1979 Chrysler skier 700 wont start

[guz3240]

I bought a boat a year and a half ago from a guy who bought it from another guy. i went to get it transferred and registered only to find the person had titles that were not valid. it was a nightmare tracking him down and getting all the legal stuff taken care of. the boat always started with out any problem in a tank and ran great in idle for minutes at a time. it always started on the first turn of the key no problem. so i redid the interior and was looking forward to the titles in the mail to take it out to the lake. a few days before the lake i tried to turn her on and she did not fire up. i figured it was the fuel as it has rained her in west Texas a lot. i changed the fuel but she still did not fire up. after messing around with her for a few days she turned on. the next 3 days i would go out every once in awhile and crank her on. she would always turn on with the first turn of the key. the titles finally came and i took her out to the lake. she turned on right away and was fine in idle while i parked my truck. when i got back to her i put her in gear and i went around the lake 3 times. i slowed down as i was looking for a place to fish. she stalled and would not turn back on. i waited a few minutes and cranked her again. she turned on an i proceeded. then she died. and never turned back on. i had to get towed to the dock. when i got home i pulled off the carburetors and cleaned he needle valves and floats with carb cleaner. i put everything back. i tried to turn her on and nothing. i pulled the hoses from the crab to see if fuel was coming out of there. very little to none was coming out so i checked the fuel filter. it was clean and lots of fuel ran through there when i squeezed the bulb. i figured the fuel pump was bad or clogged and pulled it to inspect. cleaned it all with carb cleaner and reinstalled. now when i push on the bulb fuel gushes from where the filter assembly is attached to the engine as if there is to much pressure and can only escape from there. i called a boat service place and they asked me to check compression. i checked compression and got 120 on top, 100 in middle, and 90-95 on the bottom. also i live in Painview Texas and due to the drought last couple of years there is only one boat shop left anywhere for probably at least 100 miles. so im trying to do it myself without much luck. any thoughts would be helpful.i know this is a long story but want to give all info possible. can some one please help. i have a boat with brand new interior looks great but can not enjoy it.

 

[guz3240]

Update.. i found the problem to the leaking fuel filter. got it taken care of. i disconnected the top hose to the carb and pumped the bulb. gas came out of it so then i cranked the engine and she turned right on. again she turns on the first turn of the key and sits in the tank in idle for several minutes at a time like she use to, but im afraid of taking her out to the lake and it turning off. does anyone have any idea as to why she would shut off in the middle of the lake in the first place? im thinking it has something to do with the fuel side of things as she has compression, has spark, sounds strong, she just shut off for no reason.......the only thing i did was clean the carbs. hope there was a valve or float getting stuck and i fixed it. ill c if i can get her to the lake tomarrow and test her out...

 

[guz3240]

Well i changed d old clamps with new ones. Replaced the primer bulb. Patch d small hole in d origanal fuel tank and used it, all to no sucess. The boat bogged down in full throttle so i let off a lil bit and she ran good. I found a place to fish and killed d engine.. After i fished d area went to turn it on and she never fired up... Please some one help.

 

[Glastron_V210]

Seems like you had (have) 2 problems.

The original fuel problem would have been the cracked fuel filter. The fuel pump would be able to suck in air, rather than sucking in gas from the tank because of the leak, thus it will die mid run. This is extremely common.



Your next step is a full tune up. Check your timing (Both base timing and advance), check your choke plates are not getting hung up, check your spark plugs to make sure they look good. The next step is to clean and set the carbs.

When your engine dies this time, are the carbs still full of fuel? You can tell if you only take 1-2 pumps of the primer ball for the ball to harden up. If it takes more than that, you may have either a blockage, or another air leak somewhere else.

Chay

 

[guz3240]

Thanx for responding Glastron. The leaking fuel filter at the point where it connects to the fuel pump was a mistake on my part, when i put back together i had forgotten to reinstall a gasket. one reinstalled it not longer leaked from the connection when bulb was primed. when the boat died this second time i loosened the bolt to the fuel bowl under the carb and some fuel did indeed come out of it. i loosened the the fuel line to the top carb and cranked the engine, fuel squirted out of it but not very much. im not really sure just how much is suppose to come out of it to compare it to. when i pumped the new primer bulb it takes less squeezes to get hard than the one i replaced. i cant remember how many pumps it took before it got hard a gain but dont think it was very many. the choke plates seem fine as when i push in the key and release, the choke plates open and close fine. im not sure how to check the timing and help on that would greatly appreciated. one thing i forgot to mention at the beginning because it slipped my mind, but the throttle cables were not on the boat when i bought it. i purchased them on my own and installed them on my own. they need a little adjusting because some times when i put the lever in the neutral position, the boat will not crank and i have to mover the lever a little bit to find neutral to crank it.. i dont think that would kill the engine and not allow it to start back up, but just thought that i should mention it. i wish i lived near a lake. the nearest lake is hr and a half away. it cost me about $45 in gas and admission fees to get to a lake only to have the boat fail.