Boat will crank but will not start

[weseely2002]

Hey guys I'm a new boater and have recently been having some problems with my boat. First off the boat is 2003 Crownline 202 BR with a VP 5.0 GL. I bought the boat in the spring after having it inspected a local marina with on lake test. I was told by the mechanic the boat was in great shape but could use an engine tune up. He replaced wires, plugs, distributor cap, and seal on the SX outdrive and said the boat was running tip-top. For the inspection, tune up, seal replacement, and some minor work on my trailer (welding bunk adjustments) I paid close to $1400. I took the boat out three times earlier this summer and it ran perfect, however have not taken it out in over a month due to my work schedule. This weekend my wife and I took it out. It started up great and we ran around the lake for about 30-45min before stopping and getting into the water. The boat ran great without any problems. We swam and listened to the radio for approximately 1-1.5 hrs. We started the boat up without problem and went approximately 200ft it died. Attempted to start again and the boat cranks but wont fire. I thought it may be flooded so let it sit for about 30 minutes and attempted again with same result. Long story short had to be towed in by the marina and was told to leave boat overnight so they could look at it in the morning. Mechanic calls the next day and says there was some "trash" in the carb and cracked alternator connection that had to be replaced and there was some water in the fuel. He stated he cleaned "trash" out of carb, replaced connection, replaced gas and everything is working great. All of this cost approximately $400. So my wife and I went out yesterday and deja vu. It was like groundhog day. Everything happened exactly like two days prior and we had to be towed in again. I was skeptical about the water in the gas because I top off after each trip and use stabilizer. I think I have ruled that out since I had just put brand new gas in before the boat quit yesterday. I'm gonna call the mechanic tomorrow but after spending close to $2000 and only have taken the boat out 5 times I wondering if he is suspect. I was thinking this could be a battery/alternator issue since it seems to happen after we have been listening to the radio with the engine off, but 1hr of standard radio (no amps/ multiple speakers) shouldn't drain the battery down that much. On my voltage gauge the before cranking the engine it was reading 12V. Sorry for the long post but does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle this or what direction to point me to?

 

[Augoose]

Re: Boat will crank but will not start

Well, some things are always lost in translation, but if he told you he replaced the "seal on the SX outdrive", there is lie number one as the SX outdrive does not use a seal to mate to the pivot housing. Maybe he was talking about another seal, bellows, or another gasket somewhere. Back to your issue....

To isolate your issue, its going to take a little more info, some back and forth, and some troubleshooting on your part. Engines are basic - spark, fuel and air. The next time your boat doesn't start we need to figure out which one you are missing. Generally, when you turn it over and it doesn't even try to start, you are missing spark or fuel completely. If it tries to start but fails, your mixture of fuel and air or a weak spark is the issue.

When the boat would not start, did it always not start in the same manner? Did it stumble, trying to run but just not stay running? Is the engine turning over quickly or slowly? When it doesn't start, pull the flame arrestor off the carb and look at the butterfly - is it open, closed, partially open? This will tell us about airflow and position of the choke.
Regarding spark, pick up a spark tester from a local auto parts store and then check your spark next time you have the issue as well - be sure the engine hatch is open and well ventilated.
For fuel flow, have a helper pump the throttle and then look down into the throat of the carb - do you see fuel squirting each time the handle is pumped? It should be a good squirt and partially turning to a mist and not a dribble....

Regarding the alternator, next time your boat dies use the meter to check the battery - do you have 12v? Likely your alternator is fine but there are other ways to test it if it is suspect.
How about a lanyard kill switch going bad? This might allow the engine to crank but the spark to be dead- maybe a loose connection from bouncing around waves and such?

Definitely need to get a small toolkit to bring with you which includes a voltmeter and some basic tools for troubleshooting and repairing minor issues.
Regarding the mechanic, its hard to put him on the spot and further explain what he found when you are not familiar with what a good/bad answer is, but I would have definitely questioned him on the seal and the "trash" in the carb. Sorry for the trouble you've been having- don't give up though!

 

[weseely2002]

Re: Boat will crank but will not start

Thanks Augoose for the response. After the boat stopped, I tried to crank again and it turned over normal and briefly started for a couple of seconds but died out. After that attempt the engine would just turn over normal but not fire. I will say it seemed the more I tried to crank it the engine turned over slightly slower, but not like the battery was dead with the super slow turn over. All of my electronics worked the entire time like normal. Yesterday when I was troubleshooting on the water I took off the flame arrestor and everything looked to be open. I didn't physically see gas going into the carb but my wife said she could smell it when I was cranking it up. All connections seemed properly connected and the lanyard switch wasn't disengaged. I have a multimeter and tools here at the house so I'm going to tinker some today. The only thing that makes me feel like it is the battery is that I had an issue almost exactly like this happen with my SUV and I swore it was the alternator but it was the battery. Once the engine fires and starts is it requiring electricity from the battery or the alternator?

 

[Augoose]

Re: Boat will crank but will not start

The alternator charges the battery and powers the boat's electrical system while the engine is running.

I don't think your issue is going to be with the battery as you were able to crank the boat. When the boat ran, did it run well? Any strong smell of fuel while it was running well? If so I'd bet your fuel delivery is fine as is the air delivery, leaving possibly an intermittent spark. Pick up a spark tester and go from there. Still, verify fuel flow in the carb....

 

[weseely2002]

Re: Boat will crank but will not start

There was no hesitation, no drop in RPMs it ran excellent. I didn't get a strong smell of gas while running it but it was noticeable after we attempted to crank it multiple times. It just doesn't seem to make sense to me that it starts up strong on the landing then we ride for a little while then kill the engine and listen to the radio and when we crank it back up starts strong and then dies approximately 200ft later and will not fire after. I'm going to get a spark tester and double check everything again. Thanks again and I'll keep you posted.

 

[weseely2002]

Re: Boat will crank but will not start

So did some tinkering and battery is fine 12.6 V with multimeter. Although did not load test. Tried to start motor and again will turn over just not fire. Took the flame arrestor off and the carb is definitely getting fuel. Went through the connections again. Everything seemed to be connected. I did wiggle the 12v and tach wire going to ignition coil and made sure wire transferring spark from coil to distributor had good contact. Tried to crank engine again and it hit the first time! I'm thinking there must be a short in one of the wires going to the ignition coil. What happens if the wire coming from the battery to the coil is good but the tach wire is bad?

 

[captmello]

Re: Boat will crank but will not start

Pull a couple spark plugs, What do they look like?

 

[Taz59]

Re: Boat will crank but will not start

Get one of these
Checkspark Spark Plug Analyzer Ignition Tester Tool Check If You Have OK Spark | eBay

 

[Walt T]

Re: Boat will crank but will not start

Sounds like classic vapor lock. Try running with the blower on all the time. If this is carbureted make sure the clear fuel line from the pump is dry. Stay away from that mechanic. I don't think it is electrical based on what you say. Listen to what the guys have said, fuel keeps coming up. We think you have a fuel problem. Vapor lock means fuel is boiling in a line somewhere and turns into vapor and locking up the fuel delivery. You turn off the boat and suddenly heat has nowhere to go and the engine gets very hot. Fuel boils and you go to start, it starts and runs until the carburetor runs dry and it dies. Wont start, you raise the hood and fiddle with electrical and it starts cooling off and then it starts.

 

[weseely2002]

Re: Boat will crank but will not start

Thanks for all the help guys. I took the boat to another mechanic and he said it sounded to him like vapor lock as well. It still doesn't explain everything but it makes the most sense after reading about it. Will keep you posted.

 

[textwister]

Re: Boat will crank but will not start

Thanks for all the help guys. I took the boat to another mechanic and he said it sounded to him like vapor lock as well. It still doesn't explain everything but it makes the most sense after reading about it. Will keep you posted.

I have a kind of similar issue. I had mine idling on the shoreline, I went to reverse and it died and would not restart. Mine is a 2000 Crownline BR225, Volvo Penta 5.7 GSi, with throttle body injection. Now when I try to start it after a few seconds I get the triple, double beeps I normally get when I turn the ignition switch off. I'm stumped. Anyone have any thoughts?