or not the warning systems work properly.
• We tried starting the engine again, but it wouldn't turn.
• We raised the engine out of the water, and noticed that water seemed to be draining out of it for a much longer amount of time than usual.
• After leaving the engine out of the water for a while, and lowering it again, we could get it to start after 2 or 3 tries.
• The engine would run at just over neutral speed for a minute or two, then cut out again.

Today, we tried the following fixes:

• Replaced the fuel with brand new fuel
• Filled up the oil
• Flushed the engine using rabbit ears on the water intake with the engine idling. The flow through the water pump indicator seemed fine (no less than when we first flushed it) and was getting warm but not hot.

We then tried to take her out again. Starting her up, she immediately sounded better - less vibration, and no weird squeaks or binding sounds. We putted around the marina again at 1500 rpm or so, and she felt as good as the first day we bought her. We were feeling hopeful, but then again out of nowhere, the engine rpm dropped dramatically and then cut out completely. Again, no warning sounds or lights.

After another exhausting paddle back to our dock, we tried flushing the engine through the flushing port instead of using the rabbit ears. This time, we found water coming out of the engine housing in two places - the water intake screens (which is where I believe it should be coming out) AND from the seam in the housing between the propeller section and the engine section (above the anode, below the flush port - sorry I don't know how to explain it better!). This didn't seem right to us, and leaves us at a point now where we have no idea what the best next steps are.

We're in to this boat for very little money, don't have a trailer to get it out of the water, and are hoping that this isn't a catastrophic failure that will require a huge investment. Any information, help, suggestions, etc would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks all.

:welcome: to iboats

Sure sounds like your going to need some money to get it fixed, but lets start with the basics.
Have you changed the water pump impeller?
Run a compression test and let us know what you find

 

[boobie]

Do a compression test and then a spark test on it. Spark should jump a 7/16" open air gap on a tester. Got to start someplace.

 

[Chad Flaugher]

Could be a bearing trying to seize, especially if water is in places it shouldn't be. You mentioned water taking longer to drain than normal... also water in the ignition components (from heavy rain) can have similar effects to yours. Start simple and work your way up... If it gets down to the wire, perhaps a fellow boater would let you use their trailer after they put in. Long enough to remove the motor for further inspection. My experience with boating fans is very similar to bikers. Always willing to lend a hand! Good luck!

 

[Silvertip]

There is a very simple test to determine if this is a fuel problem. When the engine begins to die, quickly push in on the key to momentarily activate the primer. If the engine picks up, you have a fuel delivery/fuel pump problem. If it makes no difference try squeezing the primer bulb. If this seems to help, check the fuel system between the primer bulb and the tank. If the tank has an anti-siphon valve where the hose hooks up it may be stuck. Have you tried running the engine using a different fuel tank (portable). Have you pulled the spark plugs to see if they are dry when the engine dies. A dry plug would indicate a lean or lack of fuel. A wet plug indicates an over-rich or lack of spark condition. None of these checks cost anything so do the obvious things first.

 

[daselbee]

This is an ETec....gotta get a laptop on it.

 

[Crosbyman]

did you check the idiot lights on the side of the EMM . Better read the manual

sounds like the engine is going into safe mode (semi-serious issues) then shuts down ( very serious issues )

better not mess with it to long

get your dealer to dump the history report off the EMM and check for alarms before you go pulling stuff out .

the folks at the etecowners site can help you out also