Hello All,
Recently I purchased a 1991 OMC Cobra 4.3L. The motor, upper and lower unit, and boat for that matter, are all in excellent condition, but I am now having a problem.
When I purchased the boat I made sure it started and ran fine before I pulled it away. The only thing that was of concern was the battery, as we used a separate battery to start the boat.
When I got it back to my place the next day, I put the muffs on and started it a few times in my driveway. I did put jumper cables from the battery in the boat to my car, thinking that this would help get it going. Once it was started I let it run until it warmed up (ten minutes or so) just at idle while I poked around checking out a few other things.
Fast forward a few days, I tried to start the boat again. This time I just used the original battery in the boat. It cranked very slowly at first, and then it sped up. After cranking for between 5-10 seconds it sounded like it was cranking normally, but would not start. I picked a battery charger and charged the battery overnight. It charged all night and when I checked the charger in the morning it showed an 80% charge. When I got home from work there was an error code "The battery does not go into Maintenance mode after being charged for 24 hours on the charger."
Thinking that the battery may still have an 80% charge, I turned on the water and tried to start the motor. It started cranking very slow again but then sped up after 2-3 seconds. It cranked at what sounded like a good speed for a few more seconds but would not start the engine. I tried the jumper cables to my truck again, but still could not get the engine to start. Same cranking scenario where it start slow for a chug or two and then speeds up. The reading on the dash voltage shows the battery voltage between 11-12v when the key is the on position, and then it drops below 10v when cranking. I'm not sure if I trust the dash 100% however. I don't have a multimeter that is working so I can't check at the batter right now until I get a new one.
What would be your next steps to determine what the problem is on why it won't start? I'm not 100% convinced it is a battery problem, but I am thinking that I take the battery in to get tested at least. I am thinking it is not a battery problem because after the first few turns of the engine it does crank at what sounds like a proper speed.
When I take the flame arrestor off the carb I can look into it and smell gas in the carb. This is after pumping the throttle a few times before I crank it.
Thank you for your help!
Recently I purchased a 1991 OMC Cobra 4.3L. The motor, upper and lower unit, and boat for that matter, are all in excellent condition, but I am now having a problem.
When I purchased the boat I made sure it started and ran fine before I pulled it away. The only thing that was of concern was the battery, as we used a separate battery to start the boat.
When I got it back to my place the next day, I put the muffs on and started it a few times in my driveway. I did put jumper cables from the battery in the boat to my car, thinking that this would help get it going. Once it was started I let it run until it warmed up (ten minutes or so) just at idle while I poked around checking out a few other things.
Fast forward a few days, I tried to start the boat again. This time I just used the original battery in the boat. It cranked very slowly at first, and then it sped up. After cranking for between 5-10 seconds it sounded like it was cranking normally, but would not start. I picked a battery charger and charged the battery overnight. It charged all night and when I checked the charger in the morning it showed an 80% charge. When I got home from work there was an error code "The battery does not go into Maintenance mode after being charged for 24 hours on the charger."
Thinking that the battery may still have an 80% charge, I turned on the water and tried to start the motor. It started cranking very slow again but then sped up after 2-3 seconds. It cranked at what sounded like a good speed for a few more seconds but would not start the engine. I tried the jumper cables to my truck again, but still could not get the engine to start. Same cranking scenario where it start slow for a chug or two and then speeds up. The reading on the dash voltage shows the battery voltage between 11-12v when the key is the on position, and then it drops below 10v when cranking. I'm not sure if I trust the dash 100% however. I don't have a multimeter that is working so I can't check at the batter right now until I get a new one.
What would be your next steps to determine what the problem is on why it won't start? I'm not 100% convinced it is a battery problem, but I am thinking that I take the battery in to get tested at least. I am thinking it is not a battery problem because after the first few turns of the engine it does crank at what sounds like a proper speed.
When I take the flame arrestor off the carb I can look into it and smell gas in the carb. This is after pumping the throttle a few times before I crank it.
Thank you for your help!
