boat died out on water... distributor cap??

aggiedave98

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Re: boat died out on water... distributor cap??

Well, I'm officially the world's dumbest boater...<br /><br />IT WAS A FULL WATER/FUEL SEPARATOR FILTER!!!<br /><br />I was stuck on the lake and had to get towed in all because I didn't check that on the lake!!<br /><br />Oh well, I should be happy I guess.<br /><br />Now, I'll go ahead and still replace the cap, rotor, plugs, wires, etc. since I have them and they need to be replaced anyway.<br /><br />Thanks again for the help!!
 

Don S

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Re: boat died out on water... distributor cap??

I will take that to mean it was full of water, and not fuel.
 

vipzach

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Re: boat died out on water... distributor cap??

That doesn't make you the world's dumbest boater. You now know something that you didn't before right? If you learned nothing then you might be a duumb boater. We all learn something everyday.
 

bigbrownbuku

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Re: boat died out on water... distributor cap??

never seen arcing like that in a dizzy aggie. looks like your rotor is set too high or its too short. double check they are the right parts.<br /><br />if your water separator was full your new carb has water in it. it will cause corrosion, deal with it sooner rather then later.<br /><br />that much water in a gas tank is usually from a bad cap seal, check your cap seal is in good condition and cut the water off at the source. it could also be a poorly placed breather, check your breather location/design, there are a lot of good fairly cheap breathers you can buy to fix a poor location without remounting in a different location.
 

aggiedave98

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Re: boat died out on water... distributor cap??

Ok, let me take this back. Since the boat was dead on the water (last where), here's all I did (this weekend):<br /><br />took the dist. cap off, and put it back.<br />took the water/fuel separator filter off.<br /><br />It was full of something. I thought that since the middle part of it was full, that meant it was water. That may be a dumb assumption. How do I know if it was fuel or water?? <br /><br />I dumped out the filter, then put it back on. I pumped the gas a couple of time, pulled it back, and turned the key. It started RIGHT up. <br /><br />So, I made the assumption it was the water/fuel separator. Maybe that wasn't it. <br /><br />Now what do I do? If that wasn't it, then how do I know why it died??
 

Don S

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Re: boat died out on water... distributor cap??

Water settles to the bottom of the filter, not just the center. In the future, when you empty the filter, dump it into a clear container and look at it. The water will be a puddle in the bottom of the container and will be completely seperate of the gasoline. <br />An engine will usually quit running when there is about half fuel and half water when the boat is bouncing around a bit. When you slow down and quit bouncing the water will settle and the engine will run again.<br />Don't just empty the filters, replace them.
 

aggiedave98

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Re: boat died out on water... distributor cap??

I actually did empty it into a pan. I can't tell if there's water in there. I need a glass jar to emtpty it into, but don't have one right now. <br /><br /><br />The next question is if I got water into the carb, then what do I need to do to the carb??
 

trog100

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Re: boat died out on water... distributor cap??

"The next question is if I got water into the carb, then what do I need to do to the carb??"<br /><br />nothing.. unless u like pulling things to pieces just for the hell of it..<br /><br />my 16 year old boat dosnt have a fuel/water seperator fitted and from all the problems such devices seem to cause on here it certainly aint gonna get fitted with one..<br /><br />if u have small amounts of water in your fuel (not entirely uncommon) its best got rid of gradually it wont do the slightest harm.. unless its stored up by some silly device and let go all at once when the device gets full..<br /><br />trog100
 

aggiedave98

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Re: boat died out on water... distributor cap??

Well, the boat seems to run great now!! I'm going to take it out tomorrow afternoon. I'm a little scared since I'm not really sure why it stopped in the first place.<br /><br />I've let the fuel that I poured out of the water/fuel separator sit for a while and I really don't see water in it that settled out. <br /><br />After all these posts, what do folks think got me stuck in the first place? Would the distributor cap being in that bad of shape get me stuck?? If there was water in the separator, it doesn't look like it was very much. I'm worried about getting stuck again... <br /><br />Assuming I do get stuck, what is the best process to go through out on the water to determine the cause? Should I take the hose off the input of the carb to check if the fuel pump works? Should I pull the plug off (and hold it close to) the coil to determine if I've got spark (or should I pull a plug wire?)
 

Don S

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Re: boat died out on water... distributor cap??

After re-reading you post, you may just have a shift cable that is getting stiff and causing the problem. It will only get worse and kill the engine every time you shift.<br />You have a shift interrupt switch on the engine that kills the ignition for a split second to relieve the pressure on the shift dogs (they are reverse cut to hold them in gear) so the drive will come out of gear without a lot of physical force that would damage the gears. The shift interrupt system with a stiff shift cable will hold the switch activated and kill the engine.<br />It's a very common problem and a new cable will usually cure the problem. But checking everything is necessary before you just change the cable because a post you read, there are other things that can cause the same thing in the shift interrupt system.<br />Here is another site you might find interesting, plus, you really need to get the OEM Service manuals for your engine and drive. Without them, you are severly handicapped in your maintenance.<br /><br /> http://www.mercstuff.com/howdoi.htm
 

bigbrownbuku

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Re: boat died out on water... distributor cap??

picking water from gas is fairly easy. if you have no expierience doing this an easy way to tell the differenc is get some gas and put water in it, move the container and notice the difference. then dump your filter into a clean container and compare.
 

aggiedave98

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Re: boat died out on water... distributor cap??

assuming I have a bad cable but go out boating tomorrow, is there anyway to bypass it just to get back to shore? how would I test that that's my problem?
 

aggiedave98

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Re: boat died out on water... distributor cap??

Don, <br /><br />Where can I get the OEM Service manuals? I did some searches, but didn't know if you have a suggested place to get them. How many do I get? It looked like there may be one for the engine, one for the outdrive, etc.
 

Don S

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Re: boat died out on water... distributor cap??

You may find them on ebay, or you can order them from your local Mercruiser dealer or order directly from Mercruiser, but you would need the serial numbers for both your engine and drive and you would still get then from your local dealer.<br />Here is the Mercruiser site for ordering manuals:<br /><br />Order Merc Manuals <br /><br />You need service manual #10 for your engine and the merc PN is90-14693--1<br />For your drive you need manual #6 PN 90-12934--2<br /><br />There is also an online manual for your drive here is the link.<br /><br /> Service Manual #6 <br /><br />Just run your cursor over the page, the finger will indicate a link.
 

Reel Poor

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Re: boat died out on water... distributor cap??

is there any way to bypass it just to get back to shore?
You can recenter the lever that actuates the switch, with your finger. Just push it back to center of detent.
 
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